The Undocumented Americans
Ratings25
Average rating4.2
Karla's voice makes such an impassioned plea for acknowledging that the undocumented Americans are real humans with hopes and dreams and downsides...just like those humans who were born on this soil.
I thought this book was going to be a little dry, and probably full of stats about what kinds of people are being lumped together. I was surprised and awed instead by the work that Karla gives us.
I highly recommend the audio version. Her voice voice makes the words in her written voice even more powerful.
The writing style just wasn't my favorite. Didn't feel strongly one way or another regarding this book.
These stories are important. I'm glad they're told here and that I read them.
I was expecting a nonfiction book but this was a mix between a memoir, nonfiction, and fiction. I think the author referred to it as “creative nonfiction”. I really enjoyed the “reporting” part, not so much the creative parts.
I'm leaving this one unrated.
I found this book through an article that NPR wrote abou Karla Cornejo Villavicencio at the end of June.
Right from the start, the author lets you know that this is not going to be the book you expected it to be. This work is deeply personal, filled with stories about the people they met, the people they loved, and the demons facing them daily. I have never heard the story of immigrants in America told in such a raw, emotional way. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio does an incredible job of showing you how these people are woven into the story of America, yet each is forgotten and hidden by design. One of the stories that most affected me were the day laborers who helped clear the disaster of 9/11. When I hear these stories, I think of the firefighters and the police officers. Hearing that these undocumented immigrants risked their lives and were traumatized directly by their work here, yet we don't talk about them, evokes a feeling that I'm not sure I have a word for. Shame at my ignorance, anger at the people who taught me these stories without mentioning them, and sadness for the people who suffered. I will never let someone explain the story of 9/11 in front of me without mentioning this part of the tragedy again.
I listened to this on audio and I want to reread it print. It's sad and infuriating all at once. The authors voice is strong and she is really relatable in the ways she talks about her mental health struggles, guilt, and love for her family.