Contemporary Realistic Fiction

 Contemporary realistic fiction is one of the most important genres for me because in these books we will find stories based on the reality of their life. Most of the topics in this genre are about immigration, divorce, and many other personal and social concerns. While picking the right books for this post was very mindful because while reading both books, I could identify myself with their stories. Dreamers

My name is Celia written by Monica Brown and illustrated by Rafael Lopez.

Celia Cruz is the most known Cuban singer. Her melodies are just perfect, I grow up listening to this music and dancing to all her hits. the story behind these pages is the reality of a person that lives in a Hispanic country. Celia used to help her mom by taking care of her siblings and hard work to support her family. We also find a real description of the Cuban main dishes that her family used to make. After years she got married and moved to Mexico, leaving the dictatorship of Fidel Castro. Celia could never go back to Cuba because the dictator did not allow her to go back to her country. Culture, difficult moments, decisions, immigration, and humiliations had to face for many years, but also, we can see how much she was loved by all of her fans around the world. The illustrator did an incredible job, each page is filled with millions of colors as Celia was. A book that is full of magic, colors, azúcar, and an unforgettable story.

Refugee By Alan Gratz.

Everything we own is in our backpacks, Refugee 2017. This is a common sentence you will hear if you listen to an immigrant story. Even my own story, I packed a couple outfits, a pair of shoes, and my bachelor’s degree in a backpack to start a new life in another country.

- Josef, a Jewish boy facing the Nazi war in the 1930s and looking for the opportunity of being shipped to the other side of the world.

- Mahmoud, a Syrian boy suffering the violence, destruction, and insecure life in a country in the middle of a war and having to hide his nationality to prevent being intimidated at school.

- Isabel, a little Cuban girl that was living the reality of a country under dictatorship. She faced poverty, humiliation, and being afraid of the government polities.

The author relates all three stories in a magnificent scenario, explains with perfect detail each moment, and makes us connect to the book. I listen to the audiobook and the author tells the story with a suspicious plot that each chapter was more exciting than the other one. A book that includes life, difficulties, poverty, politics, violence, destruction, and real people that have to face all of those social issues.

Three stories, three different times, three situations, three countries, three ways to escape from hell and find a new start. This book made me rethink how difficult the life of an immigrant is. What a difficult decision we had taken to have a better life and safe future for us and our families.