Wonderland - by Melanie Márquez Adams (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this collection of crónicas, essays, and experimental texts, Melanie Márquez Adams invites readers on a road trip with stops at the places throughout América that have shaped her identity and her writing, from the skyscrapers looming above the Río Guayas in Guayaquil, Ecuador, to the backyard of Dollywood in the smoky mountains of East Tennessee, from the dizzying cacophony of New York City to the undulating cornfields of Iowa as far as the eye can see. The author understands that, while some readers may expect harrowing border crossings and suffering at every turn, hers is a different type of immigrant story. With incisive social commentary and a dark sense of humor, she palpably conveys her struggles to find a sense of belonging between countries, languages, and cultures.

Review Quotes

"In her new book Wonderland, author Melanie Márquez Adams treats the immigrant experience with the same wonder, delight, and fear as Lewis Carroll's Alice did. Márquez Adams navigates her own versions of the Queen of Hearts and Cheshire cats, challenging these times of mass hysteria, in which immigration is depicted as a threat or a menagerie of suffering. Wonderlandquestions these types of narrative -- from the righteousness of allies to stereotypes of immigrants as one monolithic cultural block."

- Jasmine Garsd

"Wonderland is a quest to understand America through fresh experiences and a second language while searching for familiarity and seeking refuge in one's first language. Márquez Adams and Hunsberger take readers on a journey through the 'normal' rhythms of life to a deeper discovery of self by roaming between languages and cultures. An essential read for anyone intrigued by the complexities of identity and the immigrant experience in the United States."

- Elle Charisse

"Wonderland: Crónicas of Belonging in America by Melanie Márquez Adams, beautifully translated by Emily Hunsberger, challenges the typical immigrant narrative. Rather than focusing on hardship, Márquez Adams tells us the story of an immigrant who completed an MFA while navigating identity and belonging in a new country. Through her personal crónicas, she explores the intersection of culture, language, and self-discovery, enriching the discussion about the Hispanic immigrant experience in the U.S. This memoir reveals that leaving one's homeland can be both aspirations and complexities, rather than just pain."

- Joseph Avski

"The crónicas of Melanie Márquez Adams offer a portrait of the contemporary United States through the eyes of a longtime resident who has never abandoned her native Spanish as a means of creative expression. Intimate, honest, and discerning, this collection interrogates what it means to adopt as one's homeland a country that is and is not one's own."

- Jeffrey Lawrence