Welcome to another Diversity Monday:
The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz (Oct 4, 2016, Simon & Schuster, 320 pages, for ages 9 to 13)
Synopsis (from Indiebound): Jaime is sitting on his bed drawing when he hears a scream. Instantly, he knows: Miguel, his cousin and best friend, is dead. Everyone in Jaime's small town in Guatemala knows someone who has been killed by the Alphas, a powerful gang that's known for violence and drug trafficking. Anyone who refuses to work for them is hurt or killed--like Miguel. With Miguel gone, Jaime fears that he is next. There's only one choice: accompanied by his cousin Angela, Jaime must flee his home to live with his older brother in New Mexico.
Inspired by true events, The Only Road is an individual story of a boy who feels that leaving his home and risking everything is his only chance for a better life. It is a story of fear and bravery, love and loss, strangers becoming family, and one boy's treacherous and life-changing journey.
Why I recommend it: With mentions of a politician planning to build a wall, and the urgency of the two cousins' need to find safety in the United States, you can't get more timely than this. A lovely and at times harrowing book, The Only Road won a Pura Belpré honor for 2016, and it definitely deserves it. This is an important story, about fear and friendship and survival, that humanizes current issues. The characters are so real they seem like children you know. The sense of urgency keeps you turning the pages, while the sensory details draw you in and let you experience what the children are going through in the small dusty villages in Guatemala and Mexico.
You may read a lot in the news about Mexicans coming here illegally, but from reading books like this (and Libertad by Alma Fullerton -- reviewed here) you'll realize it's more often desperate refugees from Central America who are trying to flee to freedom through Mexico to the U.S. And it's not just kids from Guatemala. Jaime and Angela meet other refugee kids from Honduras and El Salvador, and all of them are trying to go north. They know if they stay, they'll be forced to join a gang or be killed for not joining the gang. This book is an impassioned plea for mercy for immigrant kids.
Here's a link to a recent New York Times article on this very subject.
Favorite lines: (from p. 30) A mini-banquet of desayuno chapin had been laid out, like those American turkey feasts they showed in movies, "tanks geeveen" or something. Eggs from the chickens out back, Abuela's corn tortillas, black beans, fried plantains, sliced avocadoes and mangos, pork salchichas, and a steaming mug of hot chocolate...
Bonus: An excellent discussion-starter for classroom units on immigration and current politics.
Alexandra Diaz's website
Follow her on Twitter
This sounds like a really fantastic book and so timely. Thanks so much for featuring it.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Natalie. I know it takes a few years for books to be published, so I couldn't believe how apropos it was to current political issues.
DeleteThis sounds like a great book. Thanks. I wish we would focus on improving the immigration process to make it work faster, safer, more efficiently, than trying to fix symptoms of a broken system. I think that's something we could all find common ground in. Have you read any other of Alexandra's books?
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Joanne. No, I haven't read her other books, which seem to be all YA. I read way more MG than YA, although I still try to read some.
DeleteI just finished this one and will share my thoughts next month. No surprise but I loved it. It certainly gave you a different view of this overwhelming problem.
ReplyDeleteThat's great, Greg! I'll look forward to your thoughts on the book.
DeleteThis is my kind of story. And you are right, it couldn't be more timely. I definitely want to read this book! Many of us are focusing on reviewing diverse books and those relating to immigration right now. Think it's important.
ReplyDeleteYou would appreciate this book, Patricia. And yes, it's definitely important right now.
DeleteI worked with illegal immigrants when I was a teen, and they were lovely people. I've also worked with legal residents as an adult. The amount of money they have to pay to live here legally (without citizenship) is ridiculous. I always argue for making immigration laws easier to navigate for those who aren't breaking any other laws, something my dad and I have never agreed on. I suspect that this book would make me cry. Thank you for recommending it.
ReplyDeleteWow, Myrna. I had no idea you've done that. Good for you! I agree -- it should be easier for those not breaking other laws. And especially for children. Yes, this book would undoubtedly make you cry. But there's hope at the end.
DeleteThis sounds like a great book for classroom discussions, especially with realistic characters that can bring a human side to the issues. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteIt's perfect for classrooms, Andrea.
DeleteSounds like a great one! Thanks for the rec :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Jessica! Thanks for visiting.
DeleteDefinitely sounds like a good read and definitely timely. I am sure it is powerful and sad, based on the blurb. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. :)
ReplyDelete~Jess
It's powerful, all right, Jess, and parts are sad, but overall it has a positive feel.
DeleteWow, what an important book. When I got to the part about fleeing to New Mexico, the wall popped into my head.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's amazing how timely this book is.
Delete