Somos como las nubes (We Are Like the Clouds) by Jorge Argueta and Alfonso Ruano (2016, Groundwood Books; 36 pages) Somos como las nubes, We Are Like The Clouds is a collection of poems. The poems describe the odyssey that thousands of boys, girls and young people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico undertake when they flee their countries. The reasons to leave their countries behind are many, but almost all share two: extreme poverty and fear of violence. The author, Jorge Argueta, wrote the poems based on his experiences of working with young people in El Salvador as well as with young refugees in the United States. Their testimonies -- and his own experience fleeing El Salvador during the war in the 1980s -- are the fabric that forms the book. "In 2014, when thousand of children began to arrive from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, I visited a shelter in San Diego, California, where young refugees were anxiously awaiting their fate. Some had the hope that a family member would take charge of them so they could remain in the United States. Others wanted to go back home. Others wanted to do both. Sad choices for young hearts. (…) Like the clouds, like dreams, our children come and go. Nothing and no one can stop them." The book, beautifully illustrated by artist Alfonso Ruano, is an eloquent and moving account of the tragic migrations of thousands upon thousands of children. The poems try to answer basic questions with incredibly complex answers: Why are they going and how does it feel to be one of them? What is this terrible trip like? What do their hopes and dreams for safety, a new life and a loving reception mean to them? Recommended to all ages. Find this title in our catalog: Somos Como las Nubes Recommended by: Maite
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |