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deedireads's review against another edition
4.5
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Undocumented Americans is a moving, well-written memoir-in-essays that does exactly what I want from nonfiction: it helps open my understanding of the world and other people.
For you if: Like memoir and/or seek to learn more about the undocumented immigrant experience
FULL REVIEW:
I’m late to the party when it comes to The Undocumented Americans; it’s 2.5 years old and was nominated for the 2020 National Book Award for nonfiction (among others). I’ve watched many friends read and love it in that time, and I always knew I’d get there eventually. And now I have: This month we’re reading it for the book club I run at my office.
The Undocumented Americans is a journalistic memoir-in-essays by a young woman who was one of the first undocumented immigrants to graduate from Harvard. The book not only gives us a look at her life and experiences, but also introduces us to communities of undocumented folks all over the country, from Staten Island to Miami to Flint, Michigan.
This book isn’t that long; I listened to the entire audiobook (read by the author) during a single long car ride. But it’s moving, well-written, and often sharp as a knife. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio isn’t afraid to surprise us with her choice of language to make a point, and she wields it with precision. She’s smart and unapologetic. Her care for the people she writes about seeps through every page.
I read nonfiction to broaden my understanding of humanity, to foster a stronger connection to the global community, and to become a more empathetic citizen of this world. This book most certainly helped me do it, and I’m so glad I finally picked it up.
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Death
Minor: Alcoholism and Self harm
izwit's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Alcohol
amandalorianxo's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Mental illness
Minor: Self harm
rynicolereads's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Racism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Terminal illness
sydthereader's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Mental illness, Racism, Medical content, and Cancer
Minor: Self harm
maviemerveilleuse's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Mental illness and Death
clarabooksit's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Abandonment
Major content warning for suicidal ideation. It’s explicit, casual, and comes up a lot.omemlette's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Xenophobia, Racism, Death, and Cursing
ashleycmms's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Torture, Violence, and War
mandkips's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Moderate: Self harm and Death
Minor: Alcoholism and Confinement