Santiago's Road Home

Starred review from May 25, 2020
Following 12-year-old Santiago, Diaz (The Only Road) gives voice to a young refugee who overcomes tremendous obstacles to cross the border from Mexico into the United States, only to be trapped in a detention center. Forced from his aunt’s home, Santiago scrounges for food rather than return to his abusive grandmother. When a woman and her young daughter offer him sustenance and kindness, he asks to accompany them across the border. Sensing that he is trustworthy, they agree. While the book’s first half depicts the numerous dangers they survive together, leading up to a harrowing journey across the desert, the second half shares Santiago’s disconcerting experiences after being forcibly separated from his companions; crowded into a stark, chilly room with teenage boys; and monitored by unsympathetic guards. While kind staff offer comfort, months of bleak daily existence and an uncertain future undermine Santiago’s natural resilience. Basing Santiago’s story on well-documented experiences, Diaz’s crucial narrative shines a disconcerting light on the plight of children in U.S. detention centers along the southern border. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary.

Timothy Andres Pabon's narration merges Spanish and English, high emotions, and tension in this audiobook. Since his mother's death when he was 5, Santiago has been shuffled among relatives who neglect and abuse him. Pabon expresses the 12-year-old's resignation, then a glimmer an idea. Might he escape from Mexico to the U.S.? Pabon contrasts Santiago's original hopelessness with the kindness of a single mother and a little girl who welcome him into their family. Their bond builds as the trio take on the threats of murdering coyote guides, grueling desert travel, and, the worst, separation from each other. Pabon also stresses Santiago's resilience and growing hope amid the horrors of a detention center. This heartfelt story personalizes the injustices suffered by refugee youth. S.W. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine