mcmbennett 's review for:

Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas

5.0

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Immigration is a hot topic in politics these days. It is not a problem easily solved. This book, though, put a human spin on the issue and provided the author's experience as an undocumented citizen who was sent over here by his mother from the Phillipines at a young age to live with his grandparents. It wasn't until he was applying for his driver's license that he found out that he was not a citizen. He skillfully wrote about how this unmoored him, questioning who he was and losing a sense of security. I appreciated the history he provided of immigration laws and changes, and he provided some new insights about other things to consider around the matter. I really felt for him with his struggles, learning more about how it's pretty much impossible to correct the situation. Once he came public with his story, people would tell him to fix it. He would have loved to do that, but the crazy immigraiton laws don't make that a viable option. He was stuck being here and having to lie beause he also couldn't go back. I highly recommend this book. I hope you will read it and gain more understanding of what it's like to be in this position.