Islandborn

Summary of Book

In Islandborn, a young girl goes on an imaginative quest to rediscover the island she immigrated from but can no longer remember. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Lola's family celebrates their culture every day through food, music, and stories. But Lola doesn't understand why they had to leave, or what it means that she can't remember her birthplace. Her family and friends share their memories and histories, both beautiful and complex, helping Lola see that she's part of both worlds.

Author Biography

Junot Díaz was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New Jersey. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Drown; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award; and This Is How You Lose Her, a New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist. He is the recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, PEN/Malamud Award, Dayton Literary Peace Prize, Guggenheim Fellowship, and PEN/O. Henry Award. A graduate of Rutgers College, Díaz is currently the fiction editor at Boston Review and the Rudge and Nancy Allen Professor of Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Illustrator Biography

Leo Espinosa is an award-winning Illustrator and Designer from Bogotá, Colombia, whose work has been featured internationally in a variety of publications, products, animated series and gallery shows.