43 pages • 1 hour read
Invisible
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Background
Authorial Context: Christina Diaz Gonzalez
Christina Diaz Gonzalez is an award-winning middle-grade author of several novels and one graphic novel to date. She was born and raised in Florida by Cuban parents who instilled in her a sense of pride about her roots, particularly in their decision to teach Christina Spanish before she learned English. Christina remembers being the only child in her neighborhood who spoke Spanish, and the unique challenges faced by children of immigrant parents are sensitively explored in her graphic novel, Invisible. She stresses the importance of storytelling as a medium for discussing difficult topics, sharing experiences, building empathy and understanding, and of course, fostering enjoyment.
Invisible is an important work in Gonzalez’s repertoire because it is designed to appeal to a group of readers who may be more reluctant to read or who are still learning English, just like Dayara, Miguel, and Nico. The graphic novel offers consistent direct translations between Spanish and English, becoming one of the first of its kind to reach a new level of inclusivity and break down the social barriers that exist between students of varying backgrounds. Gonzalez was inspired to write Invisible by one of her favorite 1980s films, The Breakfast Club, which similarly features a group of students with seemingly nothing in common who are brought together to serve a detention. Ultimately, the students develop an understanding of one another and find common ground that they never knew existed. Invisible follows a similar plot, and the interviewer refers to the group as a “real-life Breakfast Club” (191). The protagonists of Invisible learn how to navigate their roles as individuals, as members of a group—one that they choose for themselves, not one that is artificially forced upon them (“About Author Christina Diaz Gonzalez.” Christina Diaz Gonzalez).
Cultural Context: American Immigrant Families
Invisible takes place in the context of a typical American middle school in which five students from immigrant families attend and are made to do community service together in order to complete their requisite three hours for the year. Currently in the United States, there are approximately 18 million children (or one in four), who are members of immigrant families of diverse backgrounds. Each has their own story and experiences of adversity, both as a result of the pressure and expectations placed on them by their parents, peers, and the world at large, and also due to the struggles that they and their families may endure, including poverty, stigmatization, and racism.
In Invisible, the school staff simply assumes that all five students are of Mexican descent; the children are also assumed to be delinquent and are patronized and treated with disrespect by multiple staff members who should be supporting and nurturing them. As the story begins, the adult characters exhibit signs of inclusion only shallowly at best, particularly when the principal tells George that in his community service group, he will be with students like himself (based on the short-sighted and prejudiced assumption that anyone who is Latino must therefore be just like George). With such scenes, the author highlights ongoing issues of prejudice and racism in public schools and implies that policies geared toward proper, genuine inclusion would mitigate the lack of visibility and social support that many children of immigrant families experience. One such solution for George’s particular situation would be to insist that the school principal at least have a grasp of the cultural nuances that exist among speakers of other common languages such as Spanish.
As the narrative progresses, the students in the story encounter assumptions and labels from every angle, including from one another. By working together and relying on their differences and similarities equally, they are eventually able to build rapport and work together to help a mother and daughter in need (“The State of America’s Children 2021 - Immigrant Children.” Children’s Defense Fund, 2021).
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