Book Review: Lucky Boy Part 2

Due to current events, this week I’m bringing back an old book review I did of the novel Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran. This book explores in detail what it’s like for parents to have their children separated from them because of our messed up immigration laws. In this book, Shanthi Sekaran takes us through the journey of Solimar Castro Valdez as she risks her life to cross the border and works hard to build a life for herself and her son who she gives birth to in the United States. Spoiler Alert: Eventually, Solimar is put in a detention center where Sekaran takes us through the horrifying way people are abused in these establishments. Solimar’s son is taken away from her and put into the foster system. Sekaran takes us through the foster system in detail and shows us how difficult life becomes for the child and for the parents who are trying to get their children back through the legal system. Today, we are finally seeing first hand accounts from the children and parents themselves. We are seeing what it’s like to be treated as less than human by immigration officials in the media, but this has been going on in the United States for years. Lucky Boy was published in January 2017, before this topic was being talked about in the media. Sekaran spent years before writing this novel researching these topics and it is evident from the very first page. I can not recommend this book enough.
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Here is my Goodreads review of the book:
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Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finished reading this book two days ago and it is still with me. From the very first page it was obvious to me that Shanthi Sekaran took the time to research the topics and cultures she explores in this book. She writes about Mexico not as a stereotypical version we often see in American media. She talks about it through her characters and their version of life in a small town in Mexico. She also explores Indian-American culture with the same sensitivity and without the stereotypes. She takes us through the foster system, immigration detention centers, and the life of an undocumented woman in the United States in detail. Then, she goes beyond these countries, cultures, and legal institutions to make the reader feel the emotions of a foster parent, a couple who is unable to conceive, and a mother who has lost her baby. This book is beautifully written and is extremely topical. I highly recommend this book!



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