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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
I somewhat randomly picked this book up from the library, and I'm glad I did. It depicts the struggles of undocumented families here in America. It's truly heartbreaking the breaking up of families and this is her story of basically being on her own at age 14 when her parents are deported back to Colombia.
I have so much respect for Diane and want to thank her fully for sharing her story. This memoir is heartfelt, heartbreaking and eye-opening. For those reading the reviews to see if they should read this book, I truly recommend it. You learn a lot of important things that life can bring. To never give up and to keep fighting for your rights and those of others. To keep helping where needed. Thank you Diane!
A rare first-hand account of how flawed our immigration system is. Should be required reading in any government and/or American history class. The audiobook narration is fantastic.
The Story
I want to start this review with a discussion of the story Ms. Guerrero tells. It is a fascinating, interesting, sweet and inspirational story. You likely know Ms. Guerrero from her roles on Jane the Virgin and Orange is the New Black – she’s tiny, Colombian and talented as hell. A couple of years ago, she shared that her parents had been deported after authorities learned they were undocumented. This left Ms. Guerrero – then 14 and a US citizen – to essentially fend for herself.
We learn about her childhood, which included fears that deportation might come. But reading it happen – and recognizing that the US government either didn’t know or didn’t care that their actions left a 14-year-old with nowhere to live – infuriated me. I was pissed on her behalf, mad at an immigration system that does this to thousands of families ever year. I was also impressed with her ability to finish high school, enroll in college, and eventual deal with unaddressed issues that her parents’ deportation had created inside her.
We also learn about how she made her way into acting as well as her decision to get publicly involved in immigration reform and other political issues. It’s a compelling tale but it wasn’t an entirely positive reading experience, as the second half of my review will explain.
The Telling
When you were in school, did you ever have the dreaded ‘group project?’ You know, the one where someone wouldn’t do anything, someone would do too much, and the rest of the group just tried to get a word in? And did any of those group projects involve a group PAPER? The way Ms. Guerrero’s story is told feels a bit like a group paper where one person did most of the writing, but someone else insisted on interjecting in each section. And their interjections might even be good (or perhaps better than the bulk of the paper), but they just don’t … flow? That’s how this book reads.
I didn’t realize until the acknowledgments that Ms. Guerrero had a co-author assist her. Ms. Burford has assisted a few other memoirists, so she seems like a good fit for this project; unfortunately, this book is a case where the two authors just don’t seem to have found a good flow or fit. I don’t know how much of this is Ms. Guerrero’s work and how much is Ms. Burford’s; did Ms. Guerrero tell her the story and Ms. Burford write it? Did Ms. Guerrero write it but Ms. Burford filled in some of the information to build out a longer story? Something else entirely? I don’t know, but I feel like it could have benefited from some stronger editing and cohesion.
There are certain things that come up – such as Ms. Guerrero’s depression and the serious ramifications – seemingly out of the blue, and are handled in a couple of pages without a lot of exploration. And I’m not saying she needs to provide more detail than she does; it’s more that the detail provided is so specific and jarring that it stands out. There’s no build or come down – it’d be like watching Law & Order with 30 seconds of Hairspray cut in, then returning right back to Law & Order. There’s nothing off or bad about either, but you’d probably be wondering what the hell that was about. Many chapters left me feeling that way.
I want to start this review with a discussion of the story Ms. Guerrero tells. It is a fascinating, interesting, sweet and inspirational story. You likely know Ms. Guerrero from her roles on Jane the Virgin and Orange is the New Black – she’s tiny, Colombian and talented as hell. A couple of years ago, she shared that her parents had been deported after authorities learned they were undocumented. This left Ms. Guerrero – then 14 and a US citizen – to essentially fend for herself.
We learn about her childhood, which included fears that deportation might come. But reading it happen – and recognizing that the US government either didn’t know or didn’t care that their actions left a 14-year-old with nowhere to live – infuriated me. I was pissed on her behalf, mad at an immigration system that does this to thousands of families ever year. I was also impressed with her ability to finish high school, enroll in college, and eventual deal with unaddressed issues that her parents’ deportation had created inside her.
We also learn about how she made her way into acting as well as her decision to get publicly involved in immigration reform and other political issues. It’s a compelling tale but it wasn’t an entirely positive reading experience, as the second half of my review will explain.
The Telling
When you were in school, did you ever have the dreaded ‘group project?’ You know, the one where someone wouldn’t do anything, someone would do too much, and the rest of the group just tried to get a word in? And did any of those group projects involve a group PAPER? The way Ms. Guerrero’s story is told feels a bit like a group paper where one person did most of the writing, but someone else insisted on interjecting in each section. And their interjections might even be good (or perhaps better than the bulk of the paper), but they just don’t … flow? That’s how this book reads.
I didn’t realize until the acknowledgments that Ms. Guerrero had a co-author assist her. Ms. Burford has assisted a few other memoirists, so she seems like a good fit for this project; unfortunately, this book is a case where the two authors just don’t seem to have found a good flow or fit. I don’t know how much of this is Ms. Guerrero’s work and how much is Ms. Burford’s; did Ms. Guerrero tell her the story and Ms. Burford write it? Did Ms. Guerrero write it but Ms. Burford filled in some of the information to build out a longer story? Something else entirely? I don’t know, but I feel like it could have benefited from some stronger editing and cohesion.
There are certain things that come up – such as Ms. Guerrero’s depression and the serious ramifications – seemingly out of the blue, and are handled in a couple of pages without a lot of exploration. And I’m not saying she needs to provide more detail than she does; it’s more that the detail provided is so specific and jarring that it stands out. There’s no build or come down – it’d be like watching Law & Order with 30 seconds of Hairspray cut in, then returning right back to Law & Order. There’s nothing off or bad about either, but you’d probably be wondering what the hell that was about. Many chapters left me feeling that way.
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racism, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Deportation
Please note that I gave this book 4.5 stars, but rounded up to 5 stars on Goodreads.
I don't know how many people are familiar with Diane Guerrero, but I first saw her in Orange is the New Black.
She's one of my favorite characters in the show and I honestly was surprised when I saw this book pop up as a new release in memoirs/biographies. And I was a bit gun shy about borrowing this because I was worried it would not be a good read. I am so happy I was wrong about that.
Besides an initial slow start to this memoir (why I gave it 4.5 stars) after Ms. Guerrero starts describing her family's experiences in Columbia and also in the United States the book gets moving. I know that not everything wraps up in a happy ending, but this book really showcases the pain the children of undocumented immigrants feel knowing that if their parents are found out, they are definitely going to be sent back to their country. But, and that's the big thing, what happens to the children who were born in the U.S. and are seen as legal residents?
I don't think I could have went through what Ms. Guerrero did. My identity as a pre-teen and teenager was so intertwined with my mother and father it would have bizarre to not have them there. As it is, since they have both passed away it always feel wrong to me to know that one day I am going to be alive longer than I actually had them in my life and that hurts like hell.
Ms. Guerrero starts her memoir off with the day her parents were taken by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and then backtracks the book back to her parents lives in Columbia. Reading about Ms. Guerrero's parents losing their own parents, brothers/sisters and both of them meeting and realizing that they could do better in America was a cornerstone of the story and I definitely get why they did what they did. To make a better life for you, and for your kids, that's what all parents and just people want to do.
From there we get to see Ms. Guerrero's story and her family's story really come to life.
Ms. Guerrero was open and honest enough to let us see the good and bad about her life/parents/brother/herself. I love that she chose to do that. Lately most memoirs I have read don't feel authentic to me. You can tell when an author is holding something back from you to either make themselves look good and or they don't want to share. And I get that, but then I always think to myself while reading, why the heck did you write this book?
She took pains I think to show that she was not some perfect child or sister. That she was often selfish and angry about how her parents circumstances and then deportation impacted her life. I don't think I would have been as strong as she was. Knowing that her best opportunity lay int he United States and to decide to not follow her parents, but instead live with friends until she graduated high school was a huge thing for her to do.
The book goes from her childhood to her finally landing her big breaks on Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin. We even get to read about her meeting President Obama and how she acted like a fangirl (hey I feel here there).
I loved that the book also included pictures (one of my favorite things to see in memoirs) and the book was broken up into sensible sections. I thought it flowed perfectly after we got past the initial chapters and then I couldn't put the book down because I had to know what happened next.
The settings of this book goes to Columbia, Spain, and the United States (Boston, New York, Washington, D.C. New Jersey, etc.) and Ms. Guerrero is able to bring most places to life with her writing (except for Washington, D.C.--I get why though, she hated her time here at that point in her life) and I loved that I was able to picture myself in these places.
The ending was sad though. You read about how there's really no path to citizenship that's open right now and even though President Obama tried to pass immigration reform, as of today the U.S. Supreme Court voted 4-4 on it so now Texas lawsuit against it still stands.
I don't know how many people are familiar with Diane Guerrero, but I first saw her in Orange is the New Black.
She's one of my favorite characters in the show and I honestly was surprised when I saw this book pop up as a new release in memoirs/biographies. And I was a bit gun shy about borrowing this because I was worried it would not be a good read. I am so happy I was wrong about that.
Besides an initial slow start to this memoir (why I gave it 4.5 stars) after Ms. Guerrero starts describing her family's experiences in Columbia and also in the United States the book gets moving. I know that not everything wraps up in a happy ending, but this book really showcases the pain the children of undocumented immigrants feel knowing that if their parents are found out, they are definitely going to be sent back to their country. But, and that's the big thing, what happens to the children who were born in the U.S. and are seen as legal residents?
I don't think I could have went through what Ms. Guerrero did. My identity as a pre-teen and teenager was so intertwined with my mother and father it would have bizarre to not have them there. As it is, since they have both passed away it always feel wrong to me to know that one day I am going to be alive longer than I actually had them in my life and that hurts like hell.
Ms. Guerrero starts her memoir off with the day her parents were taken by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and then backtracks the book back to her parents lives in Columbia. Reading about Ms. Guerrero's parents losing their own parents, brothers/sisters and both of them meeting and realizing that they could do better in America was a cornerstone of the story and I definitely get why they did what they did. To make a better life for you, and for your kids, that's what all parents and just people want to do.
From there we get to see Ms. Guerrero's story and her family's story really come to life.
Ms. Guerrero was open and honest enough to let us see the good and bad about her life/parents/brother/herself. I love that she chose to do that. Lately most memoirs I have read don't feel authentic to me. You can tell when an author is holding something back from you to either make themselves look good and or they don't want to share. And I get that, but then I always think to myself while reading, why the heck did you write this book?
She took pains I think to show that she was not some perfect child or sister. That she was often selfish and angry about how her parents circumstances and then deportation impacted her life. I don't think I would have been as strong as she was. Knowing that her best opportunity lay int he United States and to decide to not follow her parents, but instead live with friends until she graduated high school was a huge thing for her to do.
The book goes from her childhood to her finally landing her big breaks on Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin. We even get to read about her meeting President Obama and how she acted like a fangirl (hey I feel here there).
I loved that the book also included pictures (one of my favorite things to see in memoirs) and the book was broken up into sensible sections. I thought it flowed perfectly after we got past the initial chapters and then I couldn't put the book down because I had to know what happened next.
The settings of this book goes to Columbia, Spain, and the United States (Boston, New York, Washington, D.C. New Jersey, etc.) and Ms. Guerrero is able to bring most places to life with her writing (except for Washington, D.C.--I get why though, she hated her time here at that point in her life) and I loved that I was able to picture myself in these places.
The ending was sad though. You read about how there's really no path to citizenship that's open right now and even though President Obama tried to pass immigration reform, as of today the U.S. Supreme Court voted 4-4 on it so now Texas lawsuit against it still stands.
This book seriously pulled at my heartstrings. I'm the proud daughter of an immigrant mother, and this book felt so familiar and comforting.
I've been a fan of Diane Guerrero for both Jane the Virgin and Orange is the New Black and I remember reading her op-ed years ago. I appreciate that she has expanded on her story so candidly here.
There is so much that this country should do better, but reforming an immigration system that would allow a 14-year-old to be left alone to fend for herself-- that does this to tens of thousands of children each year-- is very high on the list.
There is so much that this country should do better, but reforming an immigration system that would allow a 14-year-old to be left alone to fend for herself-- that does this to tens of thousands of children each year-- is very high on the list.
I first heard her story on Chelsea Handler's show and had to pick up the book. It's all about her life with undocumented immigrant parents, who were deported when she was 14, and how that affected her life and relationships. There's a bit at the end about her breakout into acting too. It's not the most well-written book, but it's a good story, especially in this political climate.