It’s September, do you know where your library card is?
“One Card, Endless Possibilities” is the rallying cry for this year’s Library Card Sign-up Month, and all those possibilities led to this week’s incredible Book Club Spotlight. A recipient of the 2024 Chicago Library Foundation 21st Century Award, author Cristina Henríquez wrote her novel, The Book of Unknown Americans at her “second home”- the local library! The Iowa Writers’ Workshop alumni’s sophomore novel was a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, a New York Times Notable Book of 2014, and an NPR Great Read.
The residents of the Kirkwood Apartments in Newark, Delaware all have a story to tell. While few of them anticipated ending up in the low-income apartments, they’ve all come to call it home. One resident, Alma Rivera, never imagined moving from her gorgeous home in Patzcuaro, Mexico to enroll her daughter in a specialized school for disabled students. Blaming herself for the accident that left Maribel with a traumatic brain injury a year ago, Alma has devoted her whole life to keeping her daughter safe. Now, her small family is in a foreign country, trying to scrape by Arturo’s meager income, and navigate an English speaking world. While trying to shield and understand a girl, who, under the haze of her injury, is still a teenager who wants to enjoy her life on her own terms.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it, what parents will do for their children?”
– Cristina Henríquez
The Book of Unknown Americans is full of characters far from home in search of something new. Arriving in America alone, they’ve come together to create a community that supports each other through times of need and joy. Dedicated to her father, a Panamanian immigrant, Henríquez draws from her father’s homeland and experiences as inspiration, making this a sweet and familial pick for Hispanic Heritage Month. Henríquez’ novel looks at the weight we all carry, as we try not to be burdens- to never let anyone down while striving for an ideal that can never be met. The more pressure you place on yourself, the more it will hurt when you inevitably fail. This story is one that emphasizes self-compassion and how we can only move forward if we forgive ourselves for being human.
Through reading, Book Club Groups will follow Alma’s guilt over her daughter’s accident, and how she punishes herself in the process. They can discuss the weight of responsibility on Mayor’s shoulders to be the perfect son and follow the rules despite his heart telling him to be true to himself. Told in alternating viewpoints, mostly focusing on Alma and Mayor, Henríquez expands her world with interstitial chapters of the other residents that breathe her story to life.
If you’re interested in requesting The Book of Unknown Americans for your book club, you can find the Request Form here. There are 4 copies (A librarian must request items)
Henríquez, Cristina. Book of Unknown Americans. Knopf. (2014)
