Companion Titles - OCOB 2023

Solito by Javier Zamora Book Cover

In recent years there has been a rise in books being published about and by undocumented immigrants.  These books span a variety of genres and include fiction, non fiction, and memoirs, and share a variety of individual and author experiences. Not all undocumented immigrants come from the Americas. The United States is not isolated in the increase of people struggling to cross borders for a better life or to escape war and violence.

The books on this list provide an opportunity to connect and learn from a variety of voices and lived experiences. In Amnesty for instance, a Sri Lankan man living in Australia, worries his status will be discovered.  In The Last Story of Mina Lee, a woman born in California discovers her Korean immigrant mother’s secrets.  And in Dear America, a Filipino teen finds himself becoming an advocate for others like him who must remain hidden in plain sight. 

Many of the titles here also describe journeys as harrowing as Zamora’s in Solito.My Fourth Time, We Drowned is an account of young people daring to cross the Mediterranean Sea in a flimsy craft, while endless wandering by foot around Africa is the fate of a young girl and her sister in The Girl Who Smiled Beads

Other chronicles explore becoming a US citizen (Conditional Citizens), being from a family separated by borders (Infinite Country), life in refugee camps (The Bee Keeper of Aleppo), what it is like to be deported (The Leavers and The New American), and to serve as a US Border Patrol agent (The Line Becomes a River).

Whether you are drawn to fiction or nonfiction, we hope you’ll find something here that speaks powerfully to you about the diversity of issues that immigrants experience.

Picture Books for Youth, ages 5-8

Chapter Book Fiction and Graphic Novels for Youth, ages 9-12

Books for Youth in Spanish, ages 5-12/Libros en español para jovenes de 5 a 12 anos

Fiction, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels for Young Adults

Adult Fiction

Adult Nonfiction