Enrique's Journey Sparknotes

Sacrificing a leg, arm, hand, foot, or even a life is what immigrants go through when crossing the border from Mexico to the United States. Enrique’s Journey: The True Story of a Boy Determined to Reunite with His Mother by Sonia Nazario in 2006. Sonia Nazario being an American journalist and daughter of Argentinean immigrants. This novel can be classified as a biography. Enrique’s Journey involves many themes; however, the main theme of the book is family. Mothers ‘abandoning’ their children and then reuniting. Another main theme would be immigration, which connects the book to history. The author’s purpose is for one to be able to transport themselves into the characters shoes by having sympathy. As well as to those who have empathy and suffered through the same or similar experiences. This will review the overall point of Enrique’s Journey and my own critique of the book itself.

The book starts off with a prologue, which helps us understand what the whole book is going to be about. In the prologue a woman named Carmen, who is a Guatemalan immigrant, was Sonia’s house cleaner back in 1997. One day, Carmen opened up to Sonia telling her

that she has left behind four of her children in Guatemala. “She has been separated from them for twelve years”. (pg2) Sonia could not believe what she was hearing. Carmen’s husband left her and their children for another woman, this made it hard for them to earn money and have something to eat. Such thing lead to Carmen decision to cross the border for her children to have a better life. The money Carmen would earn in the United States, a portion would be sent some to her children back in Guatemala. The money helped them to go to school, but she would also send clothes and photos. Carmen mentioned the important moments she has missed from being separated from them. In 1998 Carmen’s oldest son, Minor, decides to find his mother. When they reunited in Los Angeles Minor then tells Sonia how dangerous his journey went when riding ‘The Train of Death’. Minor’s story inspired Sonia so much that she decided to go through the same experience. Traveling on top of freight trains alone in the cold, helpless, hungry, and with little money.
In May of 2000, Sonia founded Enrique at a church in Nuevo Laredo. Enrique, a seventeen-year-old boy from Honduras, was in search of his mother who left him behind when he was only five years old. Out of all the children Sonia spoked to, Enrique was the only one who remembered a telephone number after being robbed. Enrique shared to Sonia every detail possible about his trip north. After this, Sonia research started following the same dangerous path as Enrique did of being beaten, robbed, or raped. When she was on top of a train she experienced a child being swiped off and then not knowing “whether he survived the vortex of air that drags falling bodies into the churning wheels”. (pg12) The closer to the north the riskier it gets. Sonia was amazed by the courage these children embodied and determination to get to the United States. Enrique’s mother, Lourdes, plan was to return to Honduras. Unfortunately, that never happened, this is what caused children to feel abandoned and the separation to end badly. Mothers believing their children would understand their sacrifice to provide a better future, however, many times children show anger towards those decisions. Enrique’s experience is just one of the little families who have the opportunity to reunite.
Part one of the book begins with Lourdes saying her goodbye to Enrique. In January 29, 1989 Lourdes heads towards the United States. Lourdes paid a smuggler, also known as “coyote”, to take her to Miami, but instead she is taken to Los Angeles. Lourdes has left behind her two children Belky a seven-year-old girl, and Enrique five. Belky was left with Lourdes’s sister Rosa Amalia. While Enrique was left with his paternal grandmother Maria, where he also lives with his father Luis. At the age of seven Enrique’s dad left with another woman. Then at ten, he started making money by selling tamales and fruit juices. Lourdes rarely checks up on her children. The reason being that she is ashamed that her life has not been what she expected as seen in television commercials. After four years in the United States Lourdes gets pregnant and has a daughter named Diana. Santos, Diana’s father who is also an Honduran immigrant, goes back to Honduras and spends all of his savings on alcohol. Now, it is only Lourdes and Diana. Things got tougher for Lourdes, she was unemployed. Eventually, she finds a job, but now she must send less money to Honduras because he also has Diana to take care of. The conversation on the phones calls are now less attached, as years go by Belky and Enrique feel as Lourdes is a stranger, the reason being she left them at a young age she does not know much about them. Lourdes moves to North Carolina where everyone is respectful. At the age of fourteen Enrique starts to act rebellious, he is influenced by bad people. He was hurting grandmother Maria, so he then moved in with his uncle Marco Antonio who was then killed by robbers. After all, Enrique goes with his maternal grandmother Agueda Amalia Valladares. There he met Maria Isabel, who later gets pregnant and gives birth to Enrique’s daughter. Enrique begins to hang out in a bad neighborhood where they drink diluted rubbing alcohol, causing him to inhale glue and “getting high off the fumes”. (pg44) At age sixteen Enrique puts an end to doing drugs and decides to reach his mother in 1999.
The first six attempts failed. The police captured him and other immigrants and sent them back in the ‘Bus of Tears’. The bus where immigrants were usually sent back to Guatemala in tears. During all of this he was also robbed by police and gangsters such as Mara Salvatrucha. His seventh attempt was the one he suffered the most. On the train in Las Anonas, Enrique was beaten and robbed. He was left with three teeth shattered, deep gouges on his right knee, open wound on his head, and his left eye socket with a severe concussion. He then was found by Mayor Diaz and was treated by a doctor. He did not gave up and continued his journey. Now facing ‘The Beast’, the train that goes from Chiapas to San Luis Potosi. This would be his eight attempt. The less you carry the better because it would be easy to run when escaping from the gangsters and police. On the train you must have a good grip because it “squirms up the tracks” they called it “The Iron Worm”. (pg73) On this journey immigrants were being beaten, robbed, raped, and even killed. Some died of hunger, others got sick, or fell off the train. The tensions build up when immigrants spotted agents, when they did they had to jump off the train to find a safe place to hide. Some were caught and released if they had enough money to give them. Finally, he reached Rio Grande, the river that separates the United States and Mexico. I found a camp where he met El Tirindaro, a smuggler. Crossing the river was not easy, especially if you do not know how to swim.
On May 21, 2000 he crossed the Rio Grande River.

An SUV took him to Dallas, TX where another smuggler took him to Orlando, Florida. On May 28 Lourdes’s boyfriend took off to pick up Enrique. Everyone was happy. With all the changes, Enrique was not used to it. He started to drink and disrespect his mother. Reminding her that he made bad decisions because she was never there for him when he needed her. He would spend more money on bad habits and send less money to Maria Isabel. Maria Isabel gave birth to Katerin Jasmin on November 2, 2000. Enrique wanted them to be with him. On spring of 2004 Maria Isabel decided to leave Honduras. Six months later Katerin Jasmin arrives to North Carolina and reunited with her parents. On Christmas 2011 sheriffs arrived at a hotel where Enrique was with his friends drinking. He was then

arrested.
Overall, I found this book to be very informative, because not only did it contains a biography of an immigrant, but it also includes statistics of immigration throughout the years. One of the things I liked about this book is that the details helps you picture a scene. I found myself having sympathy towards the characters. Having family who have also suffered from similar experience made me realize how difficult the situation can be. Something I believe the book left out and should have been included is, what happened to Enrique after his arrest. How long will he be sentenced? Would he be deported? Did he get help legally? Other than that, I would recommend this book. I learn that family is something one should value a lot, sometimes sacrificing will help the situation. I also learned that the police were taking advantage of their jobs and being corruptive. This book relates to the course because immigration rules or laws have changed over time. In the past if an immigrant were caught, they would be deported right away. Now if an immigrant has no criminal record there should be no reason why they get deported.
In conclusion, immigrants go through a lot of suffering. Having trouble to survive in the home counties and then risking their life on their way north. It might be worth it to sacrifice your life, but when it comes to family one must think twice. Before leaving north one must make sure the children understand well the situation. Most importantly to never loose communication because it can lead to misunderstanding. As a final point, family is worth a lot and is very valuable, so losing a loved one can feel as if there is no more happiness and there is nothing else but emptiness.