Through the Eyes of Santiago: The story of a Peruvian boy living in an American maze

by Pedro A. Salazar

The genuine, heart-warming, thoughtful, eye-opening, and entertaining true story of a Latin American student living in the United States for the first time From the "When I decided to spend a year as a high school exchange student in the United States in 2000, I did not expect that my time in Iowa would change the course of my life forever. After growing up surrounded by concrete structures in Arequipa, the second-largest city in Peru, I moved to Mount Vernon, a small Iowa town surrounded by cornfields. During my year there, I adapted to a new world, learned a new language, and made lifelong friendships. Most importantly, my year in the United States opened my eyes to a new world of possibilities. Through the Eyes of Santiago is the story of an exchange student who lived in the United States for a year. It’s the story of two host families and of the many Americans who changed my life and had their lives changed by my time among them. It’s the story of an immigrant, of a brown boy living in white America for the first time. It's my American story." A must read In Through the Eyes of Santiago , Mr. Salazar describes what is like to move to the United States at a young age, without knowing the language, without having any friends, and without any preset expectations. A real page-turner, Mr. Salazar's "easy-to-read" style makes this book the perfect companion for anyone who wants to learn more about the difficulties, anxieties, fears, doubts, and discrimination many young students from Latin America face in the United States. It is also a wonderful book for anyone who wants to learn more about rural America from the eyes of a young Latin American boy. Get your copy today! "Your willingness to listen and appreciate other people's points of view is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of maturity" - Pedro A. Salazar

295 pages, Paperback

Published November 30, 2018

Reviews

[Jeremy]

A quick and entertaining read by a talented writer and friend and former colleague of mine. I definitely recommend checking it out!

[Evie Messer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and learned a lot about my home from a different perspective. This book represents the major culture clash that comes with living in a new country and it was really cool to see how Santiago viewed Iowa. His views into politics were also very enlightening, especially since you were able to see how they changed. I've always been interested in foreign exchange because of my family's personal experience with it, but this book explained more in-depth about what it is like and I hope to someday be able to be an exchange student as well.

[Emily Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pedro provides a fun and intriguing way of showing the world what it is like to be an exchange student. You feel connected and his descriptions of the hardships he has to overcome give you a clear picture of what he endured during his year in Iowa as an exchange student. I hope to see the next chapter of his journey and how he continued to prevail with the American Dream.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the author’s personal account of his time in Iowa. This book reads somewhat like a journal that dives just deep enough into the experiences of someone new to Iowa and the U.S. I hope to see a sequel that picks up where this book ended.

[mariana almendra]

a family friend lent me this when i moved to il from peru, too. truly refreshing and a read that leaves u thinking well maybe i’ll be okay :)