I was born in America and have grown up in America my entire life. I have never experienced anything similar to what the characters went through in the book, The Book of the Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez. Therefore, I found this book to be very interesting and eye opening. The characters had to pack up all their belongings, leave their comfortable life, and leave family and friends behind to move to a new country. This journey came with lots of challenges. They had to face different cultures, diverse people, strange food, difficult jobs and a different, hard-to-learn language. People all over the world face tough situations and hardships daily, and this book that had a very heartwarming and tear jerking story highlighted the tough …show more content…
Celia made Alma’s move to America a little easier. She made Alma feel at home, assured her that she did have a friend here in America, and a place to come and chat on the days she was home alone. Celia made her feel like part of the community. Reading this book reminded me of the importance of reaching out to new people around me in my community. Everybody throughout the world is involved in and a part of at least one community, if not several. One 's family, a sport that he or she plays, a church, the workplace, a hobby or interest that one is involved in are all communities where everyone has something in common. Even if someone else has a complete different political or religious background or they have experienced a complete different childhood, they can always find some common ground that they share. One scenario in the book that showed community and sharing is when Mayor, Celia’s son, had the idea to invite their neighbors to their apartment when the power went out during the winter storm. When everyone was gathered together, it felt like one big family. Everyone’s beliefs, differences, past experiences, did not matter. The same feeling happened again when the 9/11 attack took place and they all grieved together in a time of national