When fifteen-year-old Maribel Rivera sustains a terrible injury, the Riveras leave behind a comfortable life in Mexico and risk everything to come to the United States so that Maribel can have the care she needs. Once they arrive, it’s not long before Maribel attracts the attention of Mayor Toro, the son of one of their new neighbors, who sees a kindred spirit in this beautiful, damaged outsider. Their love story sets in motion events that will have profound repercussions for everyone involved. Here Henríquez seamlessly interweaves the story of these star-crossed lovers, and of the Rivera and Toro families, with the testimonials of men and women who have come to the United States from all over Latin America. The Book of Unknown Americans is a stunning novel of hopes and dreams, guilt and love – a book that offers a resonant new definition of what it means to be Americans.
Cristina Henríquez is the author of The Book of Unknown Americans, which was named a New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book, a NPR Great Read, and a Mother Jones, Oprah.com, School Library Journal, and BookPage Best Book of the Year. Her previous books include The World In Half and Come Together, Fall Apart: A Novella and Stories. Cristina’s non-fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, The Oxford American, and Preservation. Cristina earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She lives in Chicago.
Admission for all lectures is $5 members, $10 nonmembers, and free to AHC Insiders unless otherwise noted. Reservations are required, please call 404.814.4150 or reserve tickets online at MargaretMitchellHouse.com/Lectures.
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