Henriquez shares stories of immigrants and the importance of connection at Luther convocation

Cristina Henriquez's father was 17 years old and living in Panama when he applied to study in the United States.  He was accepted by the University of Delaware and came to America even though he didn't know anyone.  He eventually earned a Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering and met a fellow student, whom he married—staying in America instead of returning home.
 
Henriquez wrote "The Book of Unknown Americans," a work of fiction that tells stories of men and women who have come to the United States from Central and South America.  She told a Luther College audience Thursday that listening to stories of everyday people such as her father is a good way to connect with other people.
 
In many ways we've become more connected because of technology, says Henriquez, but we're not deeply connected—we seem to be losing our ability to imagine other people's lives.   That's an important ability, she believes, because fear grows from our lack of understanding of the lives other people live.

"You already know deep down that you are more alike to the person next to you than you are different," she told the students, faculty and staff.  While the characters in Henriquez's book come from Central and south America, Henriquez touched only lightly on the immigration issue, ending with her advice to the audience to listen to other people's stories and "make a choice not to see differences but commonalities."

(photo by decorahnews.com's Clara Knudson)