America Is Not the Heart - Elaine Castillo (Book)

Title: America Is Not the Heart

Author: Elaine Castillo

Publisher: Viking

Publication Date: April 3, 2018

Category: Fiction / Contemporary / Immigrant Story

Elaine Castillo’s America Is Not the Heart is a sweeping, multi-generational debut novel that tells the story of Hero de Vera, a former political prisoner from the Philippines who immigrates to the United States in the 1990s. Settling in the Bay Area with relatives she barely knows, Hero must navigate the cultural dissonance of being an immigrant, the unspoken traumas of her past, and the complexities of her identity—including her sexuality.

The novel explores the lives of a Filipino-American family with intimacy and nuance, offering a vivid portrait of diaspora, community, and resilience. Through richly drawn characters and an unflinching look at both personal and political histories, Castillo crafts a narrative that challenges simplistic notions of the American Dream.

Deeply emotional and sharply observant, America Is Not the Heart redefines what it means to find belonging in a new country, while honoring the roots one can never fully leave behind.