44 pages • 1 hour read
Cristina HenríquezThe Book of Unknown Americans
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Dangers of Machismo
Traditional gender roles govern the lives of the characters in the novel. While husbands go to work and children head to school, the women wait at home, often lonely and feeling bereft of purpose. Though financially all of these characters seem to be among the working poor, it is never an option for the women to work. Rafael becomes incensed that Celia would even suggest getting a job to him, though the entire family would benefit from the added money. This masculine pride in one’s ability to provide extends to physical protection, encouraging the violence that is also an element of traditional masculinity. While Celia is upset when Mayor gets in a fistfight, Rafael is not worried about the fighting and is more upset that his son has lied about playing a sport—an acceptably “masculine” pursuit. Even Mayor engages in fantasies about protecting Maribel, though he sees by the end of the novel that he cannot do that and doesn’t have to. As Maribel tells him before she leaves, “[f]inding is for things that are lost. You don’t need to find me, Mayor” (263). Through this, she releases him from the burdens of responsibility that come with traditional masculinity.
Rape and racially motivated violence are also consistently present in the novel and are a direct consequence of the machismo that requires men to dominate those around them. In this cultural and gender hierarchy, women’s stories are not believed. Quisaqueya tries to tell her mother what has happened to her and is called a liar. When Alma tries to tell law enforcement about the attack on her daughter, she is also not believed; instead, Officer Mora dismisses her as an overprotective and uptight mother. There is no justice for the women who are attacked in the book. Similarly, the book grapples with violence against people of color in America. When Rafael gets his new car, he is afraid to drive even at the speed limit because he knows that he will be targeted and viewed as a criminal by law enforcement. This prediction comes true in a way when Arturo is killed simply for venturing into a different neighborhood, searching for his daughter.
The Cultural Isolation of Immigrants in America
Although Fito the landlord wants to make Alma feel more at home when he tells her, “Here is us! Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico and Paraguay...[y]ou’ll fit right in” (36), his comment also speaks to the entrenched segregation of the area and American society in general. These characters live in a world parallel to but apart from white Americans. Micho Alvarez states this plainly when he says of himself and fellow Latinos:
We’re the unknown Americans, the ones no one even wants to know because they’ve been told they’re supposed to be scared of us and because maybe if they did take the time to get to know us they might realize that we’re not that bad, maybe even a lot like them. And who would they hate then? (237).
It’s made clear that these Latinx characters are supposed to stay within the margins of their own society. Arturo is killed for not following this rule and venturing out of his neighborhood to confront a white man about his son’s criminal activity. The injustice of his death highlights the precarious nature of immigrants’ well-being, especially when they insist upon their human and civil rights.
Despite the challenges the Riveras and Toros face, The Book of Unknown Americans highlights the ways Latin American immigrants have contributed to US society, particularly in terms of culture, food, music, and arts. The novel describes how Latinx communities have introduced elements of their rich cultural heritage into the American mainstream, from salsa and reggaeton to the widespread popularity of Mexican cuisine. Cities like Los Angeles, Miami, and New York have become cultural hubs for Latin American immigrants, where Latinx identity and culture thrive. Even though American salsa does not taste like Mexican salsa to Alma, signs of Mexican influence remain strong in mainstream society.
The families’ stories also dramatize the process of cultural assimilation, which is complex and, as in the Riveras’ case, unsuccessful. The Latinx characters in the novel feel pressure to assimilate into Euro-centric American culture and distance themselves from their roots to succeed or avoid discrimination. At the same time, they find ways to resist full assimilation by maintaining their language, traditions, and strong familial networks. Enrique and Mayor symbolize second- and third-generation Latinx individuals who can navigate dual identities, balancing their Latin American heritage with their American upbringing.
The Myriad Forms of Trauma
Trauma takes many forms in the novel. Maribel’s trauma provides the novel’s premise, as she has a brain injury from head trauma. This physical trauma and the difficult healing process it entails serve as a metaphor for the other types of trauma characters experience throughout the novel. Maribel’s parents, for instance, are traumatized not only by the dramatic change to her personality after her fall but also by their decision to upend their lives in Mexico and risk moving to the US.
Many of the interspersed voices throughout the book detail their trauma—the trauma of leaving home and crossing cultures, sometimes experiencing mistreatment in the process. Some of the characters have also experienced trauma via war or political upheaval, as Rafael and Celia have in leaving Panama, and Benny Quinto had during Somoza’s dictatorship in Nicaragua. Others, like Nelia and Gustavo, experience the trauma of racism and discrimination. Latin American immigrants' racial and ethnic identities do not fit neatly into the US racial binary of Black and white, as they may identify racially as mestizo (of both Indigenous and European descent), Indigenous, Afro-Latinx, or European. As a result, Latinx immigrants have to navigate complex racial dynamics, often facing discrimination based on skin color, language, and cultural differences. Alma and Arturo’s experiences as new immigrants who struggle with the English language and American cultural norms highlight this struggle. While some immigrants integrate into American society with relative ease, others, particularly those of Indigenous or African descent, experience heightened marginalization and racism.
Female characters in the novel are traumatized by sexual violence committed against them, and the ordeal is compounded by the patriarchal cultures of both the US and the immigrants’ home countries. This environment makes it especially difficult for the women and girls to share their stories and bring their attackers to justice. Law enforcement and family members discourage characters like Quisaqueya and Maribel from revealing their victimization. Even Alma, who is generally supportive, is eager to cover up Maribel’s assault because of the guilt and shame she feels. The book’s ending suggests that Maribel is on a course to healing, both from her brain injury and from Garrett’s assault, but that neither trauma will ever heal completely.
While Alma’s decision to return to Mexico may seem like a defeat, it is an act of agency in which she decides on a life that will be best for her daughter. The source of Alma’s guilt throughout the novel was that she blamed herself for not protecting Maribel, first from the ladder accident and later from the assault. The trauma of losing Arturo to senseless violence is another motivator for her to leave the US. Now, she is determined to give Maribel the best possible life, showing that past trauma does not define her or Maribel’s future.
