Let Us Begin, Julia Amante
Let Us Begin, Julia Amante
List: $16.95 | Sale: $11.87
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Let Us Begin
A tale of family, ambition, and finding one's true home

Author: Julia Amante

Narrator: Nik Pagán

Unabridged: 9 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/21/2023


Synopsis

Salvador arrives in the United States from Argentina with one big, unfocused goal: to become successful at something. He knows that America is the land of opportunity, and if he works hard, he will triumph.Together with his childhood sweetheart, he settles in the Big Apple, where dreams come true.But this ambitious young immigrant soon learns that it takes more than hard work and charisma to succeed and is changed by the harsh realities of living in New York.Everyone has advice for Salvador as he moves from one dead-end job to another, attempting to reinvent himself. But the best advice comes from the loving letters he gets from his father. They keep him grounded and remind him of the man he wants to be until he loses this moral compass the day his father succumbs to diabetes.As the 1960s roll into the 1970s and America and Salvador become less innocent, he finds himself in California, where he starts his own business, and it finally looks like the American Dream is within his grasp.But things get complicated when Argentina is involved in a war in the early 1980s, and Salvador must decide where his allegiances lie. One wrong decision and bold act can bring his dreams crumbling down, and Salvador soon realizes that there are consequences for being impulsive and disloyal.In the end, Salvador learns that there are boundaries men should not cross and that the love of family is the only worthwhile dream Americans should pursue.Spanning decades, Let Us Begin is a moving story filled with joy and despair about a family searching for a home and a place to belong.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Lucy on September 26, 2023

I enjoyed this story about Salvador and his wife, Luisa living in New York after migrating from Argentina. Together, they attempt to make their dreams come true by securing their dream jobs and having two children. But over the years, Salvador struggles to maintain stability in his residence, work,......more

Goodreads review by Delila on June 30, 2023

For Latinos the immigration story is as varied as we are in culture, language, food, music, etc. We all have points of connection and once we begin to immerse ourselves in the “American” life we get lost in the Latinidad that often is confused with being “Mexican”. Julia brings forth these differenc......more

Goodreads review by Joan on August 23, 2023

This is the kind of story that you don't want to put down. Sal, the main character, moves to America from Argentina and tries to make the "American dream "come true for himself and his family. The author of this story keeps you hoping that this man will finally stop making so many mistakes and let h......more

Goodreads review by Marie on May 29, 2023

Julia, is a wonderful storyteller. This was a beautiful story of family relationships ,sacrifices, friendship, love and loss. She detailed the struggles of a young immigrant searching for the American dream, both successfully , and with failure. Illustrating the effects on his family both in the US a......more

Goodreads review by Margo on June 15, 2023

Julia Amante's Let Us Begin is a bittersweet exploration of one man's pursuit of the American dream. Love, loyalty and loss are Salvador's companions on his journey from his family home Argentina, as a lonely immigrant in New York and finally to California where he settles into an imperfect life of......more