Books hold tremendous power. They have the power to provide a lens, transform, but most importantly they open doors to new conversations to answer questions we cannot on our own. For a book to truly have impact, it should do two things: fill you with compassion and leave you with questions. 

Infinite Country was one of these books for me that will have me in conversation for a while. There were so many themes to unpack and explore. 

After hearing the author say in an interview that "Immigration is about family" it has caused me to reflect deeply. The aspect of family resonated with me, especially when I think about it in conjunction with the concept of love as opposed to sacrifice. How do you stay grounded in family in spaces that view you as foreign and dangerous? How do you protect family in a new, unknown space while maintaining a sense of home and tradition? How do you keep home at the center when you are separated by borders? How do you fight for your own survival in the midst of family obligation? How do you love amidst uncertainty. 

Community was another aspect that resonated with me. It reminded me that home and family are always carried in the heart. Borders don't change that. You find family and community in spaces where the focus is on the collective and people join together to help each other and make the best out of difficult circumstances. How do you build community without unique voices contributing to the narrative? How do you gain perspective about a different experience without exploring all angles? This was my favorite aspect of Engel's writing. Each character contributed to the family's story. We get to see the individual motivation, their challenges and the molding of each identity within the family dynamic. 

But even more beautiful to me were the conversations and reactions that transpired outside of the pages. Watching Iris moved to tears as she talked about family with the author made me feel every emotion. Listening to Laura and Mari talk about being advocates for their family as children helped to solidify the idea that family is essentially love. Listening to Erica talk about how reading this helped her understand her husband's family and their journey more deeply made me emotional. Knowing that Aimee cried like I did showed me the power of allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and experience true emotion together. 

Infinite Country was a beautiful book in that it heled me see what is most important. It impacted me and moved me to go beyond the pages and seek out community and share reflections and emotions with others. It also made me think about how many other stories are out there that need to be told. How we experience stories is unique. How stories bring us together is healing.