Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

16 reviews

bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition

emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Cursing, Addiction, Racism, Chronic illness, Deportation, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Classism, Murder, Infidelity, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Cancer, and Suicidal thoughts

annamay1021's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Racism, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Cancer, Deportation, Confinement, Police brutality, and Grief

ksuazo94's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative sad tense fast-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Deportation, Terminal illness, Grief, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual violence and Violence

emmehooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

This book is not for the white allies hoping for a feel good story. This book is about the harsh, painful, racist truth of being undocumented in America and the ways the American  “justice” system tears people and communities apart. 

This book is a mix of deeply personal fears and experiences, narrative reporting, and community building as a radical act of self-preservation and existence.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Classism, Deportation, Medical content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Cancer, Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Police brutality

Moderate: Addiction, Grief, War, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Infidelity

savvylit's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is an undocumented American herself. Thus she is intimately familiar with the fear-informed ways in which undocumented people approach every aspect of life in the United States. After Trump's election in 2016, she set out to interview a wide variety of undocumented people across the country. This book is a result of that project and serves as an unforgettable testimony to the lives of undocumented Latinx people.

One aspect that is discussed thoroughly in this book is the exploitation of undocumented workers by their so-called employers. In her chapter on Ground Zero, for instance, Villavicencio discusses the fact that many of the first responders on September 11th were undocumented. She gets to know a group of folks who were instrumental in the debris cleanup at Ground Zero. All of them now experience financially and physically devastating chronic diseases as a result of the harsh chemicals & carcinogens they were exposed to on the (underpaid) job.

Another key topic that Villavicencio explores is the myriad ways that being undocumented affects mental health. For example, she becomes deeply involved in the lives of families whose fathers are on the brink of deportation but have taken sanctuary in local churches. Though the children are still able to see their father, they struggle with the fact that they're forced to live apart. Some of the children she gets to know even begin to dissociate as they struggle to process their new, fraught realities.

This book isn't entirely about untold suffering and exploitation, however. It is also about solidarity, hope, radical joy, and the myriad ways that the undocumented support each other. And Villavicencio bears witness to it all - with passion, rage, and deep understanding.

I truly believe that The Undocumented Americans should be required reading for all who identify as American.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Deportation, Grief, Medical content, Police brutality, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Mental illness

solenodon's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad fast-paced

5.0

---

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

gialynn521's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

---

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

amandalorianxo's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

As the daughter of two immigrants, this hit me deep, physically, emotionally and mentally. So much gets discussed it becomes more than just the journey of undocumented Americans from Central /South America. We learn about the lack of mental health discussion, the hate crimes that get ignored, the way people that are supposed to be part of your communidad can still hurt you. It’s less than two hundred pages but packs a powerful punch. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Mental illness

Minor: Self harm

yasmeenk's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.0

It was really great and informative!! I think the author’s voice/narration is not going to be for everyone. Her personality is heavily present.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Cancer, Chronic illness, and Grief

Moderate: Xenophobia, Terminal illness, Mental illness, and Drug use

ashleycmms's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative fast-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Torture, Violence, and War