‘The Book of Unknown Americans’ tells immigrant tale

*Gregg Barrios will be dong a series of book reviews for Newsday. This is his first review – Christina Henriquez’s “The Book of Unknown Americans.” VL

By Gregg Barrios, Newsday

A dilapidated cinder-block apartment complex surrounded by a chain-link fence is the setting for Cristina Henriquez’s second novel, “The Book of Unknown Americans.” What at first appears to be a no man’s land is actually Delaware. Welcome to the USA, where every whistle stop has an immigrant story to tell.

The novel opens as the Riveras, a newly arrived Mexican family — Arturo, Alma and teenage daughter Maribel — are settling in. They made the journey north after Maribel suffered a brain injury. Mexican doctors saved her life, but the family left a successful construction business behind so she can attend special education classes here.

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