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4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
I read this for a book that I'm running as well as a county-wide library program. This book was amazing. We have gotten a few complaints about the book and all I can say is that that people who complain about 'illegal immigrants' are the ones that need to read this book. It's about seeing these people as human beings with human lives (culture, family, jobs, connections, being a part of the system in some form or another that makes up america) as well as realizing the path to citizenship is much harder than you think it is.
I really loved this book. At first I thought I wouldn’t make it through the whole thing, I have trouble finishing dense political writings but Vargas puts such a human spin on it that I couldn’t put it down. This isn’t just a story about immigration and America’s fucked up system but his story as well. Obviously, it’s a memoir.
After reading the part where he talks about Morrison’s master narrative quote all I could think about is that I hope this helps shift the master narrative. That this book helps redefine what immigration means to America. Because let’s be real, a country built by people that immigrated from somewhere else has no legal to stand on when telling other people to go back to their own country and our immigration policy is completely fucked,
Vargas makes poignant connections between his own history, the country’s history of immigration, and the facts (numbers of immigrants, money they put towards social security but can never touch, etc).
After reading the part where he talks about Morrison’s master narrative quote all I could think about is that I hope this helps shift the master narrative. That this book helps redefine what immigration means to America. Because let’s be real, a country built by people that immigrated from somewhere else has no legal to stand on when telling other people to go back to their own country and our immigration policy is completely fucked,
Vargas makes poignant connections between his own history, the country’s history of immigration, and the facts (numbers of immigrants, money they put towards social security but can never touch, etc).
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
This book was recommended by my brother. Free of cable news vitriol and posturing politicians, immigration and being undocumented from the perspective of one who is undocumented and their journey.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
The timeline isn't linear, that was a bit confusing. But it's a very easy to read book about a not so easy subject.
Disclaimer: Please do not let my rating or review discourage anyone who might happen upon my opinions from reading this book. This book was a reading assignment for all Northeastern University incoming freshmen, and I am so happy that my school (as are colleges everywhere) is taking it upon itself to educate its students, not just in the realms of literary and scientific inquiries, but in social justice as well. This book is important and especially relevant in a time of heightened anti-immigrant sentiments. As such, the story and ideas of Jose Antonio Vargas - as well as the perspectives of countless other documented and undocumented citizens - must be respected and must be shared. I am rating/reviewing the book itself, not the content or narratives associated with it.
***
I would call this more a guidebook to marginalized literature than an autobiography. I have followed Jose Antonio Vargas' career for a few years now, and while I hold certain reservations as to some of the life choices he has detailed in his "radical transparency," I think his story offers another perspective to the immigration debate, one which humanizes those affected by these policies. With this in mind, I was excited to learn more about his personal story. However, this book was not what I was expecting.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book - it was a compilation of important arguments and historical information relevant in today's political climate. And more importantly, I appreciate the author and his story. That being said, the reason I rated the book so low was not because of Vargas' content, but because the content was not his own. Filled with quotations from award-winning authors, excerpts from interviews with political analysts, and even song lyrics to some of the most socially significant musicals of the era, the book encapsulated the development of racial and immigration history in America - most of which did not include Jose. Ultimately, while I felt that Vargas' story was compelling, I rated the novel based on the percentage of the book specific to Vagas's life: 2/5... a mere 40%.
He offered nothing new in the other 60% of the novel - he rehashed history and reemphasized the same racist sentiments most of us already understood exists in America. His story - fresh and original - would have been more engaging and more moving as the centerpiece of the book. Vargas writes that he does not wish to represent the plight of all undocumented immigrants - only his own. While I agree with that sentiment, I felt that with his lack of personal accounts, he didn't really deliver on that pursuit. And to say the least, I was disappointed.
However, beyond the lack of personal content, the book had other problems (though it should be noted, none of the criticisms that follow factored into the rating of the piece). First, I found his continued use of rhetorical questions a bit redundant. He writes his book like a journalist - asking thought-provoking questions intended to make the audience consider their own opinions, their own prejudices. However, after the first 15 rhetorical questions, I felt the intent was lost on the audience as the queries became progressively more convoluted. He asked a lot of questions but offered few answers, undermining (in my opinion) his credibility as an author.
Additionally, he frequently criticizes the American immigration system, and while I am in full agreement with his critiques, I felt he left a little to be desired when it comes to concrete change. As an individual in his situation, I had hoped he would offer his opinions on immigration reform - what he views as viable solutions to a problem that has plagued not just his life, but a community he volunteered to represent. However, among the endless lists of immigration policies that furthered the struggles of both undocumented and documented immigrants (including legislation that he writes "not only expanded the criteria for who can get detained and deported...[but also] expanded the population of immigrants who couldn't adjust their status..." for example) he does not offer a single idea as to how either policymakers or the average American can combat said policies. I understand he's not an immigration lawyer or a policy expert, but I would have thought that after years of journalistic experience, he would have researched and advocated for at least ONE solution, a single step in the right direction.
Finally, some general comments regarding the structure of the book, as well as the grammatical and phrasing errors pervasive in the writing... The book was not written in any kind of linear format but was instead comprised of a scattered description of all times and perspectives. One chapter might cover a personal account of his childhood in the Philippines, a third-person description of his grandparents' past relationship with his estranged father, his coming out as gay as a teenager in high school in America, some American immigration policy, all ended with a song from Ragtime. There was no coherence to the writing, and subsequent redundancies resulted. Because his autobiography had no real structure, he often restated moments of his life in a different phrasing, sometimes rehashing an incident in present tense at one point in the novel, and in a flashback in the past tense at another point. That's another thing: grammatically, his writing was sporadic. He gave his readers whiplash with the constant shifts in tense, in perspective, and in tone. I do not wish to criticize the writing of an award-winning journalist for whom English was not his first language, especially as he frequently confesses to literary shortcomings throughout the novel. However, I feel that for an internationally published book, it is worth commenting that the writing was not heavily edited.
Ultimately, I would recommend the book. It has problems, sure, but it also tells a story that so many of us are too quick to dismiss. I may not agree with all of Vargas' actions, both in life and in literature, nor do I find his writing particularly groundbreaking, but I think that every story is worth listening to, especially one so influential in our current politics.
***
I would call this more a guidebook to marginalized literature than an autobiography. I have followed Jose Antonio Vargas' career for a few years now, and while I hold certain reservations as to some of the life choices he has detailed in his "radical transparency," I think his story offers another perspective to the immigration debate, one which humanizes those affected by these policies. With this in mind, I was excited to learn more about his personal story. However, this book was not what I was expecting.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book - it was a compilation of important arguments and historical information relevant in today's political climate. And more importantly, I appreciate the author and his story. That being said, the reason I rated the book so low was not because of Vargas' content, but because the content was not his own. Filled with quotations from award-winning authors, excerpts from interviews with political analysts, and even song lyrics to some of the most socially significant musicals of the era, the book encapsulated the development of racial and immigration history in America - most of which did not include Jose. Ultimately, while I felt that Vargas' story was compelling, I rated the novel based on the percentage of the book specific to Vagas's life: 2/5... a mere 40%.
He offered nothing new in the other 60% of the novel - he rehashed history and reemphasized the same racist sentiments most of us already understood exists in America. His story - fresh and original - would have been more engaging and more moving as the centerpiece of the book. Vargas writes that he does not wish to represent the plight of all undocumented immigrants - only his own. While I agree with that sentiment, I felt that with his lack of personal accounts, he didn't really deliver on that pursuit. And to say the least, I was disappointed.
However, beyond the lack of personal content, the book had other problems (though it should be noted, none of the criticisms that follow factored into the rating of the piece). First, I found his continued use of rhetorical questions a bit redundant. He writes his book like a journalist - asking thought-provoking questions intended to make the audience consider their own opinions, their own prejudices. However, after the first 15 rhetorical questions, I felt the intent was lost on the audience as the queries became progressively more convoluted. He asked a lot of questions but offered few answers, undermining (in my opinion) his credibility as an author.
Additionally, he frequently criticizes the American immigration system, and while I am in full agreement with his critiques, I felt he left a little to be desired when it comes to concrete change. As an individual in his situation, I had hoped he would offer his opinions on immigration reform - what he views as viable solutions to a problem that has plagued not just his life, but a community he volunteered to represent. However, among the endless lists of immigration policies that furthered the struggles of both undocumented and documented immigrants (including legislation that he writes "not only expanded the criteria for who can get detained and deported...[but also] expanded the population of immigrants who couldn't adjust their status..." for example) he does not offer a single idea as to how either policymakers or the average American can combat said policies. I understand he's not an immigration lawyer or a policy expert, but I would have thought that after years of journalistic experience, he would have researched and advocated for at least ONE solution, a single step in the right direction.
Finally, some general comments regarding the structure of the book, as well as the grammatical and phrasing errors pervasive in the writing... The book was not written in any kind of linear format but was instead comprised of a scattered description of all times and perspectives. One chapter might cover a personal account of his childhood in the Philippines, a third-person description of his grandparents' past relationship with his estranged father, his coming out as gay as a teenager in high school in America, some American immigration policy, all ended with a song from Ragtime. There was no coherence to the writing, and subsequent redundancies resulted. Because his autobiography had no real structure, he often restated moments of his life in a different phrasing, sometimes rehashing an incident in present tense at one point in the novel, and in a flashback in the past tense at another point. That's another thing: grammatically, his writing was sporadic. He gave his readers whiplash with the constant shifts in tense, in perspective, and in tone. I do not wish to criticize the writing of an award-winning journalist for whom English was not his first language, especially as he frequently confesses to literary shortcomings throughout the novel. However, I feel that for an internationally published book, it is worth commenting that the writing was not heavily edited.
Ultimately, I would recommend the book. It has problems, sure, but it also tells a story that so many of us are too quick to dismiss. I may not agree with all of Vargas' actions, both in life and in literature, nor do I find his writing particularly groundbreaking, but I think that every story is worth listening to, especially one so influential in our current politics.
informative
reflective
fast-paced
This book puts a human face on the human toll our inhumane immigration policies take on people. Heart wrenching and raw. Shame on us! Shame on America.