PRAISE
“In this YA debut, immigration activist Marquardt knowledgably takes on the plight of undocumented families in the U.S. Readers seeking a star-crossed love story with a twist won’t be disappointed.” —Publishers Weekly
“Various aspects of undocumented immigration are explored: the economic factors influencing the decision to come to the United States, the often harrowing journey, the exploitation upon arrival, and the political factors that influence policy… [A] worthy examination of undocumented immigration in the American South through the lens of young love.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Marquardt provides a critical view of the stigmas and difficulties plaguing undocumented youth in U.S. schools without glossing over the legal realities of deportation and detainment.” —School Library Journal
“Marquardt's Dream Things True vividly weaves to life the thrill of falling in love in the South while awakening readers to the struggles of US-Mexican immigration policies. In this touching coming-of-age story, full of hope and possibilities, Marquardt captures the bittersweet world of undocumented teens living in the US and the power of true love.”
—Malin Alegria, author of Estrella’s Quinceañera and the Border Town series
“Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt is a story that must be told and needs to be read. With sensitivity and care, Marquardt deftly illustrates the struggles and hopes of Alma, an undocumented teenager living in the United States. Alma's story reflects the lives of millions of young people trapped between countries and cultures, longing for a place to belong. An important story that's full of heart, it will forever change the way you view those who live their lives in the shadows.” —Jennifer Mathieu, author of The Truth About Alice
Long, arduous, and involving many dead-ends. It took me about three years to write this book (I kept having to put it down to do other things, like have babies and write academic books). Then it took me another four years to see it in print. If I didn’t care so much about this story, I would have given up a long time ago. I’m very glad that I didn’t give up.
Why did you decide to write for a young adult audience?
I knew that I wanted to tell the story of an immigrant DREAMer, since I have worked with many over the years, and their stories have had a profound impact on me. DREAMers are young adults who were brought to the United States as children without legal status and, currently, they have no way to get permanent legal status. I wanted the book to be not only about them, but also for them and the non-immigrant teenagers they are growing up with. So, I decided to write it as a YA novel. This was an easy decision, since I love to read contemporary YA.
What was the most challenging thing when it came to writing DREAM THINGS TRUE?
Well, here’s a little confession: I have never played an organized sport. I mean, never. So the hardest part of getting this story onto paper was not writing the heart-wrenching love scenes. It was writing the soccer scenes (and don’t even get me started on golf!). I spent days reading sports journalism, and then, after attempting to write realistic scenes, I relied heavily on my sister—a soccer fanatic—to make sure all the players were in the right place at the right time.
DREAM THINGS TRUE is called “a modern-day Romeo and Juliet”–how much of Shakespeare’s play has influenced your novel?
I have read the play many times (and I love the Leonardo & Claire movie version!). I do run with the basic premise, but I don’t think that the play’s influence runs terribly deep. Evan and Alma fall for each other fast, to be sure, but not as lightening-fast as Romeo and Juliet. They are “star-crossed” in the sense of having fate (in the form of social norms and laws) working against them. And there is a really awful bad guy in the story, who is sort-of like a Tybalt. But Alma is much more savvy than Juliet, and Evan definitely is way less dramatic and impulsive than Romeo!
Also, and most importantly, this is a story about many kinds of love, not just romantic love. It’s about a son’s love for his mother, even when she’s emotionally distant. It’s about a sister’s love for her brother, even when he makes choices she disagrees with. It’s about the love we have for friends who do the unthinkable, but then seek our forgiveness. Love runs deep and broad in this story.
What was the research process like for your book?
I have been working for almost two decades with Latin American immigrants as a researcher, advocate, and service provider. I’ve spent time in many Southern immigrant communities, on the U.S. – Mexico border, and in some of the small Mexican and Central American towns that immigrants have come from. So, the research process was long and complex. I wanted to be sure that the legal aspects of the story were accurate. Immigration law is insanely complex, and I wanted to get it right. I interviewed several immigration attorneys and paralegals, and I had them read through drafts.
What can’t you write without, and what are your writing conditions like?
I need quiet, which is not an easy thing for a mother of four to obtain. I wrote almost all of Dream Things True between four-thirty and six-thirty in the morning. It’s a great time of day, with many fewer e-mails and tweets and Facebook posts breaking into the stillness. Writing during this timeframe requires much caffeine, though. I spend a lot of money on coffee.
Who or what made you want to become an author? Who are some of the authors that inspire you?
I wanted to tell this story, because I believed it was such an important story. In the process of writing and editing it, I discovered that I love this work – it feeds me – and I feel like I have more stories to tell. So I will keep writing them.
There are so many fabulous authors of Young Adult contemporary fiction. I am awed by some of them (e.g. Rainbow Rowell, Matt de la Peña, and Jandy Nelson) because they are such astoundingly good writers. Others inspire me because they are telling stories that are so important, and they are committed to writing for young adults because they want to open space for dialogue about tough issues. I am thinking here of the amazing Laurie Halse Anderson, Jenny Downham (You Against Me is one of my favorite books of all time), and Meg Medina, who is so thoughtful about the role of authors in civil society, and about our responsibility to encourage conversation and community building.
What can we expect from you next?
I am working on another YA contemporary novel, which should be out with St Martin’s in the Fall of 2016. It’s also a love story, framed by the issue of gang-related violence in Central America – and kids fleeing that violence to travel on foot through Mexico and enter the United States. I’ve been working with Central American asylum seekers for a few years now. They also have some incredible – and incredibly heartbreaking – stories to tell. I want to help those stories be heard.
