We Are Not from Here

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.

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