Writers of Color Book Club discussion

Here we will be discussing chapters twenty-two to twenty-eight of The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez. Please be mindful of using the (view spoiler)[spoiler tab to keep from ruining anyone's reading experience. (hide spoiler)] tab.

I'm so sorry, since I was reading on my Kindle, I just kept on reading and lost track on the numbers of the chapters... So I'm just posting in this feed, I hope this is okay...

Is it just me, or any one of you wanted a chapter with Maribel's POV as well? I was kind of disappointed about that...

It really weird, but I have to say this particular book is one that doesn't lend itself to being read in segments. I haven't gotten to this particular part however, I feel like from the first half of the book, which I've read, not having at least a tiny portion of the book told from her perspective is beyond frustrating. I think she'd be a really good narrator sort of like in Room or The Curious Case of The Dog In The Night-time.

In only like 10% in and I found myself asking that re: Maribel. The jacket copy talks about the love story between her and Mayor but so far, she is still having issues even telling you where she is.

I DO really like these characters though. At first when I started reading I was disappointed with the writing, but the stories and the voices of her characters just took me in.

Lynecia wrote: "In only like 10% in and I found myself asking that re: Maribel. The jacket copy talks about the love story between her and Mayor but so far, she is still having issues even telling you where she is..."

Agreed! I don't know if you've ever read Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, but this book has the same vibe for me, which got me scared. I will say though that I do like the faint discussion that is being introduced about how immigrants have to downgrade their lives when they come to America sometimes in terms of jobs they are offered or lifestyle they can afford to leave once they leave their old lives behind.

In the case of Maribel's father, the fact that he was forced to take such a plebian job when he was use to being the boss and overseeing others work made me feel so sad. It also made me think about how often immigrants are overlooked when they come to America by certain close-minded individuals in our culture or other first world cultures who only see them as invaders. Most of these individuals have such diverse backgrounds and past that to lump them all together seems unfair, which I feel maybe part of what Henriquez is trying to get at.

That's a much more common story than people think. Arrogance/ignorance cannot comprehend why one would leave their country if it was so much better, yet it's a complicated thing. It's a sacrifice many families make for a myriad of reasons and I think Henriquez is showing that.

I also think it's interesting how the other characters in the community react to Maribel's disability in the beginning. You'd think they'd be welcoming, but even in that small space there is a hierarchy.

I definitely agree that I was hoping for Maribel's perspective. The whole book people (especially her mother) deny her a voice, and refuse to believe that she is capable of communicating after the accident. I liked seeing her growth and seeing Alma realize that she hadn't lost her daughter, she was still there, but it seems to undercut that idea when Maribel doesn't get to have her own voice in the novel. I do understand that it might be difficult to write first person from the perspective of someone with brain damage without coming across as insulting, but it seemed unfair that the book centres around Maribel without getting her perspective.

I didn't expect that ending.

It seemed out of character for the novel though; overall the whole book was disappointing. I really hate when writers pull that trick on the readers - it seems like they know they have to wrap up the story so they throw a bombshell out there to distract us from the fact that they didn't really know how to end it. With the exception of a few places, within the novel, and Alma's character, I found myself so frustrated. I still don't know how to rate it yet though.

I think that is a good point about Maribel being denied a voice within the story so that is why she didn't get any of her own chapters. I do think it was a wasted opportunity to not have that last chapter by hers, even though I did like hearing from Arturo.

I liked this book overall, but I agree about the ending. Alma had been foreshadowing something tragic coming so that sort of took away from it for me. It was like when you want to read a book and someone tells you there is a twist in it so you are then distracted thinking about it the whole time. I guess the foreshadowing helped it seem less like it was coming out of nowhere, but it seemed kind of thrown in there. It is sort of a trope in a lot of literary fiction books where a character will (view spoiler)[suddenly die tragically right at the end (hide spoiler)], and I was hoping this story would end differently.

Wow, i didn't even notice the foreshadowing.

I noticed the foreshadowing from Alma's chapters, but I was thinking along the lines of a different ending. I kind of wished that that last chapter had been used to give Maribel a voice. I didn't really think we got anything new from Arturo in that one. I really liked the book though, I felt like it gave a voice to immigrants and made us as the reader imagine them complexly.

Marion wrote: "I'm so sorry, since I was reading on my Kindle, I just kept on reading and lost track on the numbers of the chapters... So I'm just posting in this feed, I hope this is okay...

Is it just me, or a..."

I felt the same way. Initially, I thought it was because she wasn't capable of narrating her story in a way we would understand, but ultimately I think it was a bit of a cop out. I would have loved to see her transformation unfold through her language sharing narration over time.

I liked this book, but it wasn't quite what I expected or hoped for. I found the romance between Maribel and Mayor to be the least interesting part of the book. I loved the back stories of all the characters, and I wish it would have been more about the others than Maribel.

I listened to this one, and I found Alma's voice annoying after awhile. I'm curious if others found her as dramatic in print.

Overall, I liked the insight into Hispanic immigrant life in Delaware (who knew?), but I found the emphasis on Maribel and Mayor to read like a young adult novel. I would have preferred to see more from the minor characters. In particular, I wanted a glimpse at Enrique's life at college.

nomadreader (Carrie D-L) wrote: "I liked this book, but it wasn't quite what I expected or hoped for. I found the romance between Maribel and Mayor to be the least interesting part of the book. I loved the back stories of all the ..."

Good point. Enrique got the short shrift, he was the most underdeveloped.