Today@Sam Article
Orientation Leader 'Journeys' With, Previews This Year's Common Reader
June 8, 2015
SHSU Media Contact: Jennifer Gauntt
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| SHSU students Justin Vallier, Kourtney Spriggins and Romney Thomas enjoy "Enrique's Journey" during a sunny afternoon in Bearkat Plaza. This year's common reader selection is based on an LA Times series that won two Pulitzer Prizes. It recounts the quest of a boy who searches for his mother 11 years after she leaves their Honduran home to find work in the U.S. that would allow her to feed her starving family. —Photos by Brian Blalock |
Kourtney Spriggins, a junior mass communication major from Missouri City, previewed this year's common reader selection "Enrique's Journey," by Sonia Nazario, both as a New Student Orientation leader and as someone who was interested in the book during its nomination period. Below, she discusses her thoughts and feelings on the book and ways that she identified with the book's protagonist, as well as why she believes others should pick up their own copies.
This year I had the opportunity (as an orientation leader) to vote on the common reader selection and, surprisingly, the book I voted on was selected. Initially, after I was one of only two (of about 28) who voted for “Enrique’s Journey,” I began to wonder why was I drawn to this particular book. Why did I want to read a book about someone else’s journey? Before reading “Enrique’s Journey,” I thought this book was just going to focus on immigration into the United States, but, after reading it, I see that it is so much more than that. The book not only focuses on Enrique’s difficult journey into the United States, or el norte, as the Central Americans and Mexicans call it in the novel, but the hardships of living on less than a dollar a day in a home with seven or eight different relatives and making the decision to travel to the United States while leaving loved ones behind.
The book shares the story of Enrique, who, at a very young age, is left, along with his older sister Belky, in their country of Honduras as their mother, Lourdes, makes the bold decision to travel to the United States to look for work and provide for her family back home. She tells them that’ll she be back in a year or less, but she never returns. What struck me was the reality of this story—every day this story becomes some child’s reality in Central America and Mexico; mothers and fathers leave behind their children in order to provide a better life for them by sending money back home in order for their children to have food, clothes, shoes, toys, and attend school. During that time, we learn, a phone call back home isn’t easy for the parent or the child, because the parent is always faced with the question, “When are you coming back home,” while the children grow anxious to see their parent again and would give anything to be with them. Over and over again parents tell their child they’ll be home soon, but most never return. We also learn that life in the United States as an immigrant isn’t easy and saving money to bring their children to the United States is more expensive than sending money home every month. Often, parents become stuck and question their decision on leaving home.
Beyond the tale of immigration, “Enrique’s Journey” is a story all about choices, and so is college. While reading “Enrique’s Journey,” I compared so many of his experiences and choices to experiences and choices we make in college. As an incoming freshman two years ago, I experienced a journey that almost every new student makes—I left home, just like Enrique. I didn’t move from one country to the next, but I did leave my hometown to come to another, and it wasn’t an easy adjustment since I had lived as a city girl all my life. I knew what it felt like to leave my family behind and start a new journey. Although our journey may not be as intense as Enrique’s, we’re still faced with decisions every day as students that have a great impact on our lives. Deciding to attend class or not, deciding on doing homework that was assigned a month ago that month or waiting until the week it’s due, deciding on going out to every party or staying in to complete assignments—we always have choices to make for our better interest.
I highly recommend this book to all the incoming freshmen and the SHSU student body because in addition to educating me on issues related to immigration, it involves so many different dilemmas that can be looked upon as a situation in college, or life in general. I took different situations from Enrique’s Journey and tied a connection to my life in a similar circumstance. There is so much I want to share about Enrique’s Journey with everyone because that’s how great the book is! I hope those who read the book will enjoy it as much as I did. Reading this novel made me realize how blessed I am and thankful for every little thing in my life.
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