What does it meant to be Damaged?
In The Book of Unknown Americans, by Cristina Henriquez, Maribels brain injury is what brought the Rivera family from Mexico to the United States. Early on we learn that Maribel received a brain injury that changed her life completely. Arturo and Alma made a great commitment to leave their home, friends and culture behind to save their one and only child. As we explore and learn the experiences the family faced in their new home, we understand that different people have distinct views on Maribels injury. Arturo and Alma believe that their child will never be the same, Garrett believes that she is just an object he can use, and Mayor believes that Maribel is a wonderful woman. These three different perspectives really tackle the question of how to treat a disabled person. Does protecting Maribel more mean that they accept that Maribel is disabled, or is treating her as if nothing is wrong the best way to her recovery? What is certain is that facing a serious injury
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Mayor was the only one that treated Maribel with respect, but when her parents found out about their little incident of sneaking out and kissing, they prevented her from seeing Mayor. As soon as the parents saw Maribels disatisfaction, they started to wonder whether their actions were the right thing to do. “Say whether you’re upset about Mayor and her because she’s your daughter or because she’s your brain-damaged daughter.” (221) This clearly shows that both Alma and Arturo had never really discussed the matter with each other. Without clearly thinking about what their actions could do, they dug themselves a hole which put them in a hard position to recover. This was the first time Alma and Arturo really discussed the health of Maribel. The fact that she was healing, and that after she healed, she will not be the same as