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A review by book_concierge
In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero
4.0
Audible original audio narrated by the author.
When Diane Guerrero was fourteen years old, she came home from school to find an empty house. Her family had been picked up by ICE and were detained pending deportation. Fortunately for Diane, a family friend agreed to take her in, so that she could remain in school. This is her memoir.
The author has an important message to convey about the effects on children of America’s immigration and deportation policies. Diane had been born in the United States, so she was never at risk of being deported, but she was a child when her parents and brother were sent back to Colombia. And no government agency checked on her welfare … at all. Yes, you read that right. Social Services, Child Protective Services, ICE, Homeland Security … not one single government entity bothered to check to see if this 14-year-old child was okay, had food, shelter, clothing. It’s not like they didn’t know she existed. While her parents were awaiting deportation, she visited them at the detention facility, registering as their daughter, accompanied by the family friend who was temporarily caring for her.
The traumatic events left psychological scars, and Guerrero is open and honest about what she endured (including years of self-harm) until she got the emotional help she needed. She is now an outspoken advocate for immigration reform.
My book club had a very interesting discussion of this book. Her “voice” as an author is very young at the outset. It’s almost as if she were writing for a high school or even middle school audience. But as she recovers from the trauma, and particularly the last two chapters, her voice matures, and she writes with confidence and authority.
Guerrero narrates the audiobook herself. I had read the first two-thirds of the book in text format before a friend shared the audio with me. The difference in maturity between the beginning and ending is more evident on the audio.
When Diane Guerrero was fourteen years old, she came home from school to find an empty house. Her family had been picked up by ICE and were detained pending deportation. Fortunately for Diane, a family friend agreed to take her in, so that she could remain in school. This is her memoir.
The author has an important message to convey about the effects on children of America’s immigration and deportation policies. Diane had been born in the United States, so she was never at risk of being deported, but she was a child when her parents and brother were sent back to Colombia. And no government agency checked on her welfare … at all. Yes, you read that right. Social Services, Child Protective Services, ICE, Homeland Security … not one single government entity bothered to check to see if this 14-year-old child was okay, had food, shelter, clothing. It’s not like they didn’t know she existed. While her parents were awaiting deportation, she visited them at the detention facility, registering as their daughter, accompanied by the family friend who was temporarily caring for her.
The traumatic events left psychological scars, and Guerrero is open and honest about what she endured (including years of self-harm) until she got the emotional help she needed. She is now an outspoken advocate for immigration reform.
My book club had a very interesting discussion of this book. Her “voice” as an author is very young at the outset. It’s almost as if she were writing for a high school or even middle school audience. But as she recovers from the trauma, and particularly the last two chapters, her voice matures, and she writes with confidence and authority.
Guerrero narrates the audiobook herself. I had read the first two-thirds of the book in text format before a friend shared the audio with me. The difference in maturity between the beginning and ending is more evident on the audio.