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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
4.5
The narrative voice that Diane gives to her story is so compelling and gut wrenchingly real. Sequencing was a little frustrating at times, but it eventually connected and came together. It's inspiring and full of important topics to read about, discuss, and take action. Definitely adding to my classroom library.
The narrative voice that Diane gives to her story is so compelling and gut wrenchingly real. Sequencing was a little frustrating at times, but it eventually connected and came together. It's inspiring and full of important topics to read about, discuss, and take action. Definitely adding to my classroom library.
Heartbreaking. Incredible story. Well-written. Moving call to action at the end.
3.5 stars
2017 Alex Award
I'm book-talking this title at my school visits this year. I think a lot of teens will relate to and by sympathetic to Diane's story. That being said it's not the best celebrity bio I have every read.
Summary: Diane's parents were deported when she was 14-years old. This is her story of growing up as the child of immigrants and how it affected her life. How she got into acting. And how she is continuing to fight for immigrant rights.
2017 Alex Award
I'm book-talking this title at my school visits this year. I think a lot of teens will relate to and by sympathetic to Diane's story. That being said it's not the best celebrity bio I have every read.
Summary: Diane's parents were deported when she was 14-years old. This is her story of growing up as the child of immigrants and how it affected her life. How she got into acting. And how she is continuing to fight for immigrant rights.
Never heard of the actress but she has an amazing story to tell.
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I naively thought I wasn't going to cry while reading this book. I finally broke down when Guerrero went to visit her mother in Madrid after avoiding her for so many years because she couldn't face the pain of what they had lived through.
Ironically, I've been wanting to read this book for a while, but I kept avoiding it because I too was afraid of the pain of reading her story and coming face to face with my own life-long trauma of living with an undocumented mother and constantly being afraid that she would be taken away from me. Thankfully my mom wasn't deported and she now has documented status, but that doesn't erase the years of fear and sadness that I lived through and that many children are still living through today.
What Guerrero did by writing this book was not just brave but a compassionate act. I am so glad she found the strength inside her to heal herself and to extend a hand out to others.
Ironically, I've been wanting to read this book for a while, but I kept avoiding it because I too was afraid of the pain of reading her story and coming face to face with my own life-long trauma of living with an undocumented mother and constantly being afraid that she would be taken away from me. Thankfully my mom wasn't deported and she now has documented status, but that doesn't erase the years of fear and sadness that I lived through and that many children are still living through today.
What Guerrero did by writing this book was not just brave but a compassionate act. I am so glad she found the strength inside her to heal herself and to extend a hand out to others.
DNF 41%
Based on the description, I really expected to love this one, but I just could not get into the writing style. Diane's parents were deported when she was 14, and the book feels like she is trying to write from the perspective of her 14-year-old self, but all the WTFs! and OMGs! and other "teenage slang" really annoyed me after awhile, and also the way she describes herself as someone destined to rise above the "riffraff" and "simple-minded hoes" (her words) of all the other kids around her in public school... I dunno, I just wasn't a fan. I feel like this book could have been GREAT, but needed a LOT more editing. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I listened to the audiobook, or if I was more familiar with the actress (I watched Jane the Virgin, but never saw Orange is the New Black).
Based on the description, I really expected to love this one, but I just could not get into the writing style. Diane's parents were deported when she was 14, and the book feels like she is trying to write from the perspective of her 14-year-old self, but all the WTFs! and OMGs! and other "teenage slang" really annoyed me after awhile, and also the way she describes herself as someone destined to rise above the "riffraff" and "simple-minded hoes" (her words) of all the other kids around her in public school... I dunno, I just wasn't a fan. I feel like this book could have been GREAT, but needed a LOT more editing. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I listened to the audiobook, or if I was more familiar with the actress (I watched Jane the Virgin, but never saw Orange is the New Black).
Diane Guerrero (from Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin) opens up about her life, and what happened when at 14, both her parents were deported-leaving her to navigate the US alone. She tackles the strain that this places On a family both before and after, and why it's so hard to "just enter legally". She talks about the effect this had on her and how she shaped her life out of this-she's open, and I think books like this are important for compassion and understanding in today's political climate.
Amazing. So well written. I couldn't put it down! Diane covered so many topics in her life that have unfortunately often been taboo. I laughed and teared up and felt inspired to take a look at what matters most to me, what I stand for. A truly wonderful memoir that also brings attention to the importance of immigration reform in the US.
"I still don't comprehend all the reasons my life has turned out the way it has, but that's no longer the central question for me. What matters more is how I can turn the trauma of my experiences into some kind of meaningful change for myself and others. There's no point in going through anything difficult if, on the other side of it, very little shifts. That's as true for me personally as it is for us collectively. Does pain have a purpose? I'm not sure. But it can if we give it one - and I've chosen to view my ordeal as an opportunity to be a voice for millions. For the sake of all those who come to our shores, I hope you'll join me in that cause."
-Diane Guerrero
-Diane Guerrero