by Gayl Jones
First published 2022
Sojourner Nadine Jane Johnson drives trucks along the US-Mexico border when she discovers a pregnant woman hiding in her cargo. The stowaway nearly gives birth in the back of Mosquito's truck. This encounter pulls Mosquito into a sanctuary movement that helps Mexican immigrants cross the border safely. She calls it the new underground railroad. As Mosquito learns more about why these people risk everything to build new lives, she falls for Ray, a gentle philosopher who might be a priest. The stowaway Maria names her baby Journal after Mosquito's real name Sojourner. Mosquito meets others in this world: Delgadina, a Chicana bartender who cooks cactus and wants to become a detective, and Monkey Bread, her childhood friend who now works for a Hollywood star. Each person Mosquito encounters deepens her understanding of what it means to help strangers forge new identities in a hostile land.
Genres: american-fiction, contemporary, activism
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, social-justice
Setting: Mexico, United States
Period: Contemporary
624 pages · Paperback · Beacon Press