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vaniavela's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
5.0
Imagine being 14 years old when your family is deported.
Diane's memoir is a look at how she fell through the cracks of the system after her parents were taken away. No one took care of her, leaving her to fend for herself.
Each chapter includes a great photograph that gives us a glimpse of what her family was like back then, along with beautiful footnotes.
The writing style is very thoughtful and shows us the author's strength and courage. She not only shares her story, but discusses how this traumatic situation had an impact on her life.
Like Diane's family, this is a situation that happens every day. Children are taken from their parents, leaving them alone, scared and on their own. This is such a beautiful, eye opening book. Highly recommended.
TW: forcible family separation, deportation, self-harm, suicidal ideation, xenophobia, racism, depression, anxiety.
Diane's memoir is a look at how she fell through the cracks of the system after her parents were taken away. No one took care of her, leaving her to fend for herself.
Each chapter includes a great photograph that gives us a glimpse of what her family was like back then, along with beautiful footnotes.
The writing style is very thoughtful and shows us the author's strength and courage. She not only shares her story, but discusses how this traumatic situation had an impact on her life.
Like Diane's family, this is a situation that happens every day. Children are taken from their parents, leaving them alone, scared and on their own. This is such a beautiful, eye opening book. Highly recommended.
TW: forcible family separation, deportation, self-harm, suicidal ideation, xenophobia, racism, depression, anxiety.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Racism, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
maggies's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
2.0
An important story, to be sure, but written in much too conversational a tone for my liking. The content was at least high school level, given the wide array of traumas explored, but the style was more like second grade, and it was a turn off for me. Also, perhaps because the book was initially published in 2016, the ideas/solutions presented in the call to action in the last two-ish chapters were less than revolutionary. I definitely felt for Diane and her family and families like hers, just couldn't get on board with the delivery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
ebbyreads's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
wow.
i think this hit me harder bc i’m a child of immigrants myself. i’m disgusted that this happens in our country still. it’s inspiring that she told us her story.
everyone can benefit from reading this.
i think this hit me harder bc i’m a child of immigrants myself. i’m disgusted that this happens in our country still. it’s inspiring that she told us her story.
everyone can benefit from reading this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
marjoryreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
moonfairy's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm
ellornaslibrary's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
This book has heavy, emotionally challenging content which might be a given considering the subject matter though I still wanted to put it out there. If you're not in a great place? I'd recommend holding off a little. I'd been putting this book off for awhile cause I knew it'd be a difficult listen. Yet I'm glad I finally got to it. While I cried a lot while reading this book? I also smiled and laughed and blushed and raged and a thousand other things. There's obviously stuff in here that I could not relate to — experiences that I can't even imagine going through let alone surviving — yet there's other parts that are relatable as well. It's a great book that's enhanced by the lovely job Diane Guerrero does telling her story. It feels more like sitting with an old friend who's having a chat than listening to a story from someone you've never met before. What she goes through is something that nobody should ever have to especially as a child. The injustices dealt to her parents were awful and cruel, and again something that nobody should ever have to go through. This story like so many others is proof of the change that needs to happen in the United States so that people get the help they should instead of being treated in such an unjust and unethical manner.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Toxic relationship
There is parental loss in this book. It's not death, but it's loss nonetheless so I did content warn it for grief. There wasn't an option for parental loss or loss of a parent though.mondovertigo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying and Toxic relationship
n0th4nks's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
laurenleyendolibros's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Diane Guerrero is an American actor (you might recognise her from Orange is The New Black) born to Colombian parents, who came home from school aged 14 to find both her parents had been detained awaiting deportation.
The book tells the story of her whole life and the effects that being left effectively homeless and alone when still a child had on her. You don’t have to know who she is or be a fan to have your eyes opened by her story – it’s truly shocking and horrifying. And it goes without saying she’s just one child who experienced this.
I won’t say more – you should just read it. And if you’re not moved by the story of one woman, she also explains clearly why deportation is just a waste of time, energy and money; and causes more problems than it solves.
In terms of content this book gets five stars and really is a must-read. It’s the writing style that you often get in this type of book that knocks it down a little (and honestly, that might be the work of the co-writer appealing to an imagined target audience).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts
luelle_'s review
slow-paced
2.5
I wanted to read this for the longest time so I feel bad giving a low rating but I really struggled with a lot of it. I'm still glad I read it. It's important.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol