Immigration Memoirs
Immigration stories have always been fascinating to me. I love to read about why people choose to leave their home country and move ot a new one. Over the years, I have read a number of these stories, and these are my favorites.
Every one of these stories feels entirely different from the next. It is amazing to me that every one of these is a true story. I did not include immigration novels on this list; rather, these books are all written by immigrants, and the perspective is eye-opening.
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Immigration Memoirs
Beautiful Country
Author: Qian Julie Wang
Year: 2021
Genre: Memoir
More info: September 2021 Read with Jenna Book List Pick
Age Range: 16+
Plot
A moving memoir of life as a Chinese immigrant in America. Qian and her family moved to America for opportunity, but hurdle after hurdle was thrown their way.
As her parents try to put food on the table, we learn about the immigrant experience through the eyes of Qian as a child. From her near-constant hunger to trying to acclimate to her new school system, Wang writes in a way that makes the reader feel what she felt.
Trigger Warnings
Racism
Why Kirsten loves it
Truly a moving account of her early life. I challenge anyone to read this and not wonder how broken our immigration system is. If you are looking for a coming-of-age book to make you think, this is the one for you!
Find this book in: Coming-of-Age Books for Adults / Female Bipoc Authors / Read With Jenna Book Club List 2021 / Immigration Memoirs
My Side of the River: A Memoir
Author: Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez
Year: 2024
Genre: Nonfiction
Age Range: 14+
Plot
This gripping memoir of Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez and her experience living in the U.S. when her parents were forced back to Mexico was a one-siting read for me. Born in America to illegal immigrants, she was just 15 years old when her parents couldn’t get their visitor’s visas renewed, leaving Elizabeth responsible for her young brother in America.
Soon her brother is reunited with her parents while Elizabeth is left to couch surf as she tries to graduate High School in the hopes of making it to an Ivy League college and better the lives of her entire family in the process.
Why Kirsten loves it
Elizabeth’s candid, vulnerability shines a light on the hardships immigrant families face in both facing prejudice and gaining access to the American dream. Her story is a true testament to grit and survival in the face of adversity.
Find this book in: Best New Nonfiction Books of 2024 / Immigration Memoirs
The Mango Tree by Annabelle Tometich
Author: Annabelle Tometich
Year:
Genre:
More info:
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range:
Plot
Annabelle opens this memoir with the arrest of her mother for shooting at someone who was plucking mangos off her beloved tree. But then the story returns to Annabelle’s struggles as a child to live an average life with her fellow Floridians, while her mother can’t seem to acclimate to American society at all.
Most compelling were the chapters when Annabelle travels with her mother to her ancestral hometown in the Philippines. Never was the dichotomy of her family’s perception of her American life compared to her lived reality more strongly present than in these chapters.
Trigger Warnings
Why Kirsten loves it
I found Annabelle’s story captivating from the open moments of the “your mom’s been arrested” phone call she receives. It was eye-opening to see the realities of what so many immigrants suffer in their quest to live the American Dream, while also being the hope for their families still living abroad.
Find this book in: Immigration Memoirs
We Are Not From Here
Author: Jenny Torres Sanchez
Year: 2020
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
More info: A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best of 2020!
Age Range: 14+
Plot
Wowza. This is the book American Dirt should have been, an own-voice tale of the migrant journey into the USA. This tale doesn’t give erroneous detail to lighten the load of the harrowing, impossible journey to the north.
Instead, it delivers staggering truths about how and why migrants risk their lives for the possibility of a better life. It’s a must-read for anyone looking to learn more about immigration in America.
Trigger Warnings
Death, Child death
Why Kirsten loves it
This is such a poignant story that is so well-written. It will tug at your heartstrings and give you a different perspective on the migrant journey to the USA.
Find this book in: Best Books of 2020 / Immigration Memoirs
Infinite Country
Author: Patrica Engel
Year: 2021
Genre: Fiction
More info: March 2021 Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
Age Range: 18+
Plot
This story of an immigrant family split apart by US policy and ICE had such potential, but I had trouble keeping the timeline and the characters all straight in my head. It’s told from the mother, father, and one daughter’s point of view.
Trigger Warnings
Animal Cruelty, Rape
Why Kirsten loves it
The struggles of a husband and wife separated for almost a decade were heartbreaking, but the way it was laid out had me confused and frustrated.
Find this book in: Immigration Books / Reese Witherspoon Book Club List 2021 / Immigration Memoirs
Solito
Author: Javier Zamora
Year: 2022
Genre: Memoir
More info: September 2022 Read with Jenna Book Club Pick
Age Range: 16+
Plot
I was blown away by Javier Zamora’s memoir about his solo journey to America. At just 9-years-old, he traversed 3,000 miles, to reunite with his parents in America.
While his grandpa accompanies him for the beginning of his journey, they soon have to part ways and he is left in the care of the adults traveling with him on his journey.
Trigger Warnings
Deportation, Racism
Why Kirsten loves it
This story is seared into my memory. I was so grateful for the mother on the journey who took him in as her own. Frustrated, sorrowful, and ultimately joy were all emotions I felt while reading this book.
Find this book in: Best Books of 2022 / Books about Immigration / Best Read With Jenna Books / Read with Jenna Book Club List 2022 / Immigration Memoirs
Migrating to Prison: America’s Obsession with Locking Up Immigrants
Author: César Cuauhtémoc GarcÃa Hernández
Year: 2019
Genre: Nonfiction
More info: National Bestseller
Spice Rating:💋
Age Range:
Plot
This is a nonfiction book that looks at the United States and the history of incarcerating immigrants. Read about how laws have changed in the last number of decades and what the implications are for the people in jail.
Trigger Warnings
Physical and phychological abuse
Why Kirsten loves it
I initially picked up this non-fiction book as research for November’s reading challenge prompt. I kept reading because I learned so much about just how much our prison system needs to be reformed, how unfair we are as a country to immigrants, and how we need to pay close attention to the politics surrounding migrants and their treatment.
Find this book in: Immigration Memoirs
Expert Tip
These immigration memoirs can have many trigger warnings and could be difficult to read. If you are trying to pick a book to read, have a look at the descriptions and trigger warnings to help you pick a book.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best immigration memoirs?
There are so many wonderful immigration memoirs. My favorites are Solito by Javier Zamora and Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang.
Epilogue
What are your favorite immigration memoirs? Are there more books I should be adding to my TBR?
