'Solito' by Javier Zamora

 Solito, Javier Zamora (5.0)

Anyone living in the US should read this book. It puts a face to the many nameless illegal immigrants coming into the country. It’s easy to label them all as criminals, but following a child who came across with strangers, shows the real desperation many immigrants have. I really liked that this book was told from the author’s perspective as a nine-year-old. His voice was authentic and innocent. He is from El Salvador and this is his story of travelling across 3 countries to join his parents in the US. While the journey was heartbreaking and scary, my faith in humanity was revived seeing how many people wanted to help a young boy.

'Eminent Jews: Berstein, Brooks, Friedan, Mailer' by David Denby

 Eminent Jews: Bernstein, Brooks, Friedan, Mailer, David Denby (3.5)

The author has outlined the lives of 4 important people in our society and how their Jewish background both affected them and us. These 4 all came from immigrants prior to WWII. I liked the sections of the book as listed in the title. Leonard Bernstein’s history and accomplishments were fascinating, Mel is a hoot, I didn’t know much about Betty Friedan, and I found Norman Mailer basically a jerk with whom I didn’t want to know more about. While I enjoyed 2.5 sections, I didn’t feel the linkage as much as it was intended. It felt like 4 New Yorker articles put together.