Book Of Unknown American Immigrants Character Analysis

Mara Bernstein was your typical all American girl until she decided to join Rotary Youth Exchange and spend her junior year of high school abroad in France. She has been living with French host families who speak no English and have very little knowledge of America, except for the typical stereotypes (1). She initially struggled with the language, even though she had five years of French under her belt (1). Although she does not consider herself an immigrant and believes she has had it far better off than immigrants, she has seen first hand some of the struggles immigrants face such as language barriers and religious differences (1). The idea of immigrants encountering struggles, unrecognized or often unknown to society in their new country, is one expressed in Cristina Henriquez’s novel The Book of Unknown Americans. The novel follows the stories of latin American immigrants and their lives in the United States. Henríquez’s use of multiple first person points-of-view of immigrants emphasizes and helps

Maribel’s missing voice reflects the unheard voice of immigrants in America, and it stresses the importance that the American dream is not less important for some forgotten Americans. A critical comment from the Kirkus Reviews on Maribel’s characters says “People think Maribel is dumber than she is… [she] represent[s] the immigrant experience in miniature” (Sienkewicz 102). Maribel is to her community as her community is to American society: unheard, unacknowledged. Maribel’s dream is never revealed, this adds emphasis to the title and truly brings home the point that these unknown Americans are real and important. By excluding her point of view, Henriquez reversely shows what happens when each person is not equally significant and their personal story is untold. The book is the story of Maribel from all different encounters except her own; this largely reflects and gives purpose to the