Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival, and New Beginnings

“The paradox of immigration and xenophobia that exists at the heart of America” is explored in this heartrending anthology edited by novelist Grande (A Ballad of Love and Glory) and poet Guiñansaca (Nostalgia and Borders). In the evocative poem “Caravan,” Kaveh Bassiri reflects on the aspirations of those who join immigrant caravans to the U.S.: “They are coming as refugees, resident aliens, dreamers,/ Leafing out of the undocumented past/ To translate themselves.” In “Guilty of Being Lucky,” Lucy Rodriguez-Hanley discusses the “trauma of separation” endured by migrant mothers and their children, including those who were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the Trump administration’s “Zero Tolerance” policy. Elsewhere, Emilia Fiallo describes how, at age 15, she began to reproach her undocumented father for bringing his family from Ecuador to the U.S. “without a plan”: “The times I couldn’t travel, I blamed him. The car I couldn’t drive, I blamed him. I aimed all my undocumented emotional bullets at my father. Because I could not hurt this country, I hurt him.” Wide-ranging yet consistently affecting, these pieces offer a crucial and inspired survey of the immigrant experience in America. Agent: Johanna Castillo, Writers House. (June)