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izumisano's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fast read. I was able to read about half of it in one sitting. Saedi makes her story accessible and very relatable. It felt like you knew her on a personal level and could become friends with her in real life. She keeps her narrative very honest, and doesn't shy away from topics like sex, masturbation, and drugs; along with other teen worries like acne, moving, and sibling drama. She tells you her awkward moments and family fights, making it feel like a scandalous exposé as she shares exerts from her diary entries.
It was interesting to learn about her immigrant experience and how the whole process works. On the outside, you wouldn't expect that her family was here illegally. They owned a business, owned a house, learned English. I was shocked to learn how long it takes to get a Green card. It's easy to say, why don't they wait to get a visa? Take the correct channels and come into the country legally. But when your country is in the middle of a war, or socially unsafe for your family, you can't wait for months or years as the bureaucracy gets around to you. We all know some countries take precedent over others. Countries like Iran, who are in conflict with USA, might take longer than Canada. I knew it wasn't a quick process. Hell, it takes weeks just to get your driver's license in the mail, but I wasn't expecting the usual turn around time to be over 10 years.
She organizes it based on themes and Frequently Asked Questions, so there is some jumping back and forth through her timeline. Most of my misgivings about this book are some of her attempts to relate with current teens or to put things into context. It could just be me. I'm in between both generations, so I've experienced most of what she's talking about. I couldn't help but cringe when she'd say things like "Phones used to have cords!" or "There wasn't Facebook back then so we had to stalk our crushes in person." Maybe teens don't know. A part of me hopes kids are aware that things are always changing.
It was interesting to learn about her immigrant experience and how the whole process works. On the outside, you wouldn't expect that her family was here illegally. They owned a business, owned a house, learned English. I was shocked to learn how long it takes to get a Green card. It's easy to say, why don't they wait to get a visa? Take the correct channels and come into the country legally. But when your country is in the middle of a war, or socially unsafe for your family, you can't wait for months or years as the bureaucracy gets around to you. We all know some countries take precedent over others. Countries like Iran, who are in conflict with USA, might take longer than Canada. I knew it wasn't a quick process. Hell, it takes weeks just to get your driver's license in the mail, but I wasn't expecting the usual turn around time to be over 10 years.
She organizes it based on themes and Frequently Asked Questions, so there is some jumping back and forth through her timeline. Most of my misgivings about this book are some of her attempts to relate with current teens or to put things into context. It could just be me. I'm in between both generations, so I've experienced most of what she's talking about. I couldn't help but cringe when she'd say things like "Phones used to have cords!" or "There wasn't Facebook back then so we had to stalk our crushes in person." Maybe teens don't know. A part of me hopes kids are aware that things are always changing.
ncolarusso's review against another edition
5.0
Ooohhh this was so good. I loved this narrative memoir and I learned so much about Iran and our own USA immigration laws and battles immigrants have to go through to obtain status in the US.
chloecamillewittenberg's review against another edition
5.0
This book. Wow. It was so insightful and I felt so connected to her story. I’m the granddaughter of an immigrant. While my abuela has a different story (and is from a different culture than the author) I really felt the love in this and the fear. I saw my grandma’s own struggles and hardships through this. I will read anything this author writes. I was hooked, and I am NOT a non fiction reader.
literarylinds's review against another edition
4.0
Okay I actually laughed and cried while reading this plus I learned a lot!
readingsofaslinky's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
First book of 2024! This book was very honest, informative, and candid with the added fun of cringe from the struggles of being a teen in the nineties. I took off a star because there was a weird gen z angle/lingo thing happening in the first few chapters, but that went away after a few chapters and was overshadowed by the great storytelling along the way. Highly recommend this memoir that also tackles the intricacies of undocumented status and process.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death, Deportation, Alcohol, Body shaming, Drug use, Incest, Suicide attempt, and Islamophobia
Minor: Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, and Eating disorder
socorrobaptista's review against another edition
4.0
Sempre gosto de ler livros escritos por pessoas de outras etnias, outras origens, outras culturas, pois aprendo muito. Gostei imensamente da forma como a autora coloca, de forma ao mesmo tempo leve e séria, os transtornos de ser uma imigrante sem documentos nos EUA. Recomendo!
molly_dettmann's review against another edition
4.0
A fun, fast memoir about a girl growing up in the 90s and still dealing with a lot of typical teen issues, but with the added layers of being an undocumented immigrant. There were a lot of pop culture references (most of them 90s, which makes sense and I felt she explain any that would go way over a teen reader’s head, but a few modern ones that are already a little dated for teens, like the Beyoncé and Becky with the Good Hair one). A lot of it also felt like reading a teen girl’s diary (which again, was the point and you even get excepts from her actual diary). I liked how she organized everything. Each chapter dealt with either teen angst (skin problems, boys, etc), her family, or trying to gain citizenship. I loved the family chapters and getting some insight on growing up with less than conventional Iranian parents along with the adult author’s reflection on how much they sacrificed for her and her siblings. Some of the more dramatic family backstories were also the most interesting to me personally. In between chapters the author answers some typical “whys?” about her culture that were very insightful and helpful (I’ll never mispronounce Iran again!). The overall tone was humorous, which I think make this work so well as a memoir written for teens. The most serious part is a “Why?” answer at the end to any teens reading this that are currently undocumented that does take us back to the reality of the times we live in now. I think this book does a good job of giving poignant insight to one woman’s undocumented immigrant experiences with humor and heart that certainly educates the reader along the way.