Journeys and Journeying

The book’s subtitle, which includes the phrase “A Dominican Boy’s Odyssey…,” provides a clue to its core thematic element. This is because an “odyssey” is defined as a long journey or voyage, generally into unknown places and experiences. This definition suggests that the author focuses on the formative years of his life, which are the focus of the narrative, because he sees those years as a kind of journey. There are physical aspects of that journey, but the focus of the book is more on a psychological-emotional sort of journey, as the author moves from the insecurity and disadvantage associated with being an undocumented immigrant in America into the security and relative status associated with being a successful college graduate, and no longer undocumented. Throughout the book, he builds his other narrative and thematic considerations around this central framework.

Those other narrative and thematic...