Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

47 reviews

younganna's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness

chaoticnostalgia's review against another edition

informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation, Sexism, Classism, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Racism, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Self harm, and Confinement

Moderate: Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Gun violence, Violence, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Fatphobia, Rape, Addiction, Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Emotional abuse

deedireads's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

The Undocumented Americans is a moving, well-written memoir-in-essays that does exactly what I want from nonfiction: it helps open my understanding of the world and other people.

For you if: Like memoir and/or seek to learn more about the undocumented immigrant experience

FULL REVIEW:

I’m late to the party when it comes to The Undocumented Americans; it’s 2.5 years old and was nominated for the 2020 National Book Award for nonfiction (among others). I’ve watched many friends read and love it in that time, and I always knew I’d get there eventually. And now I have: This month we’re reading it for the book club I run at my office.

The Undocumented Americans is a journalistic memoir-in-essays by a young woman who was one of the first undocumented immigrants to graduate from Harvard. The book not only gives us a look at her life and experiences, but also introduces us to communities of undocumented folks all over the country, from Staten Island to Miami to Flint, Michigan.

This book isn’t that long; I listened to the entire audiobook (read by the author) during a single long car ride. But it’s moving, well-written, and often sharp as a knife. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio isn’t afraid to surprise us with her choice of language to make a point, and she wields it with precision. She’s smart and unapologetic. Her care for the people she writes about seeps through every page.

I read nonfiction to broaden my understanding of humanity, to foster a stronger connection to the global community, and to become a more empathetic citizen of this world. This book most certainly helped me do it, and I’m so glad I finally picked it up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Death

Minor: Alcoholism and Self harm

solenodon's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Grief, Deportation, Confinement, Colonisation, Medical trauma, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cancer, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, and Panic attacks/disorders

arroweee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

gialynn521's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism

Minor: Grief, Police brutality, and Cursing

kcbatts's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Racism

Moderate: Addiction

Minor: Dementia

sholcomb's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

This book is soooo informative and beautiful. also heartbreakingly sad. this is a must read, especially for people who don’t understand the full extent of the daily hardships immigrants face just to be in America. It’s horrible and heartbreaking.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Chronic illness, and Cursing

rynicolereads's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This is a must read! Villavicencio's writing is honest, thoughtful, blunt, funny, and incredibly approachable. I love that she simultaneously exposed how horrible Americans are towards immigrants while also saving space for the most beautiful parts of their stories, refusing to let them go unnoticed or forgotten. The Undocumented Americans is part journalism and part memoir; Villavicencio blends interviews and pieces of her own story, and it all comes together beautifully. I genuinely hope every single American reads this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Racism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Terminal illness

mjscooke's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.0

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio highlights the lives and contributions to society of undocumented american immigrants across the country in a thoughtful, well-constructed, non-fiction book that challenges the mainstream media perceptions and majority opinions. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Alcohol

This book touches on many difficult subject matters such as the 911 world trade tower attack, the water crisis in Flint, Michigan and ICE.