“I’ve always been a fiction writer. I never set out to write a nonfiction book,” Ruiz said, “but about two decades ago I got a call from an editor at Random House Español. He asked me if I’d write a book helping Latino immigrants with their finances. I told him that in order to maximize their finances, immigrant families needed to understand the way education and career development work in America. The result of the conversation was ¡Adelante!”
While ¡Adelante! serves as a practical guide for Latino immigrants navigating the American financial, educational, and professional landscape, The Border Between Us offers readers a deeply emotional and reflective fictional narrative about life on the U.S.-Mexico border. The two books complement each other, each drawing from Ruiz’s personal experiences and the stories of those around him.
The Rerelease of ¡Adelante!
Published prior to any of Ruiz’s award-winning fiction books, ¡Adelante! similarly draws on the author’s passion for culturally rooted storytelling. In the book, the border native, son and grandson of Mexican immigrants, two-time Harvard graduate, and social entrepreneur, shares his road map for success in America with Latino immigrants and their families. Written in Spanish, the author’s first language, ¡Adelante! pulls from personal experiences and observations as well as the life stories and examples of family members and friends to help guide, inspire, and motivate readers toward their goals in their adopted country.
“My parents always emphasized the importance of education,” Ruiz says. “My mother was valedictorian of her high school class even though she did not learn English until she was a teenager. And my father was the first in his family to earn a college degree. They put books in my hands and they urged me to work hard and do my best. I learned from them, both their successes and their challenges, and as I made my own way, I found that indeed success in America is possible. It’s not easy, but it’s possible. And that’s why people come here from all over the world. In writing ¡Adelante! I reflected on the teachings and stories that I felt had most inspired my path and I put them down on paper in simple terms, in hopes that other immigrant families might benefit from them on their journeys.”
Upon its release back in 2003, ¡Adelante! was selected by Univision anchorman Jorge Ramos as Book of the Month for his Despierta Leyendo book club. Over the years, it was used to teach financial literacy classes for Latino immigrants across the country. But by the early 2020s, aside from still being available at public libraries, the book had gone out of print. However, due to the success of Ruiz’s novels as well as the continued growth of the Latino immigrant population, ¡Adelante! has now been made available again by Penguin Random House in both print and e-book editions.
According to Ruiz, “I think it’s a magical synchronicity that my new novel, The Border Between Us, which draws on my own family’s immigrant and border life experiences, is coming out around the same time that my first book, ¡Adelante!, is being given new life. Striving to illuminate the Latino immigrant experience has been part of my personal journey. If these words — written at very different times and in very different ways — can jointly inspire readers as they work toward their own American dreams, then my own dream will have come true.”
The Early Release of The Border Between Us
While ¡Adelante! continues to guide readers through the practicalities of immigrant life in the U.S., The Border Between Us explores these themes in a different way, through the lens of fiction. Originally set for a September release, the novel’s launch was moved up to Aug. 27, 2024, due to an overwhelming number of preorders, signaling the high anticipation for Ruiz’s latest work.
Described as a bildungsroman, The Border Between Us is a novel in stories. Many of the chapters appeared previously as short stories in esteemed literary journals such as Gulf Coast, New Texas, and The Dillydoun Review. The chapter “That Boy Could Run” won the 2017 Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction, and two other chapters, “Limes” and “Allegiance,” were finalists for the Texas Institute of Letters’ Kay Cattarulla Award for Best Short Story. This recognition from the literary community reflects Ruiz’s exceptional storytelling and his ability to craft narratives that resonate deeply with readers.
The novel follows Ramón Lopez, a young boy growing up on the U.S.-Mexico border, and delves into the complexities of identity, immigration, and familial bonds. Through Ramón’s story, Ruiz offers a deeply personal look into the challenges of life in a borderland, a theme he knows well, having been raised in Brownsville, Texas. His upbringing along the border has influenced much of his fiction, and The Border Between Us is no exception. The authenticity Ruiz brings to his writing is evident in his depiction of the cultural, social, and political dynamics that define the border region.
A Timely and Important Novel
In today’s climate, where debates surrounding immigration and border security dominate headlines, The Border Between Us provides a human perspective on these pressing issues. It tells the story of individuals whose lives are shaped by policies and borders, yet it goes beyond political commentary to focus on the universal themes of family, identity, and survival.
In a world increasingly divided by physical and ideological borders, Ruiz’s novel calls for empathy and understanding. It is a reminder that behind every headline about immigration, there are real people — families, children, parents — whose stories deserve to be heard. As the protagonist Ramón grapples with his relationship with his father and navigates the often harsh realities of border life, readers are invited to reflect on their own understanding of borders, both literal and metaphorical.
Literary Acclaim and Impact
Rudy Ruiz’s literary career has been defined by his ability to blend magical realism with social commentary. His previous works, including The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez and Valley of Shadows, have garnered critical acclaim, winning multiple International Latino Book Awards and the Texas Institute of Letters’ Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction. This award, one of the most prestigious in Texas literature, is a testament to Ruiz’s skill in creating stories that resonate not just with Latino audiences but with readers from all backgrounds.
Valley of Shadows was praised for its vivid characters and exploration of the human condition, and The Border Between Us promises to continue this tradition. The novel’s early release has only heightened the anticipation, with readers eager to dive into Ruiz’s latest exploration of border life.
A Full-Circle Moment
For Ruiz, the simultaneous release of The Border Between Us and the rerelease of ¡Adelante! feels like a moment of synchronicity. With these two books — one a practical guide and the other a deeply emotional novel — Ruiz continues his mission to give voice to the experiences of immigrants and border communities.
Both books, written at different points in his career, reflect the same core themes: the power of education, the importance of family, and the resilience of those who seek a better life in America. Through The Border Between Us, Ruiz offers a poignant and timely story that resonates with the challenges of today’s world, while ¡Adelante! continues to serve as a guide for those navigating the complexities of immigrant life. For Rudy Ruiz, this dual release represents not just the continuation of his literary career, but the fulfillment of a lifelong mission to inspire, inform, and empower others through the power of words.
