An American Immigrant: A Heartwarming Novel of Self-Discovery and Family Legacy by Johanna Rojas Vann

A Colombian American journalist tries to save her career by taking an assignment somewhere she never thought she'd go—Colombia—in this heartwarming debut novel about rediscovering our family stories.

Melanie Carvajal is a twenty-five-year-old Colombian American, but if anyone were to ask where she’s from, she’d answer Maryland. Her parents are immigrants, but it’s not something she’s ever felt the need to talk about. She had enough of that growing up always feeling like an outsider.

Up until now, she’s done everything possible to overachieve, and it’s worked. She insists her grit and dedication to the study of journalism are what landed her a job at the Miami Herald right out of college. But her first year as a reporter isn’t going as planned. Article after article returns to her marked up in red pen or not published at all.

Desperate to save her career with a piece that will remind her boss why he hired her in the first place, she takes an assignment that sends her to Cali, Colombia. But what starts as a professional opportunity soon becomes a journey of self-discovery. Between finding her mother’s journals that contain stories she's never heard, reconnecting with her loving abuela whom she hasn't seen in years, and discovering a love for the heritage she’d long pushed away, Melanie will learn what makes her the writer and person she was created to be.

From debut author Johanna Rojas Vann comes a vivid portrait of the immigrant experience, family legacy, and how those before us influence our lives in beautiful ways.

Story Locale: Both Miami, Florida and Cali, Colombia