Take a photo of a barcode or cover
karastotle 's review for:
Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen
by Jose Antonio Vargas
An accessible, quick read that highlights multiple immigration issues through the lens of one man's life. Vargas' experience in journalism is apparent from the straightforward writing style and the short, easy-to-read chapters. His writing is spare, but has a sense of immediacy to it, and he clearly lays out the hard dilemmas foisted on himself and his family but the United States' screwed up immigration system. I do think that his journalistic background leads Vargas to treat himself with a sense of distance, and as a reader I sometimes felt like I was being held at arm's length. This was especially true in the later sections of the book, where he talks at length about how his identity and life experiences have made it almost impossible for him to experience true intimacy and community with others, without actually exploring what that looks like for him. I also wanted more reflection on how his privilege as a famous reporter with lots of connections has helped him, instead of focusing only on addressing critics of his style of advocacy. Overall though, this is a very illuminating read, and I'm glad my virtual book club chose it as our first read.