Blog tour | Come On In: 15 stories about immigration and finding home

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Come On In by Adi Alsaid, Yamile Saied Méndez, Zoraida Córdova, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Maurene Goo, Justine Larbalestier, Sona Charaipotra, Nafiza Azad, Maria E. Andreu, Misa Sugiura, Sharon Morse, Sara Farizan, Varsha Bajaj, Lilliam Rivera, Isabel Quintero
Published by Inkyard Press ISBN: 1335146490
on October 13, 2020
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: 256
Read it as: eARC
Source: Publisher
My rating:
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Synopsis

This exceptional and powerful anthology explores the joys, heartbreaks and triumphs of immigration, with stories by bestselling and beloved YA authors who are themselves immigrants and the children of immigrants.

WELCOME

From some of the most exciting bestselling and up-and-coming YA authors writing today...journey from Ecuador to New York City and Argentina to Utah, from Australia to Harlem and India to New Jersey, from Fiji, America, Mexico and more... Come On In.
With characters who face random traffic stops, TSA detention, customs anxiety, and the daunting and inspiring journey to new lands, who camp with their extended families, dance at weddings, keep diaries, teach ESL, give up their rooms for displaced family, decide their own answer to the question "where are you from?" and so much more, Come On In illuminates fifteen of the myriad facets of the immigrant experience.

I’m not crying, you are.

Thanks to the incredible team at Hear Our Voices Book Tours I had the chance to read and review Come On In, an anthology that I feel is the epitome of show, not tell, when it comes to diverse cultural experiences.

There is something very special about reading so much truth in one place. And this all really resonated with me, specially after talking with Zoraida -a contributing author to his anthology-. In our interview (you can watch it at the end of this review),  she mentioned the importance of every writer telling their own truths, and how that, is the most authentic way to write.

I’m big big fan of fantasy, and magic, and everything, you know, not of this world. Even in those stories we can always find that grain of truth, the core of what the authors are trying to tell us.

But there’s something to say about stories that are raw, undilluted and stripped down to that core message. The message being just… This is us. This is this experience. This is how we live, how our parents have lived… This is what happened to me, this is what’s happening to our families, and people we know. This is what we see in the news… Do you see now?

Do you see us?

Even though the characters in this book are from different backgrounds and have different cultures, I found it beautiful, in a sad sort of way, that we all share these questions. We all share the struggles. I feel like anyone can find something to relate to in this story, because we all either have been there, or know someone who has.

I was reading and the themes of family, leaving home, finding home… these themes are universal. So I do feel like this is the kind of book everyone might enjoy.

From the beginning, I was hooked. The first story is so full of vivid imagery that made me feel so much for the girl who didn’t understand why her family was moving away, why she had to leave the only home, the only people she’d ever known, and why her brother had to stay behind. Gosh, that was heartbreaking.

 

My thoughts on ‘Confessions of an Ecuadorkian’ by Zoraida Córdova

Confessions of an Ecuadorkian is the short story Zoraida contributed with to the anthology. When we talked about Come On In, I hadn’t read it yet, but I can tell you I appreciated this one so much.

The story is told by an ecuadorian teenager called Paola, who tells us about how she ruined her sister’s quinceañera party (that was awesome! I laughed so much!) through a diary entry in which she’s reflecting on what happened, and how she got there.

For starters, I loved Paola’s voice. It was funny, and fresh, and I was right there with her getting so angry on her behalf because the people around her didn’t get what was going on with her. I also felt so happy that she found friends she could be herself with!

At first glance, it might sound simple? But the path of how Paola got to the point of ruining a party is filled with friendship breakups, questions about what does it mean to now be a citizen in the United States, family dynamics…

The story isn’t really about immigration, but the experience is there, woven in the tale.

And I find this really interesting because I’m ecuadorian, but Paola’s life is a little different from mine, in the sense that she was raised in the U.S. while I was raised in Ecuador. Even so, I could connect with so many of the things she was going through! Some aren’t even ecuadorian-specific, or latina-specific, but just the general state of being a teenager and human!

After all, who hasn’t gone through the painful experience of realizing one of your closest friends suddenly isn’t anymore? Who hasn’t felt like they don’t quite belong in the place they’re in?  Who hasn’t felt like lashing out when they’re angry and confused?

Then there’s the little things, like the fact that EVERY quinceañera needs the song Tiempo de Vals. I have a nightmares about that song, I kid you not.

Also, the fact that Paola’s family lives in one building, but one part lives in an apartment above, and the others downstairs. I mean? That’s such an ecuadorian thing. I used to live with my parents in a house where my grandparents lived above us. My current house is being built so that in the future, my sister and I can both live here but each with our living spaces as well… In general, I feel like ecuadorians and latin americans like to stick together.

Anyway, back to the story. Paola paints us a picture of her life through the lens of someone who is figuring things out, and making some mistakes along the way. Zoraida shows us that struggle, but also leaves us feeling hopeful about her future. Even though it’s a short story, by the end, it does feel like Paola has learned something. She even starts embracing a term like Ecuadorkian, which had been used as a weapon against her before, as an insult.

Now she’s Ecuadorkian and proud, and I’m proud of her as well.

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This book made me so emotional and I hope you have the chance to read it soon! It’s literally, an invitation for everyone to COME ON IN and learn a bit more about different people peopleing.

 

Check out the full tour schedule for Come On In

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