Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/01/2016 *Starred Review* When his cousin Miguel is killed for refusing to join the Alphas, Jaime and his cousin Ángela are targeted as the next recruits. With no other way out, their family decides to risk sending them to El Norte to live with Jaime’s brother, Tomás. The journey from Guatemala is not easy; Jaime and Ángela face agonizingly real horrors: the fear of being discovered and deported—or worse—by la migra; being locked in the sweltering heat of a rail car; running out of food and water; crossing paths with other even more dangerous gangs; and everything they might face in an unknown country. Readers will find themselves immersed in the fast-paced narrative as the cousins struggle to find a moment of safety on a dangerous route to an uncertain future. Diaz, herself a child of immigrants, laces Jaime and Ángela’s tale with plenty of Spanish words, and a glossary offers definitions, as well as pronunciation tips, for non-Spanish speakers. Diaz’s closing author’s note reminds readers that immigrants still endure journeys like Jaime and Ángela’s every day. Told with heartbreaking honesty, this story will bring readers face to face with the harsh realities immigrants go through in the hope of finding a better, safer life, and it will likely cause them to reflect on what it is to be human. Powerful and timely. - Copyright 2016 Booklist.