24 Books like Living Beyond Borders

We Are Not From Here

by Jenny Torres Sanchez

After witnessing a gang murder, three Guatemalan teens must flee on the freight trains north.

4.47

8k+

🚂 Migrant Journey 👻 Ghostly Visions 🖤 Gritty Ya 👥 Found Family 🏜️ Border Crossing

We Are Not From Here 90%

After witnessing a gang murder, three Guatemalan teens must flee on the freight trains north.

by Jenny Torres Sanchez 2020

4.47

8k+ ratings

🚂 Migrant Journey 👻 Ghostly Visions 🖤 Gritty Ya 👥 Found Family 🏜️ Border Crossing

The Best American Short Stories 2024

by Lauren Groff • 2024

Lauren Groff gathers twenty stories of the year: surreal, tender, and unafraid of the dark.

3.77

846

🗣️ Diverse American Voices 🏳️‍🌈 Queer Literary Fiction ✨ Magical Realism 🌍 Immigrant Experience 🔄 Experimental Narrative

The Best American Short Stories 2024 Summary

The Best American Short Stories 2024 90%

Lauren Groff gathers twenty stories of the year: surreal, tender, and unafraid of the dark.

by Lauren Groff 2024

3.77

846 ratings

🗣️ Diverse American Voices 🏳️‍🌈 Queer Literary Fiction ✨ Magical Realism 🌍 Immigrant Experience 🔄 Experimental Narrative

Mexican WhiteBoy

by Matt de la Peña • 2008

Half-Mexican, can't speak Spanish, he spends a summer in his father's barrio, looking for home.

3.85

6k+

🌗 Biracial Identity 👤 Absent Father 🤝 Unlikely Friendship ⚾ Baseball Fiction 🌴 Southern California

Mexican WhiteBoy 90%

Half-Mexican, can't speak Spanish, he spends a summer in his father's barrio, looking for home.

by Matt de la Peña 2008

3.85

6k+ ratings

🌗 Biracial Identity 👤 Absent Father 🤝 Unlikely Friendship ⚾ Baseball Fiction 🌴 Southern California

Summer of the Mariposas

by Guadalupe Garcia McCall • 2012

Five sisters smuggle a body into Mexico and stumble into a world of living folklore.

3.50

3k+

🏛️ Odyssey Retelling 🇲🇽 Mexican Folklore 👯 Sisterly Quest 👻 La Llorona Retelling 🌅 Bittersweet Fantasy

Summer of the Mariposas 90%

Five sisters smuggle a body into Mexico and stumble into a world of living folklore.

by Guadalupe Garcia McCall 2012

3.50

3k+ ratings

🏛️ Odyssey Retelling 🇲🇽 Mexican Folklore 👯 Sisterly Quest 👻 La Llorona Retelling 🌅 Bittersweet Fantasy

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

by Erika L. Sánchez • 2017

Her perfect sister is dead. What the closet hides could break her immigrant family.

4.00

85k+

🧬 Generational Trauma 🌎 Immigrant Family 📦 Secret Life Uncovered 🩹 Mental Health Healing 🗣️ Sharp-Tongued Heroine

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter Summary

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter 89%

Her perfect sister is dead. What the closet hides could break her immigrant family.

by Erika L. Sánchez 2017

4.00

85k+ ratings

🧬 Generational Trauma 🌎 Immigrant Family 📦 Secret Life Uncovered 🩹 Mental Health Healing 🗣️ Sharp-Tongued Heroine

Breathe and Count Back from Ten

by Natalia Sylvester • 2022

A Peruvian American teen hides her dream of becoming a mermaid performer from her immigrant parents.

3.82

4k+

🏡 Boy Next Door 👨‍👩‍👧 Strict Parents 🎭 Performing Arts 💔 Chronic Illness 💕 First Love

Breathe and Count Back from Ten 89%

A Peruvian American teen hides her dream of becoming a mermaid performer from her immigrant parents.

by Natalia Sylvester 2022

3.82

4k+ ratings

🏡 Boy Next Door 👨‍👩‍👧 Strict Parents 🎭 Performing Arts 💔 Chronic Illness 💕 First Love

Room to Dream

by Kelly Yang • 2021

A corporation wants her family's motel. Seventh-grader Mia Tang has a column and something to prove.

4.37

6k+

🧳 Immigrant Experience 🌏 Cultural Identity 💔 Shifting Friendships 📰 Girl Reporter ✊ Community Resistance

Room to Dream 89%

A corporation wants her family's motel. Seventh-grader Mia Tang has a column and something to prove.

by Kelly Yang 2021

4.37

6k+ ratings

🧳 Immigrant Experience 🌏 Cultural Identity 💔 Shifting Friendships 📰 Girl Reporter ✊ Community Resistance

Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim

by Patricia Park • 2023

A racist remark makes a scholarship kid the face of her prep school's diversity campaign.

3.96

2k+

🏫 Prep School 🎓 Scholarship Kid 🌐 Code-Switching 🧬 Hybrid Identity 🌏 Immigrant Family

Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim Summary

Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim 89%

A racist remark makes a scholarship kid the face of her prep school's diversity campaign.

by Patricia Park 2023

3.96

2k+ ratings

🏫 Prep School 🎓 Scholarship Kid 🌐 Code-Switching 🧬 Hybrid Identity 🌏 Immigrant Family

The Poet X

by Elizabeth Acevedo • 2018

A Dominican teen in Harlem writes secret poems, until her mother finds them and everything changes.

4.36

143k+

📖 Verse Novel ⛪ Strict Religious Home 💕 Secret Romance 🎤 Slam Poetry 🥲 Body Image Struggles

The Poet X 89%

A Dominican teen in Harlem writes secret poems, until her mother finds them and everything changes.

by Elizabeth Acevedo 2018

4.36

143k+ ratings

📖 Verse Novel ⛪ Strict Religious Home 💕 Secret Romance 🎤 Slam Poetry 🥲 Body Image Struggles

The House on Mango Street

by Sandra Cisneros • 1984

On Mango Street, a girl named Hope starts writing the home she cannot yet live in.

3.68

238k+

🌺 Chicana Literature 📖 Vignette Novel ✍️ Writing As Escape 🏘️ Neighborhood Portrait 👧 Latina Girlhood

The House on Mango Street 89%

On Mango Street, a girl named Hope starts writing the home she cannot yet live in.

by Sandra Cisneros 1984

3.68

238k+ ratings

🌺 Chicana Literature 📖 Vignette Novel ✍️ Writing As Escape 🏘️ Neighborhood Portrait 👧 Latina Girlhood

Crossing the Wire

by Will Hobbs • 2006

A Mexican farm boy rides freight trains and crosses the desert to save his starving family.

3.83

3k+

🚂 Riding The Rails 🏜️ Desert Survival 🌎 Immigrant Story 🚧 Border Crossing 💔 Friendship Betrayal

Crossing the Wire 89%

A Mexican farm boy rides freight trains and crosses the desert to save his starving family.

by Will Hobbs 2006

3.83

3k+ ratings

🚂 Riding The Rails 🏜️ Desert Survival 🌎 Immigrant Story 🚧 Border Crossing 💔 Friendship Betrayal

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

by Benjamin Alire Sáenz • 2012

A Mexican-American boy hides his family's ghosts. Then Dante asks about every one.

4.28

680k+

🫂 Friends To Lovers 🌵 Chicano Literature 📖 Literary Ya ✍️ Lyrical Prose 🌈 Queer Awakening

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Summary

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 89%

A Mexican-American boy hides his family's ghosts. Then Dante asks about every one.

by Benjamin Alire Sáenz 2012

4.28

680k+ ratings

🫂 Friends To Lovers 🌵 Chicano Literature 📖 Literary Ya ✍️ Lyrical Prose 🌈 Queer Awakening

Other Words for Home

by Jasmine Warga • 2019

A Syrian girl flees to Ohio and finds her voice on a middle-school stage.

4.40

35k+

📖 Verse Novel 🌏 Culture Shock 🧕 Choosing Hijab 💔 Sibling Separation 🎭 School Play

Other Words for Home 89%

A Syrian girl flees to Ohio and finds her voice on a middle-school stage.

by Jasmine Warga 2019

4.40

35k+ ratings

📖 Verse Novel 🌏 Culture Shock 🧕 Choosing Hijab 💔 Sibling Separation 🎭 School Play

Clap When You Land

by Elizabeth Acevedo • 2020

After a plane crash kills their father, two girls on opposite shores learn they are sisters.

4.22

110k+

📖 Novel In Verse 🫂 Secret Siblings 🇩🇴 Dominican Diaspora 🤫 Family Secrets 👯‍♀️ Sisterhood

Clap When You Land 89%

After a plane crash kills their father, two girls on opposite shores learn they are sisters.

by Elizabeth Acevedo 2020

4.22

110k+ ratings

📖 Novel In Verse 🫂 Secret Siblings 🇩🇴 Dominican Diaspora 🤫 Family Secrets 👯‍♀️ Sisterhood

The Distance Between Us

by Reyna Grande • 2012

Left behind, a girl survives on hunger, hope, and a dream of crossing the border.

4.37

18k+

🛂 Immigrant Memoir 🩹 Childhood Trauma 👫 Sibling Bonds 💔 Father Wound 👧 Parentified Child

The Distance Between Us 88%

Left behind, a girl survives on hunger, hope, and a dream of crossing the border.

by Reyna Grande 2012

4.37

18k+ ratings

🛂 Immigrant Memoir 🩹 Childhood Trauma 👫 Sibling Bonds 💔 Father Wound 👧 Parentified Child

All My Rage

by Sabaa Tahir • 2022

Sal sells drugs to save his motel, hiding it from Noor, the girl he loves.

4.48

66k+

🌄 Immigrant Dreams 🕌 Pakistani-American 💞 Friends To Lovers 🍺 Parent With Addiction 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family

All My Rage 88%

Sal sells drugs to save his motel, hiding it from Noor, the girl he loves.

by Sabaa Tahir 2022

4.48

66k+ ratings

🌄 Immigrant Dreams 🕌 Pakistani-American 💞 Friends To Lovers 🍺 Parent With Addiction 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family

Strike Zone

by Mike Lupica • 2019

A Bronx pitcher dreams of Yankee Stadium. His undocumented parents dream of staying in America.

4.17

397

🧢 Youth Baseball 📋 Undocumented Parents 🩺 Sick Sibling 💪 Heartfelt Sports 🏙️ South Bronx

Strike Zone 88%

A Bronx pitcher dreams of Yankee Stadium. His undocumented parents dream of staying in America.

by Mike Lupica 2019

4.17

397 ratings

🧢 Youth Baseball 📋 Undocumented Parents 🩺 Sick Sibling 💪 Heartfelt Sports 🏙️ South Bronx

Everything Sad Is Untrue

by Daniel Nayeri • 2020

An Iranian refugee boy tells family legends to an Oklahoma school that sees only an outsider.

4.30

44k+

📦 Refugee Narrative 🌱 Immigrant Coming Of Age 🌍 Iranian Diaspora 📖 Storytelling As Survival 🏫 Classroom Outcast

Everything Sad Is Untrue 88%

An Iranian refugee boy tells family legends to an Oklahoma school that sees only an outsider.

by Daniel Nayeri 2020

4.30

44k+ ratings

📦 Refugee Narrative 🌱 Immigrant Coming Of Age 🌍 Iranian Diaspora 📖 Storytelling As Survival 🏫 Classroom Outcast

Catalina

by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio • 2024

Undocumented at Harvard, she's her grandparents' American dream and their only safety net.

3.52

11k+

🎓 Campus Novel 🧳 Immigrant Coming Of Age 🔗 Intergenerational Trauma 🏠 Family Obligation 🎭 Performing Identity

Catalina 88%

Undocumented at Harvard, she's her grandparents' American dream and their only safety net.

by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio 2024

3.52

11k+ ratings

🎓 Campus Novel 🧳 Immigrant Coming Of Age 🔗 Intergenerational Trauma 🏠 Family Obligation 🎭 Performing Identity

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

by Sherman Alexie • 2007

A Spokane cartoonist transfers to an all-white school, becoming a stranger in both worlds.

4.05

286k+

🏠 Reservation Life 🎭 Dual Identity 🌿 Indigenous Coming Of Age 🏀 Sports And Identity 🖤 Dark Humor

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Summary

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian 88%

A Spokane cartoonist transfers to an all-white school, becoming a stranger in both worlds.

by Sherman Alexie 2007

4.05

286k+ ratings

🏠 Reservation Life 🎭 Dual Identity 🌿 Indigenous Coming Of Age 🏀 Sports And Identity 🖤 Dark Humor

The Savage Detectives

by Roberto Bolaño • 1998

Mexico City, 1970s. Young poets abandon their lives to hunt a vanished writer across the desert.

4.18

54k+

📚 Literary Underground ✒️ Failed Poets 🗣️ Oral History 🏙️ Mexico City 🔍 Literary Obsession

The Savage Detectives 88%

Mexico City, 1970s. Young poets abandon their lives to hunt a vanished writer across the desert.

by Roberto Bolaño 1998

4.18

54k+ ratings

📚 Literary Underground ✒️ Failed Poets 🗣️ Oral History 🏙️ Mexico City 🔍 Literary Obsession

The Book of Unknown Americans

by Cristina Henríquez • 2014

A Mexican mother stakes everything on a Delaware apartment that was supposed to save her daughter.

3.90

47k+

🗺️ Immigrant Literature 🎙️ Polyphonic Narrative 💔 Tragic First Love 😔 Parental Guilt 👩‍👧 Mother Daughter Bond

The Book of Unknown Americans 88%

A Mexican mother stakes everything on a Delaware apartment that was supposed to save her daughter.

by Cristina Henríquez 2014

3.90

47k+ ratings

🗺️ Immigrant Literature 🎙️ Polyphonic Narrative 💔 Tragic First Love 😔 Parental Guilt 👩‍👧 Mother Daughter Bond

Toda la felicidad del universo

by César Brandon Ndjocu • 2018

A son pieces together a childhood of violence, searching poetry for the words his family buried.

3.82

411

🖋️ Prose Poetry 🔀 Fragmentary Narrative 💔 Family Trauma 🫂 Chosen Family 🩹 Healing Journey

Toda la felicidad del universo 88%

A son pieces together a childhood of violence, searching poetry for the words his family buried.

by César Brandon Ndjocu 2018

3.82

411 ratings

🖋️ Prose Poetry 🔀 Fragmentary Narrative 💔 Family Trauma 🫂 Chosen Family 🩹 Healing Journey

Patron Saints of Nothing

by Randy Ribay • 2019

A Filipino-American teen travels to Manila to clear his cousin's name in the drug war.

4.20

20k+

🇵🇭 Filipino American 🌴 Philippines Setting 🔍 Family Secrets 🎭 Cultural Identity ✊ Young Activist

Patron Saints of Nothing 88%

A Filipino-American teen travels to Manila to clear his cousin's name in the drug war.

by Randy Ribay 2019

4.20

20k+ ratings

🇵🇭 Filipino American 🌴 Philippines Setting 🔍 Family Secrets 🎭 Cultural Identity ✊ Young Activist

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