I would like to suggest this book for next year’s CRP. The author is a well-known actor, and many of our students already know who she is. My hope is that this will help us engage even more students in the next CRP.
Although this book offers the personal success story of the author, her undocumented parents and brother did not have the same ending. She was fortunate enough to be born in the U.S. and didn’t encounter the same difficulties they had with assimilation or security. It is not my top choice for the CRP, but it still might be worth considering.
This book seems to have four sections: growing up with her parents until age 14, life after they were deported, her success as an actress and how it pulled her out of her depression, and a call to action. It starts out a bit slow. I had trouble getting into it. Her struggles after her parents were taken was more compelling, but the section about depression and attempted suicide probably need guidance for a younger reader. The section on her rise to fame was interesting but a bit self serving. The last chapter on a call to action was very good and would generate lots of good discussion if students got that far. It is also written very much from a female perspective regarding her relationships. I am not sure the male students would find it as compelling. It is not a top choice for me for the CRP.
In the Country We Love is a fast-paced story that tries to cover all aspects of Diane Guerrero’s background as the daughter of undocumented immigrants. The chapters are short, each framed by photos and quotations from established authors. The writing is okay, and the narrative races along, but each chapter jams in various topics without providing any overarching theme or structure. It’s worth noting that this is a book that was written with the help of writer Michelle Burford. It reads as if it is an “as-told-to” book. For this reason alone, I would not recommend the book for our program.
This is an easily digestible book around the topic of undocumented immigrants. The story unravels through the lens of a teenage girl around her undocumented family. Parts of the story and the girls reflections seem interesting enough and could generate meaningful discussion with students. The book has the potential to attract female students into reading it and get empowered.
I do have some reservation if the book will appeal in a similar way to male students. I do recommend the book but not as my top choice.
I would like to suggest this book for next year’s CRP. The author is a well-known actor, and many of our students already know who she is. My hope is that this will help us engage even more students in the next CRP.
Although this book offers the personal success story of the author, her undocumented parents and brother did not have the same ending. She was fortunate enough to be born in the U.S. and didn’t encounter the same difficulties they had with assimilation or security. It is not my top choice for the CRP, but it still might be worth considering.
This book seems to have four sections: growing up with her parents until age 14, life after they were deported, her success as an actress and how it pulled her out of her depression, and a call to action. It starts out a bit slow. I had trouble getting into it. Her struggles after her parents were taken was more compelling, but the section about depression and attempted suicide probably need guidance for a younger reader. The section on her rise to fame was interesting but a bit self serving. The last chapter on a call to action was very good and would generate lots of good discussion if students got that far. It is also written very much from a female perspective regarding her relationships. I am not sure the male students would find it as compelling. It is not a top choice for me for the CRP.
In the Country We Love is a fast-paced story that tries to cover all aspects of Diane Guerrero’s background as the daughter of undocumented immigrants. The chapters are short, each framed by photos and quotations from established authors. The writing is okay, and the narrative races along, but each chapter jams in various topics without providing any overarching theme or structure. It’s worth noting that this is a book that was written with the help of writer Michelle Burford. It reads as if it is an “as-told-to” book. For this reason alone, I would not recommend the book for our program.
This is an easily digestible book around the topic of undocumented immigrants. The story unravels through the lens of a teenage girl around her undocumented family. Parts of the story and the girls reflections seem interesting enough and could generate meaningful discussion with students. The book has the potential to attract female students into reading it and get empowered.
I do have some reservation if the book will appeal in a similar way to male students. I do recommend the book but not as my top choice.