Sonia Nazario

nonfiction/immigration from Central America (Honduras); unattended minors and their families

I never got around to reading the original, Pulitzer-winning full-length book, which has been mentioned by two separate books I've read this year, but on discovery of the 2018 "young reader edition" decided to check this out. It is pretty accessible for teens as far as interesting content goes, and with the increasing number of unattended minors being detained at our borders, also very timely. The author provides a very brief but fairly comprehensive explanation of different factors and considerations about Immigration at the US southern border--she doesn't go into people from other areas of the world who fly in and overstay their visas, but there is a lot here for readers to think about.… (altro)

Decent story about a boy from Honduras who is determined to find his mother in the U.S. She left her family when he was very small and he was fixated for years on finding her again.

When he reached his teens he started to plan seriously to travel to the US. Leaving behind his girlfriend, he hitched rides on trains headed north. Much of the book is about the horrors and challenges he faced. He was caught and sent back on a bus. This happened several times until he finally reached the border and managed to call his mother to ask for help in paying for a guide. Ultimately he did reach his mother, but reunions like this one never quite meet expectations.

We get to follow him and his girlfriend as they cope with his life in the north and her attempts to meet up with him.

What makes this story interesting is that the writer took the time to travel the rails the way the boy did, mostly on top of the cars, but of course she was safer than he was and spent each night in a safe place. She also tracked and interviewed his friends and his mother so the story would feel complete. Importantly, she ends the book with additional information on this traffic and what befalls so many of these immigrants, so many looking for a way out of extreme poverty. It isn't a pretty story but it has its moments, places where people are dedicated to helping others at great cost to themselves.

It's an important story, particularly in these times of immigrant fear.… (altro)