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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
Diane’s Colombian immigrant parents brought her up in poor neighborhoods in Boston until her mother was deported, returned, was deported again, returned once more, and then both parents were finally deported for good when she was 14 and she was essentially left on her own, living with the parents of her friends. She was saved by an arts high school and became an actress in Orange is the New Black for Netflix. Heart-wrenching and political.
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
Diane's content from this book was made fairly easy for latinos and minorities to relate to. I think that was the biggest hook for myself. As a minority in the US, I found my identity called to and seen. I certainly enjoyed the little moments that Diane had with her father growing up, mostly because my father was the same way when it came to being affectionate. The nicknaming with random yet meaningful things was where I started feeling connected with Diane's writing. The inclusion of describing Diane's culture played out beautiful and made the reader want to see Colombia. I loved that.
Although, as the book progressed, and this is based on her own life and her family's, it turned into a bit of a sob story. Nonetheless, what happened to her and her family is real as can be. I am not invalidating that. More of it being that I am not able to fully comprehend how she truly dealt with it all and the abrupt separation from her family. It happens to lots of people everywhere in the US and it's kept quiet. I am not surprised at the lack of action on the part of the government. But it is unfair to everyone it happens too and not talked about enough. Mostly because people believe there's nothing that can be done. But pros to Diane, for all the action she's now taking for all the people who can't demand action because of their legal status.
Although, as the book progressed, and this is based on her own life and her family's, it turned into a bit of a sob story. Nonetheless, what happened to her and her family is real as can be. I am not invalidating that. More of it being that I am not able to fully comprehend how she truly dealt with it all and the abrupt separation from her family. It happens to lots of people everywhere in the US and it's kept quiet. I am not surprised at the lack of action on the part of the government. But it is unfair to everyone it happens too and not talked about enough. Mostly because people believe there's nothing that can be done. But pros to Diane, for all the action she's now taking for all the people who can't demand action because of their legal status.
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Deportation
informative
reflective
sad
Diane Guerrero's memoir of her youth and her parents' deportation from the United States at the age of 14 is a moving and emotional story. Ms. Guerrero's parents moved to the United illegally from Columbia and Diane was born in the United States. This book looks at the mircocosom of her life and addresses the bigger issue immigration through that story.
Diane's parents worked two jobs each most times to make ends meet. They lived in constant fear of deportation. She did not speak to people voluntarily. She worried about it all the time. When she was 14 years old, Diane came home to find her parents gone. They had been taken by ICE and detained. She saw them in the detention center before they were deported. she, being a U.S. Citizen, stayed behind. She lived with friends of her family for longer periods of time. She got into the Boston Academy of Arts for high school and it changed her life. She discovered performing.
She went to college and her life began to spin out of control. She suffered from depression and anxiety, to the point that she nearly committed suicide. She sought out a therapist and worked her way back to mental health. Then she landed roles on tv shows. She became successful and eventually reunited with her parents.
I enjoyed this book. Ms. Guerrero is a good writer and tells a compelling, personal story. The only reason I did not rate this book higher is that I found the last chapter very, very preachy. Not that a call to action is a bad thing, but the way it was presented seemed a little strident.
Other than the last chapter, I enjoyed this book.
Diane's parents worked two jobs each most times to make ends meet. They lived in constant fear of deportation. She did not speak to people voluntarily. She worried about it all the time. When she was 14 years old, Diane came home to find her parents gone. They had been taken by ICE and detained. She saw them in the detention center before they were deported. she, being a U.S. Citizen, stayed behind. She lived with friends of her family for longer periods of time. She got into the Boston Academy of Arts for high school and it changed her life. She discovered performing.
She went to college and her life began to spin out of control. She suffered from depression and anxiety, to the point that she nearly committed suicide. She sought out a therapist and worked her way back to mental health. Then she landed roles on tv shows. She became successful and eventually reunited with her parents.
I enjoyed this book. Ms. Guerrero is a good writer and tells a compelling, personal story. The only reason I did not rate this book higher is that I found the last chapter very, very preachy. Not that a call to action is a bad thing, but the way it was presented seemed a little strident.
Other than the last chapter, I enjoyed this book.
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Interesting
I did not feel a lot of emotion but this is a good quick read if you are interested in the challenges that immigrants face. The story is part ‘life of an American kid with illegal parents’ with a little bit ‘how I overcame to become an actor’
I did not feel a lot of emotion but this is a good quick read if you are interested in the challenges that immigrants face. The story is part ‘life of an American kid with illegal parents’ with a little bit ‘how I overcame to become an actor’
This was a very well done memoir and Diane Guerrero's childhood is a heartbreaking story of being an immigrant in the United States. I wish the tone of the book was a little more serious but overall I liked it. The last chapter is the tone that I wish the entire books was like because it is 5/5 but just for that chapter.
This is an important story that needs to be heard. Her life is compelling, and it puts a human face on a serious issue in our nation. As a piece of literature, it is a popular autobiography, so it will be dated quickly. It is coauthored, so the voice is somewhat inconsistent. I mostly listened to the audio book, which made the story much more interesting, as it was read by the subject.
This is a really solid and compelling tale. Her voice carries through powerfully. Sometimes that can be a distraction. But it's an important story to read and to share as it comes to an individual's experience from an immigrant family in the US's current state.