OneBookOneRiverHill discussion

Alma and Mayor are the primary narrators of the book, yet they have very different voices and perspectives. How does pairing these points of view affect the telling of this story, even as they are punctuated by the voices of the neighbors in Redwood Apartments? And how does the chorus of voices affect this main story and pose larger questions of immigration and the Latino experience in the United States?

The two narrators give the reader very different perspectives of what it means to be an immigrant in America. By having the contrasting views of a teenage boy and a mother, it is easier for the reader to relate to multiple people. The pairing of these points give depth to the story. Alma shows the struggles of being an immigrant and working in America. Alma's concerns were with her husband's job, learning the language, adapting to a new country, and other issues an immigrant would have that may be different and not relatable to an american born teenager. Mayor on the other hand discusses many generic teenage problems such as crushes, bullies, fighting with friends, getting grounded etc. In addition, the chorus of voices changes the story by showing the dramatic diversity from one immigrants story to anothers. There are many different reasons people move to America and many different hardships they face. With such a large population of immigrants, having the chorus was significant because it prevented all immigrants from being generalized and grouped together when each one is an individual.