Scan barcode
lindsloveslit's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
"The Undocumented Americans" by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio was an honest, vulnerable book that gave voice to a group of people often misrepresented and neglected in our society. At times it felt a little disjointed, but overall it was well researched while still feeling very intimate/private.
Villavicencio, the author, is the child of two Ecuadorian immigrants, and an undocumented Harvard grad. Throughout the book, she weaved her own experiences growing up in Queens to that of other immigrants throughout the United States.
The idea that a human can be "illegal", especially on stolen land, makes my skin crawl. "The Undocumented Americans" makes you sit with being expendable/deportable.
Have any of y'all read this? If so, what part sticks with you most? For me, it's the part where she talks and interviews folx on 9/11. I remember where I was, what I was doing, what news was saying. But she challenges me to look at things in a new light.
Villavicencio, the author, is the child of two Ecuadorian immigrants, and an undocumented Harvard grad. Throughout the book, she weaved her own experiences growing up in Queens to that of other immigrants throughout the United States.
The idea that a human can be "illegal", especially on stolen land, makes my skin crawl. "The Undocumented Americans" makes you sit with being expendable/deportable.
Have any of y'all read this? If so, what part sticks with you most? For me, it's the part where she talks and interviews folx on 9/11. I remember where I was, what I was doing, what news was saying. But she challenges me to look at things in a new light.
onlyonebookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation
Moderate: Racism
sofideleon's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
bibliobrandie's review against another edition
4.0
An honest and beautifully written book about undocumented Americans. Villavicencio is a DACA recipient and one of the first DACA students to attend Harvard. Her interviews with day laborers and undocumented immigrants who worked to clean up after 9/11 and hurricanes along with her own family stories weave together an American tale about the people who are invisible and unappreciated and left to endure without healthcare or a safety net because they are unable to obtain citizenship.
su_xng's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Lots of Latina women on BookTok recommend this book, particularly for first-gen immigrant kids. SPOT ON.
Such an insightful read. Phenomenal writing, emotional, and sheds light on an under-represented community. As a non-Latino, first-generation child of refugee immigrants, I still found a lot of the stories and sentiments that Karla shares resonate with my own family’s. I came away learning how deeply and the extent that our undocumented neighbors have given to a country that does not want them (as Karla describes herself).
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any first-gen American, and to those who can have empathy for our under-represented and undocumented communities.
Such an insightful read. Phenomenal writing, emotional, and sheds light on an under-represented community. As a non-Latino, first-generation child of refugee immigrants, I still found a lot of the stories and sentiments that Karla shares resonate with my own family’s. I came away learning how deeply and the extent that our undocumented neighbors have given to a country that does not want them (as Karla describes herself).
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any first-gen American, and to those who can have empathy for our under-represented and undocumented communities.
karyssa223's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
5.0