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4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
Vargas writes a short but powerful memoir about the challenge of being an undocumented American citizen. I never realized how disorienting being undocumented could be. I could have chosen many quotes to highlight, but here's one:
“This book is about homelessness, not in a traditional sense, but the unsettled, unmoored psychological state that undocumented immigrants like me find ourselves in. This book is about lying and being forced to lie to get by; about passing as an American and as a contributing citizen; about families, keeping them together and having to make new ones when you can’t. This book is about constantly hiding from the government and, in the process, hiding from ourselves. This book is about what it means to not have a home. After twenty-five years of living illegally in a country that does not consider me one of its own, this book is the closest thing I have to freedom.”
I hope someday, Vargas (and the millions of refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and immigrants) is able to feel that he is truly home.
“This book is about homelessness, not in a traditional sense, but the unsettled, unmoored psychological state that undocumented immigrants like me find ourselves in. This book is about lying and being forced to lie to get by; about passing as an American and as a contributing citizen; about families, keeping them together and having to make new ones when you can’t. This book is about constantly hiding from the government and, in the process, hiding from ourselves. This book is about what it means to not have a home. After twenty-five years of living illegally in a country that does not consider me one of its own, this book is the closest thing I have to freedom.”
I hope someday, Vargas (and the millions of refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and immigrants) is able to feel that he is truly home.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Great book told from an immigration perspective more people need to be aware of!
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Being intimately familiar with the ins-and-outs of the immigration process, I found this book to be a refreshing voice and a veritable mirror of my own past fears, anger, and frustration. More so than any other book that comes to mind, I found myself repeatedly going over certain passages, nodding my head in agreement (or sometimes shaking it in disbelief) and letting out a "OMG! EXACTLY...."
Jose Antonio Vargas has done an excellent job bringing his personal story to light in a measured, compassionate, and informed tone, touching upon many truths that will sadly remain behind the veil of wanton ignorance. Sometimes striking a nerve, but mostly reaching where it counts.
The unrepentant disregard for the state of the road we're setting down on as globalization continues its aggressive expansion, magnifying the effects of well-meaning though sometimes misguided capitalist policies can only be described as alarming and short-sighted; children in cages are just one cruel example of consequences arriving at our doorsteps.
So I am going to go ahead and recommend this book to most Americans, as the subject of immigration is an integral part of America's past, its present, and its future.
No matter our stance on this issue, we can always become more informed.
Jose Antonio Vargas has done an excellent job bringing his personal story to light in a measured, compassionate, and informed tone, touching upon many truths that will sadly remain behind the veil of wanton ignorance. Sometimes striking a nerve, but mostly reaching where it counts.
The unrepentant disregard for the state of the road we're setting down on as globalization continues its aggressive expansion, magnifying the effects of well-meaning though sometimes misguided capitalist policies can only be described as alarming and short-sighted; children in cages are just one cruel example of consequences arriving at our doorsteps.
So I am going to go ahead and recommend this book to most Americans, as the subject of immigration is an integral part of America's past, its present, and its future.
No matter our stance on this issue, we can always become more informed.
inspiring
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I had the privilege of meeting the author back in 2023 at a book festival in North Carolina and hearing him as a keynote speaker. While I much preferred the parts of the memoir that focused on the story of his life, I certainly learned a lot about the history of the immigration process in this country. I admire how much Vargas persevered despite the impossible circumstances he faced. He shows how complex and nuanced immigration can be and how complicated it is to try to have a blanket explanation for any part of it.