On The Front Lines
with Efrén C. Olivares, author of 'My Boy Will Die of Sorrow: A Memoir of Immigration from the Front Lines'
#NuevasPaginasconLupita is a space that is both an archive and resource aimed to "spotlight" Hispanic/Latinx/e authors with newly published books. The goal is to connect readers to new and/or old favorite Hispanic/Latinx/e authors and their books! So give this & every post a share to help us reach more readers!
How does it work?!
Here’s the deal, I came up with a set of casual/random/funny questions to ask each Hispanic/Latinx/e author, I interview. For now, the questions will all be the same but maybe in the future I’ll launch this into more specific questions to the author or maybe I’ll turn this series into a mini-podcast, or maybe……well, you get it! The possibilities are endless.
If you are new here don’t forget to check out all the other amazing interviews! We also have a great line-up of guest authors coming up so make sure you don’t miss an issue by subscribing now!
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Hey Heyyy Book Franz!
I know we took a brief break last week but we are back this week with a new Nuevas Paginas interview. I hope your summer so far has been full of sun, rest, relaxation, and lots of books but in case it hasn’t - I’m right there with you and I’m holding space for you. It’s hard to get any rest or relaxation when so much is going on around you. I find that even if I spend less time on social media or try to disconnect from the news, I still struggle to get into the things I enjoy doing - writing about books, and reading said books. In the meantime though, it’s been such a pleasure learning about more new books and I’m so glad I am bringing you all this interview because I think this one should be on everyone’s radar- I know I’m so happy it’s on mine!
So without further ado, our special guest author today is….Efrén C. Olivares, author of My Boy Will Die of Sorrow: A Memoir of Immigration from the Front Lines….
Could you tell me a bit about where this photo was taken? Is it special to your book in some way?
This is a photo of a sunset on the Rio Grande River taken from Mission, Texas, and overlooking Reynosa, Mexico, on the other side of the river. This calm, majestic, serene image is what comes to mind when I think of the border, not the chaotic, lawless place that is often depicted in the news media. Like this photo, one of my hopes is that my book will help challenge common misconceptions and false narratives about immigration, the border, and the immigrant experience.
Tell me about your book without telling me about your book - share any literary inspirations behind your book! If there are none, the gap you wanted to fill in the literary canon with your book.
Someone who read an early draft told me that they thought of my book as a sort of "Just Mercy" for immigrants. I was extremely humbled and flattered by the comment.
What are two central themes in your book that you connect with the most and why?
In writing the book, one of the takeaways I drew was that most of us are, in some way or another, the "children" of immigrants. Chances are that, for all of us, somewhere down the line of our family history, one of our ancestors moved across the Earth, crossed a border, in search of safety and opportunity. Even the harshest, cruelest anti-immigrant hard-liners had someone in their family who migrated. Why then, do we punish those doing the same thing today? To say that the United States is "a nation of immigrants" is only the beginning of the inquiry, because we are also a nation against immigrants, as reflected by some of our immigration policies.
A second theme that I connect with strongly is the realization that the principles that, we are told, make the United States the United States—ideals such as justice, equality under the law, freedom, the pursuit of happiness, basic human decency, and fairness— all seem to fall apart at the border. The atrocities that I and others have witnessed at the border would not be tolerated in other parts of the country, and I wonder why that is. This realization disturbed me so much, perhaps because of my deep belief in human rights--the idea that every person, regardless of their country of origin, the language they speak, or the color of their skin, has certain basic rights simply by virtue of being a human being. Sharing the stories in the book helped me see that too often, these principles don't apply at international borders, and I dedicate my professional life to doing what I can to ensure that they do.
If a book was home, where would your home be?
If a book was home, my home would be high up in the mountains, with abundant greenery, fresh air, and no internet connection.
If your book was a famous musician who would it be?
@LosTigresdelNorte. It is such a quintessential Mexican “norteño” band and an icon in the Mexican American community, particularly along the border. Some of their most popular songs touch on the immigrant experience: the irony of having better economic opportunities and yet feeling isolated from your home and culture (La jaula de oro), displacement by borders and colonization (Somos más americanos), and the beauty and diversity of the Latin American diaspora (América).
What comfort food could a reader pair with your book?
If reading in the morning, sipping a hot cup of @Amayacoffee while gently shaking the sugary powder off your fingers after a concha bite. In the afternoon, guacamole and tortilla chips.
In what ways has access (or little to no access) to Hispanic/Latinx/e literature defined you as a writer?
When I was writing the book, the controversy around American Dirt went viral. In that context, I felt I had a voice to share—I could provide the authenticity that American Dirt was lacking and for which it was widely criticized. Then when I was pitching my book proposal, one of the rejection responses I received was: "I worry that the big book on this subject isn’t going to come from someone with boots on the ground and who has good writing chops but rather from a journalist who can report out the story and who has made a career out of writing." My first reaction was disappointment, of course, and a sense that I could never write this book. In that message, I heard that no one like me could ever write this book. But then my disappointment turned into invigorating, newfound motivation. I think we need more books by authors of color, more books about the border, more books about marginalized and oppressed communities. Like in so many other things, representation matters.
Where can readers keep up with your work?
Instagram: e.olivares.a
Twitter: @efrencolivares
A huge thank you to Efrén C. Olivares for taking the time to chat with me about his book! Please please make sure you purchase a copy (or request your local library carry a copy) of their book #SupportLatinxLit!
Author Bio:
Efrén C. Olivares is the Deputy Legal Director for Immigrant Justice at the Southern Poverty Law Center. He was the lead lawyer in a successful landmark petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on behalf of families separated under the “Zero Tolerance” policy. He previously directed the Racial and Economic Justice Program at the Texas Civil Rights Project. His writings on immigration policy have also been published by the New York Times, USA Today, and Newsweek, and he has testified before Congress and at briefings on Capitol Hill about immigration and border policies.
Synopsis for My Boy WIll Die of Sorrow Bookshop website:
This deeply personal perspective from a human rights lawyer--whose work on the front lines of the fight against family separations in South Texas intertwines with his own story of immigrating to the United States at thirteen--reframes the United States' history as a nation of immigrants but also a nation against immigrants.
In the summer of 2018, Efrén C. Olivares found himself representing hundreds of immigrant families when Zero Tolerance separated thousands of children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. Twenty-five years earlier, he had been separated from his own father for several years when he migrated to the U.S. to work. Their family was eventually reunited in Texas, where Efrén and his brother went to high school and learned a new language and culture.
By sharing these gripping family separation stories alongside his own, Olivares gives voice to immigrants who have been punished and silenced for seeking safety and opportunity. Through him we meet Mario and his daughter Oralia, Viviana and her son Sandro, Patricia and her son Alessandro, and many others. We see how the principles that ostensibly bind the U.S. together fall apart at its borders.
My Boy Will Die of Sorrow reflects on the immigrant experience then and now, on what separations do to families, and how the act of separation itself adds another layer to the immigrant identity. Our concern for fellow human beings who live at the margins of our society--at the border, literally and figuratively--is shaped by how we view ourselves in relation both to our fellow citizens and to immigrants. He discusses not only law and immigration policy in accessible terms, but also makes the case for how this hostility is nothing new: children were put in cages when coming through Ellis Island, and Japanese Americans were forcibly separated from their families and interned during WWII. By examining his personal story and the stories of the families he represents side by side, Olivares meaningfully engages readers with their assumptions about what nationhood means in America and challenges us to question our own empathy and compassion.
The best way you can support Latinx/e authors and Latinx/e literature is by doing the following:
REQUEST that your local library carry a copy
PURCHASE a copy of a friend, family member, or your nemesis (hey! I’m sure they read too).
SHOUT about the book on any social media platform or to your friends and family!
SHARE this interview widely! Word of mouth does wonders for connecting readers to books.
REVIEW their books on any website that sells books!
The other day one of my cousins asked in our family group chat….” Hey! What kind of music does Lupita listen to?” and without even missing a beat my brother replied “AUDIOBOOKS”!
The moment audiobooks stepped into my life, they became my music. I listen to them on walks, while doing laundry and chores — basically any moment I have to myself. So if that is you too (or if you simply want to fit in more reading during your daily life) check out Libro.FM! If you use the code LupitaReads you’ll receive two audiobook credits for 14.99 USD with your first month of membership. These credits can be used on your choice of more than 250,00 audiobooks on Libro. FM.
And if you need some audiobook recommendations - I made a list just for you!