Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Where We Come from
Where We Come from | Oscar Casares
2 posts | 5 read | 10 to read
"From the acclaimed author Brownsville and Amigoland--a stunning and timely new novel about a Mexican-American family in a Texas border town who reluctantly become involved in smuggling immigrants into the United States. Brownsville, Texas, has a dangerous reputation: it sits on the U.S. side of the bridge into Matamoros, Mexico, a city controlled by notorious cartels. But that isn't why 12-year-old Orly doesn't want to visit. Though he's still grieving the death of his mother, his father, Victor, is making him spend the summer in Brownsville with his godmother, Nina. Now a successful ad executive in Houston, Victor was raised in Brownsville and thinks it will do Orly good to know about his less-privileged roots. But Nina, distracted by having to care for her elderly mother, seems only to have rules for Orly. In particular: Don't go near the back house. . . Nina has spent her own life following rules and sacrificing her own desires for others' needs. But when a single act of kindness toward her desperate Mexican cleaning lady begins to spiral out of control, Nina risks exposure from all sides--not only from her curious godson and her controlling brother, but from ruthless human traffickers and the police. Now, Nina will have to face the secrets she's long kept if she has any hope of helping the people suddenly under her care. Tackling the crisis of U.S. immigration policy from an unusual, deeply humane angle, Where We Come From explores the ways that family history shapes us, how secrets can burden us, and how finding compassion and understanding for others can ultimately set us free"--
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
blurb
TheNerdyProfessor
Where We Come from | Oscar Casares
post image

I happened upon this book at the White Whale bookstore last fall. I'm just now picking it up and WOW. For those of you who are interested in "own voices" books about immigration, this one really checks all the boxes. A heartbreaking look at the many complexities surrounding the lives of undocumented individuals and the communities who support and reject them. This one didn't get a lot of hype last year, but I'm so glad I added it to my library.

79 likes4 stack adds
review
Addison_Reads
Where We Come from | Oscar Casares
post image
Pickpick

My local library asked me to review some ARCs and give them suggestions on what to purchase. This beautiful, poignant story is my first. Immigration is a topic popular in today's media, and this book shows many different sides and how one lost little boy searching for his father can make a lonely woman rethink so much of her life.

The relationships and characters are well done and unforgettable. Great book that will hit you in the feels.