Voices from an Unseen America

Cristina Henríquez’s novels use powerful stories from immigrants to examine concepts of identity and belonging.
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Speaking Engagements

Cristina Henríquez’s talks show the human side of immigration. Cristina draws on her own family’s story (and those of others) to reveal the experiences of many first-generation Americans not often shown on the news. Her book and lectures highlight the hope, humor, and struggle associated with shaping identity in a new place.

Physcial & Digital Books

A dazzling page-turner about the cost of starting a new life, The Book of Unknown Americans movingly explores timeless themes of love, loss, and belonging through interwoven stories of an immigrant community.

Digital Content

Discussion Guides

Curated content enhances Cristina’s discussion of American identity. Download your discussion guide here.

Cristina Henriquez discusses themes found in The Book of Unknown Americans, offering a resonant new definition of what it means to be American.

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“Henríquez offers up stories we need to hear and lets us sit with her characters in communion and even friendship.”
The Christian Science Monitor
“Cristina’s visit was a smash hit. The book was warmly received; she made everyone comfortable and was exceedingly charming and warm.”
Gettysburg College
“[Henríquez’s] stories illuminate the lives behind the current debates about Latino immigration.”
The New York Times Book Review
“She had the audience of students, faculty, and community members rapt and after, she led one of the best Q & A sessions I’ve ever attended.”
Roxane Gay, Associate Professor, Purdue University
“[Cristina Henríquez] was funny, engaging, smart, inclusive—the kind of author that can speak articulately about her own work while actually answering the questions.”
Texas Book Festival

Program Topics

  • The Overlooked American

    The word “immigrant” is loaded with stereotypes and myths, and the media perpetuates the most commonly accepted narratives. But what can we learn from the stories that aren’t amplified? In this talk, Cristina celebrates the immigrant experience, proving that extraordinary stories can be found in overlooked places.

  • Navigating a Dual Identity

    Who am I? This is the question Cristina and many other first-generation Americans ponder, and it’s a question with few easy answers. In discussing how her half-Panamanian, half-American background shaped her own identity, she encourages audiences to reflect on the way that their history shapes their lives and in doing so build organizations that accommodate team members of all backgrounds.

The Book of Unknown Americans

Named a New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book, an NPR Great Read, The Daily Beast‘s Novel of the Year, and a Mother Jones, Oprah.com, School Library Journal, and BookPage Best Book of the Year, The Book of Unknown Americans sees Henríquez seamlessly interweaving the story of star-crossed lovers with the testimonials of men and women who have come to the United States from all over Latin America. The Book of Unknown Americans is a stunning novel of hopes and dreams, guilt and love—a book that offers a resonant new definition of what it means to be American.

Available as paperback, eBook, and unabridged audiobook. 
304 pages; March 3, 2015

 

The Book of Unknown Americans

“Vivid . . . . Striking. . . . A ringing paean to love in general: to the love between man and wife, parent and child, outsider and newcomer, pilgrims and promised land.”

—The Washington Post

“Gripping, memorable. . . . A novel that can both make you think and break your heart.”

—San Francisco Chronicle
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Cristina Henríquez will engage and challenge your team members to reflect on their identity in their work and lives. Contact us to learn more about her program.

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