Author Guide · Narrative Nonfiction
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When Enrique was five, his mother left Honduras to find work in the United States so she could feed her children. Eleven years later, he set out to find her, riding on top of freight trains through Mexico, attacked by gangsters and police along the way. Sonia Nazario, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, retraced his route herself, riding the same trains. Her newspaper series won the Pulitzer Prize, and the book became a classic of migration writing. This guide covers her book and what to read next.
By Lisanne Swart · 1 books · Narrative nonfiction · 2006 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Sonia Nazario has published one book: Enrique's Journey (2006), the story of a Honduran teenager's journey to find his mother in the United States, based on her Pulitzer Prize-winning series for the Los Angeles Times. A version for young readers followed in 2013.
Where to Start with Sonia Nazario
Her one book
→ Enrique's Journey (2006).
All 1 Sonia Nazario Books, in Order
Enrique's Journey
Enrique, a Honduran boy, makes eight attempts to reach the United States to find the mother who left when he was five, riding the freight trains through Mexico. Nazario retraced much of his journey on the same trains to report it. It grew out of her series that won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing.
How Many Books Did Sonia Nazario Write?
One book, published in 2006, with a young readers' edition in 2013.
- Nonfiction — Enrique's Journey (2006). Read the entries →
In What Order to Read Sonia Nazario
There is only one book. The young readers' edition tells the same story for teenagers.
A reading path
1. Enrique's Journey (2006)
Everything Else Sonia Nazario Wrote: The Full List
Another edition.
Open a form with the + to see every book in it.
Other editions
1
1 book · 2013
- 2013Enrique's Journey: The True Story of a Boy Determined to Reunite with His Mother (Young Readers' Edition)adapted for young readers
Quick facts about Sonia Nazario
- Career
- Reporter at the Los Angeles Times
- Pulitzer
- Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing, 2003, for the series that became the book
- Advocacy
- Works with Kids in Need of Defense, which provides legal help for unaccompanied migrant children
- Book
- Enrique's Journey (2006)
How Sonia Nazario Works: Retracing the Route
To report Enrique's Journey, Nazario travelled through Mexico on top of freight trains and with migrants, so that she could describe what Enrique had faced from her own experience.
She combines that immersion with interviews with Enrique, his family and many others, and keeps the focus on one child's story to explain the wider issue of family separation.
Frequently asked questions about Sonia Nazario's books
How many books has Sonia Nazario written?
Sonia Nazario has written one book, Enrique's Journey (2006), which also appeared in a young readers' edition in 2013.
Is Enrique's Journey a true story?
Yes. It tells the true story of a Honduran boy's journey to find his mother in the United States, based on Nazario's Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting.
Footnotes
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all hers.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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