Reviews with content warning for Racism - El Libro de Los Americanos Desconocidos = The Book of the Unknown Americans

I was surprised by my lukewarm reaction to this one given that it's on so many "best of lists." While I appreciate any book that sheds light on the difficulties of immigrating to the United States, I've read much stronger YA books in recent years that deal with these topics (We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez immediately springs to mind). The reader is meant to be supportive of Maribel and Mayor's relationship, but he felt almost as creepy as the bully to me. Several passages made it seem like he was only interested in Maribel's appearance, and that he felt he was "doing her a favor" by looking past her traumatic brain injury and getting to know her as a person. And while I liked Alma's chapters, I found it an odd (and infantilizing) narrative choice to never have a chapter from Maribel's perspective, since she is supposedly the focus of the story.

I do highly recommend the audiobook with the full cast reading the different characters' perspectives! This really added to my enjoyment of the story and is probably the reason I'm giving this 3 stars overall.

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melmoony's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This story follows a young girl who suffered a tragic and debilitating accident. Her parents would do anything for her, so they move to the US to seek better care and education in hopes of having her return to who she was. Here we meet other Latinx folks in the neighbors, and the book alternates between telling Maribel’s story and the story of how the neighbors came to be in Delaware.

It’s a story about the hardships of being transplanted to a new country, of struggling to make ends meet, of persecution and of being willing to do anything for those you love.

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notartgarfunkel's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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kaneebli's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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reebeee's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A moving, devastating narrative of Latinx immigrants' complex relationships with the United States and each other. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of chapters from the POV of minor side characters, explaining why they immigrated and what their personal history and outlook on life is; it added an extra layer of vibrancy to the community in the apartments and drove home the message that immigrants aren't a monolith or just a category of public policy, but people with their own stories and motivations.

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catherineelkhattabystrauch's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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amandaquotidianbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

An excellent snapshot into the lives of Latinx immigrants to the US. My favorite plot was Major’s as he navigates his difficult father and becomes friends with Maribel, whose recent accident prompted her family to immigrate to enroll her in an American school. I loved seeing their relationship grow. Alma and Arturo’s dedication to making Maribel’s life easier was eternal and inspiring. Henriquez brings to life the little joys and everyday anxieties of moving to a country that doesn’t want you there.

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