For July's #bookhour, Laura Linares, Leona Blair, Julia Hieske and Donna Alexander discussed The Gringo Champion by Aura Xilonen and translated by Andrea Rosenberg. During the course the discussion, topics included the narrative style and translation of the novel. Participants considered the ways in which language highlights cultural fluidity and issues around immigration and immigrant identity. The discussion opened up considerations of how the protagonist's experiences and representations relate to the notion of the "American Dream", and this led to discussion of the connection between the novel's themes and the contemporary socio-political climate in the US. Participants also considered the ways in which The Gringo Champsion's narrative may be considered as Bildungsroman of the Borderlands.
See the Storify below for the full discussion of The Gringo Champion.
