We Are Not from Here
Ratings3
Average rating4.7
15
Ratings3
Average rating4.7
A poignant novel of desperation, escape, and survival across the U.S.-Mexico border, inspired by current events. A Pura Belpré 2021 Young Adult Author Honor Book! A BookPage Best Book of 2020! A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best of 2020! A School Library Journal Best Book of 2020! A New York Public Library 2020 Top 10 Best Book for Teens! Pulga has his dreams. Chico has his grief. Pequeña has her pride. And these three teens have one another. But none of them have illusions about the town they've grown up in and the dangers that surround them. Even with the love of family, threats lurk around every corner. And when those threats become all too real, the trio knows they have no choice but to run: from their country, from their families, from their beloved home. Crossing from Guatemala through Mexico, they follow the route of La Bestia, the perilous train system that might deliver them to a better life--if they are lucky enough to survive the journey. With nothing but the bags on their backs and desperation drumming through their hearts, Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña know there is no turning back, despite the unknown that awaits them. And the darkness that seems to follow wherever they go. In this striking portrait of lives torn apart, the plight of migrants at the U.S. southern border is brought to light through poignant, vivid storytelling. An epic journey of danger, resilience, heartache, and hope. Praise for We Are Not From Here: “A fierce and tender story...Relevant, timely, and perceptive.” --Margarita Engle, winner of the Pura Belpre Award and Newbery Honor "With poignant, exhausting lyricism and heart wrenching poetic prose, Jenny Torres Sanchez digs deep and shows us the throbbing, aching corazón--the hopeful, unbreakable spirit of the embattled immigrant. A book for the starving, lost soul." --Guadalupe García McCall, Pura Belpré Award-winning author of Under the Mesquite "An incredibly powerful, soul-searing YA. [I]mportant and necessary.... I could not put this book down." --Padma Venkatraman, award-winning author of The Bridge Home "One of the most relevant and needed young adult novels of the year, a must-read." --Jennifer Mathieu, critically acclaimed author of The Liars of Mariposa Island and Moxie "An achingly beautifully story...masterfully told...Jenny Torres Sanchez is a true leader within young adult fiction." --Christina Diaz Gonzalez, award-winning author of The Red Umbrella "We Are Not From Here is absolutely stunning. It's raw and real, gritty and gorgeously told. A story that's painfully relevant today, and told with such precision and beauty, you can feel it. It's breathtaking and left me absolutely breathless." --Lauren Gibaldi, author of This Tiny Perfect World "[This] is a book that will mark your heart. Jenny Torres Sanchez challenges us to feel, empathize and understand. A searing, necessary and ultimately beautiful book." --Alexandra Villasante, critically acclaimed author of The Grief Keeper * "A brutally honest, not-to-be-missed narrative...gripping, heart-wrenching, and thrilling." --Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW * "A candid, realistic story that will leave readers thinking about the characters--and about our own world--long after the last page." --SLJ, STARRED REVIEW * "Gripping, poignant...this soul-shaking narrative [recalls] the works of Gabriel García Márquez." --Booklist, STARRED REVIEW * "A devastating read that is difficult to put down, this unforgettable book unflinchingly illuminates the experiences of those leaving their homes to seek safety in the United States." --Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
Reviews with the most likes.
This is a TOUGH but realistic book about 3 teens deciding to escape their “small lives” (a theme of this book) to ride La Bestia and cross the desert into the US. Torres Sanchez's parents are from Guatamala, and though she has not experienced this journey herself, she has done lots of research into true stories of migrants and immigrants who have taken this journey. The story is claustrophobically tragic, I had to take breaks from it, but it's not without hope. Her writing is excellent, there's a tiny bit of magical realism/sprinkle of religion, and the characters and situations feel authentic. There are many students who will unfortunately relate to this and many who will learn from this, so I'll be sure to booktalk with lighter Latinx books so windows readers won't think the Latinx experience is only a monolith of tragedy and mirrors readers also have joyful realistic books.
CW: pregnancy, death, murder, rape, fatphobic comments, sexual assault, attempted suicide
I'm in shambles no one look at me
CW: pregnancy, death, murder, rape, fatphobic comments, sexual assault, attempted suicide
I'm in shambles no one look at me
It's been a couple hours since reading the last words of this story and I'm still processing it all. I feel the need to have the right words to really express my thoughts and feelings about what I just read. This should be in every classroom and shared with every student and teacher, and everyone outside of school as well.
I know this is a work of fiction but I also know there are many stories like this and other stories yet to be told that are very much real and sadly nothing fictional about them. So many, many men, women, and children make the heartbreaking decision to leave their country, their loves, their home, their hopes and dreams to travel across miles and miles of land by foot and on a dangerous beast of a train knowing full well the risks their lives will be in every second along the way. And yet, they do it. Why? Because what they need to leave and flee from is far worse than what is ahead of them. Because they too have dreams and wish to pursue happiness. Because they too are human.
The humanity of their journey, the humanity of their plight, the humanity of their fear and dreams are what grips me. How can it not? How can we just shrug and say, “oh well, not my problem.” I hear you, Pulga. I hear your scream and that of all those just wanting a chance at the best and beautiful life that we all want. I will share this book with everyone I know young and old. Pulga, Chico, and Pequena will stay with me forever and I will make sure others know their story as well.
From the book, not even half way through their journey...
“We did it.
We are not those in the distance who have stopped running and have to wait for the next train. We are not those back in our neighborhoods, waking up to another day and another and another and whatever threat has climbed in through our windows, whispered our horrible fate into our ears.
We are each luchadores. We are fighters. We are those who dared to try against impossible odds.
We determine our own feet.
The train speeds up even more and the hot when is whipping at our faces. The sun beats down on us, so bright it hardly seems real. We settle in, weaving our fingers into the small holes in the grades on top of the train, and holding on, so tight.
And even though we're afraid, even though the fear is right there we need the surface, it's a different kind of fear.
It's fear with hope.
And hope matters, as we ride in an unknown future.
Danger behind us.
Danger ahead of us.
Danger all around us.”
#5starread #favoriteread2020
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