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Manuelito
Manuelito | Elisa Amado
3 posts | 3 read | 1 to read
The powerful story of a child refugee seeking asylum in America Thirteen-year-old Manuelito is a gentle boy who lives with his family in a tiny village in the Guatemalan countryside. But life is far from idyllic: PACs--armed civil patrol--are a constant presence in the streets, and terrifying memories of the country's war linger in the villagers' collective conscience. Things deteriorate further when government-backed drug gangs arrive and take control of the village. Fearing their son will be forced to join a gang, Manuelito's parents make the desperate decision to send him to live with his aunt in the United States. With just a bus ticket and a small amount of cash in hand, Manuelito begins his hazardous journey to Mexico, then the U.S., in search of asylum. But in the end, dangers such as the crooked "coyote"--or human smuggler--his parents have entrusted their son's life to may be nothing compared to the risks Manuelito faces when he finally reaches the United States. Manuelito's titular character is just one of the staggering two hundred thousand children from the Northern Triangle of Central America--Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras--who have made this perilous journey to escape their war-torn countries. Many are now detained in Mexico, separated from their parents and without access to lawyers, facing the unthinkable prospect of being sent back to the homes and danger they risked so much to escape. Drawing on years of experience working with child refugees like Manuelito, Elisa Amado's powerful story, illustrated with striking poignancy by Abraham Urias, brings to light the dire circumstances of so many children, so close to home.
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kateteaching7and8
Manuelito | Elisa Amado
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Pickpick

A powerful story of a teenage refugee from Guatemala. When gangs start to take over his town, Manuelito's parents fear for his safety and hire a coyote to take him to the United States. This graphic novel covers his journey to the U.S. where he seeks asylum and how he was treated while in the U.S.. Though simply written and it makes a complex topic understandable to a young reader. Thank you to #NetGalley and #Annickpress for the review copy.

review
BookNightOwl
Manuelito | Elisa Amado
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Mehso-so

3⭐⭐⭐

BookNightOwl This graphic novel is about a boy and a friend whose family pay a bad coyote to help them get to Guatemalan to the United States. His Country is not safe for young boys who are often led into gangs or killed. This story describes their journey to America and even what happens when they get there. I really enjoy reading and learning about what going on in our border towns and immigration.
5y
BookNightOwl I felt like this story lacked some details or description in the writing to get me feeling just a little emotional or feelings on what is going on. Yes it is really sad. I see it on the news read it on the internet. I wanted to feel it in this story. I thought the pictures were beautiful but wish they would has been in color to see more detail. Received a review copy from Annick Press and Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.
5y
25 likes2 comments
review
ChristieWitch
Manuelito | Elisa Amado
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Pickpick

Really relevant and heartbreaking to know so many young people have to deal with these situations. Def a rec for anyone invested in immigration laws and everything currently going on with asylum seekers and issues of immigrants crossing the border into the US.

Living in McAllen Texas I can tell yall there is NO immigration crisis down here and we are NOT a desolate area full of "illegals" and crazy violence. Don't believe the bullshit.

jpmcwisemorgan For the last 20 years I‘ve lived in Southern California, New Mexico, and now Texas and I‘ve never felt like there was an immigration crisis - at least not at the level some people would like to believe. The problems associated with immigration may not be what people think they are. There‘s a lot of misinformation about who is coming, why they‘re coming, and what happens when they get here. 5y
ChristieWitch @jpmcwisemorgan I've lived in deep South Texas (literally grew up 10 minutes away from the border) my whole life and it has never been as bad as some people claim it to be, even now. 5y
jpmcwisemorgan It‘s really frustrating because most of the people I know who talk about immigration (who aren‘t from a border state) have had little to no interaction with immigrants. They also don‘t want to hear what you have to say because that can‘t possibly be right because it‘s not what they‘ve heard - even though you KNOW. 5y
See All 15 Comments
SleepyDragon One more from So. Cal here in 100% agreement. There's no crisis or emergency. Immigration itself has been in decline for years. 5y
Reggie I lived near El Paso for 10 years. Never did I ever feel in danger when I was there. For quite a few years El Paso was #2 on the the top 10 safest cities with populations over 500,000. This border thing is such crap. 5y
ChristieWitch @Reggie Yeah McAllen has been a top 10 safest city for a while now but idk people think it's dangerous here now because of (as one of my students called him) the Cheeto-in-Chief 5y
Texreader I travel to your lovely town for work periodically. I agree. Load of bull that it‘s a dangerous place because of illegal immigration. 5y
ChristieWitch @Texreader I love living in McAllen 💓 I grew up about 30 minutes away in Weslaco and just felt like it was such a small, boring town so I moved to mcallen 10 years ago and it's been the best decision I've ever made 😊 5y
Texreader @ChristySevern I‘d love to meet up somewhere next time I‘m there. I‘ve been trying to find bookstores! 5y
ChristieWitch @Texreader we don't have too many other than Barnes and Noble. There is one, a used book store, that came around about a year ago but I have yet to check it out 😕 And that would be lovely! 5y
Texreader @ChristySevern would you mind sending me your email address? It may be awhile till I‘m back but I‘d love to reach out to you when I‘m there. The last time I did a Litsy meetup was on vacation to London! It was such fun! My email is kamonsen at aol.com 5y
Texreader @Reggie That‘s so cool. I loved El Paso when I used to visit and even Juarez! Many many good memories. 5y
ChristieWitch @Texreader Yes of course! My email is severnchristineg@gmail.com 😊 5y
54 likes15 comments