What do you think?
Rate this book
Detained: A Boy's Journal of Survival and Resilience
The first-ever memoir of a child’s experience in detention on the US/Mexico border under President Trump’s infamous family separation policy.
D Esperanza was just thirteen years old when he lost his caregivers, his beloved grandmother and uncle. Since both of his parents were working and living in the United States, D was left on his own in a small town in Honduras. He quickly realized he simply could not make enough money to survive so he made the difficult decision to head north with his cousins and hopefully reunite with his parents in el norte.
Together, the boys struggled to survive a long and treacherous journey through Central America and Mexico. Along the way, D and his cousins formed a deep bond, only for the four to be brutally separated at the border of the United States. When he is captured and processed at a facility, neither D nor his family are given an update on when he will be released or where he’ll go next. Over the next five months, he kept a journal of his experience. The pages tell a story of pain, cruelty, friendship, and resilience, a living testament to the reality of the border. Amidst the senseless inhumanity and violence of US immigration policy, D found hope in the friendship he and his fellow companions forged, and mentorship from one intrepid advocate who fought on his behalf named Gerardo Iván Morales.
Timely, powerful, and unforgettable, Detained brings the border crisis to vivid life.
D Esperanza was just thirteen years old when he lost his caregivers, his beloved grandmother and uncle. Since both of his parents were working and living in the United States, D was left on his own in a small town in Honduras. He quickly realized he simply could not make enough money to survive so he made the difficult decision to head north with his cousins and hopefully reunite with his parents in el norte.
Together, the boys struggled to survive a long and treacherous journey through Central America and Mexico. Along the way, D and his cousins formed a deep bond, only for the four to be brutally separated at the border of the United States. When he is captured and processed at a facility, neither D nor his family are given an update on when he will be released or where he’ll go next. Over the next five months, he kept a journal of his experience. The pages tell a story of pain, cruelty, friendship, and resilience, a living testament to the reality of the border. Amidst the senseless inhumanity and violence of US immigration policy, D found hope in the friendship he and his fellow companions forged, and mentorship from one intrepid advocate who fought on his behalf named Gerardo Iván Morales.
Timely, powerful, and unforgettable, Detained brings the border crisis to vivid life.
1 pages, Audio CD
Published May 13, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 298 reviews
May 13, 2025
the people who need to read this are not going to.
Read
April 5, 2025Detained is a the sort of reading experience that comes along once in a generation – a memoir that I wish I could firmly place in the hands of everyone currently living in the United States.
D Esperanza was only thirteen years old and on his own in Honduras, caring for his little cousin, giving up school to work any job he could, and missing his parents (and little sister he had never met) in el norte.
Along with two other cousins, D embarks on a frightening, long, and dangerous journey north to Mexico and then across the border to the United States. But after surviving so much together, the four boys are ripped apart and placed in child detention centers.
Although D’s parents are desperate to bring him home at any time, they are separated for another five months. D is moved from facility to facility in the middle of the night, treated with condescension and apathy, and faces a myriad of cruelty under Trump’s family separation order and the larger violence of US immigration policies.
D survives, thanks to everything he pours into his journal, the friendships he forms with other kids going through the same terrors, and a mentor who becomes a sort of brother (and later helps him to bring his words to the wider world).
He writes with the raw & unfiltered voice of a child - and his journal entries are lovingly addressed to the grandmother who passed months before he decided to leave Honduras. There is a lot of trauma in these pages, and D faces every situation with resilience and strength way beyond his years.
D asks again and again why nobody cares, why nobody will give him a simple answer, why he is dragged away in the middle of the night without a chance to say goodbye, and so much more. It was an unraveling experience to see the pain inflicted in my own backyard through a child’s unfiltered eyes. He writes assuming that nobody will ever read his words, and that lends itself to such powerful and honest emotion.
I was grateful for the epilogue and the chance to see that D is doing okay and working on healing, but no child should ever have to go through ANY of what he experienced. There are threads of hope in these pages, as he meets Iván and forms relationships (brotherhoods, really) with some of the other boys in his Alpha 13 tent in the “overflow” facility in Tornillo. But overall it is devastating and deeply infuriating.
An absolute must-read that isn’t easy to live in, but is the reality of this country. I’m glad this book exists and I hope it to see it absolutely everywhere once it’s released.
CW: death (family), violence, grief, forced institutionalization, xenophobia, racism, car accident, injury, animal death (pet), confinement, deportation, colorism, terminal illness
Follow me on social media for book recommendations!
(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
D Esperanza was only thirteen years old and on his own in Honduras, caring for his little cousin, giving up school to work any job he could, and missing his parents (and little sister he had never met) in el norte.
Along with two other cousins, D embarks on a frightening, long, and dangerous journey north to Mexico and then across the border to the United States. But after surviving so much together, the four boys are ripped apart and placed in child detention centers.
Although D’s parents are desperate to bring him home at any time, they are separated for another five months. D is moved from facility to facility in the middle of the night, treated with condescension and apathy, and faces a myriad of cruelty under Trump’s family separation order and the larger violence of US immigration policies.
D survives, thanks to everything he pours into his journal, the friendships he forms with other kids going through the same terrors, and a mentor who becomes a sort of brother (and later helps him to bring his words to the wider world).
He writes with the raw & unfiltered voice of a child - and his journal entries are lovingly addressed to the grandmother who passed months before he decided to leave Honduras. There is a lot of trauma in these pages, and D faces every situation with resilience and strength way beyond his years.
D asks again and again why nobody cares, why nobody will give him a simple answer, why he is dragged away in the middle of the night without a chance to say goodbye, and so much more. It was an unraveling experience to see the pain inflicted in my own backyard through a child’s unfiltered eyes. He writes assuming that nobody will ever read his words, and that lends itself to such powerful and honest emotion.
I was grateful for the epilogue and the chance to see that D is doing okay and working on healing, but no child should ever have to go through ANY of what he experienced. There are threads of hope in these pages, as he meets Iván and forms relationships (brotherhoods, really) with some of the other boys in his Alpha 13 tent in the “overflow” facility in Tornillo. But overall it is devastating and deeply infuriating.
An absolute must-read that isn’t easy to live in, but is the reality of this country. I’m glad this book exists and I hope it to see it absolutely everywhere once it’s released.
CW: death (family), violence, grief, forced institutionalization, xenophobia, racism, car accident, injury, animal death (pet), confinement, deportation, colorism, terminal illness
Follow me on social media for book recommendations!
(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
March 25, 2025
I knew going into this book that it was going to shatter me, not only did it do that it also educated me on Trump’s family separation policy, something I always heard on the news, but never from someone who lived it to tell.
This is the first-ever memoir of a child’s experience in a detention on the US/Mexico border under President Trump family separation policy. This story of pain, survival, and resilience is a true raw testament to the reality of the border.
D Esperanza was only 13 years old when he lost both his caregivers, his beloved grandmother and uncle. With both of his parents working and living in in the US, D and his cousin were left to fend for themselves. The boys barely made ends meet in their small town of Honduras, by working various jobs. The boys made the difficult decision to venture to the US and hopefully reunite with D’s parents in el Norte for a better life, along with their two cousins from Guatemala.
D and his three cousins took on an enduring venture to the US with many hopes and dreams. This trek wasn’t an easy one, they had to endure a long and treacherous journey through Central America and Mexico from having to board La Bestia one of the world’s most dangerous trains, to many sleepless nights, sickness, danger and hunger.
Over the course of ten months D gives us a raw detailing of his experience throughout his journey via journal entries. D and his cousins form a deep bond, only to be separated at the border of the United States. D is captured and detained in a US detention center in Tornillo, Texas. The Tornillo facility will go down as a dark period in U.S. history when asylum-seeking, vulnerable children spent months living in a slapdash tent city in the desert, in the care of unqualified, negligent personnel.
During the senseless inhumanity of the immigration policy, D was able to find hope and friendships that advocated on his behalf.
This book will forever live in my heart.
This book will be on sale May 13, 2025, I highly recommend it. A big thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Primero Sueño Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #Detained #PrimeroSueñoPress
This is the first-ever memoir of a child’s experience in a detention on the US/Mexico border under President Trump family separation policy. This story of pain, survival, and resilience is a true raw testament to the reality of the border.
D Esperanza was only 13 years old when he lost both his caregivers, his beloved grandmother and uncle. With both of his parents working and living in in the US, D and his cousin were left to fend for themselves. The boys barely made ends meet in their small town of Honduras, by working various jobs. The boys made the difficult decision to venture to the US and hopefully reunite with D’s parents in el Norte for a better life, along with their two cousins from Guatemala.
D and his three cousins took on an enduring venture to the US with many hopes and dreams. This trek wasn’t an easy one, they had to endure a long and treacherous journey through Central America and Mexico from having to board La Bestia one of the world’s most dangerous trains, to many sleepless nights, sickness, danger and hunger.
Over the course of ten months D gives us a raw detailing of his experience throughout his journey via journal entries. D and his cousins form a deep bond, only to be separated at the border of the United States. D is captured and detained in a US detention center in Tornillo, Texas. The Tornillo facility will go down as a dark period in U.S. history when asylum-seeking, vulnerable children spent months living in a slapdash tent city in the desert, in the care of unqualified, negligent personnel.
During the senseless inhumanity of the immigration policy, D was able to find hope and friendships that advocated on his behalf.
This book will forever live in my heart.
This book will be on sale May 13, 2025, I highly recommend it. A big thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Primero Sueño Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #Detained #PrimeroSueñoPress
January 16, 2026
"The adults who have tried to actively hurt me aren’t as bad as all the adults who stand around, seeing what’s happening, doing nothing. Looking bored. This has been everywhere since I got to el Norte."
"...in Charlie 25, in Tornillo, in this country, if you're a migrante kid, there's no stepping forward and no stepping backward. They keep you pinned where you are. We have no control. We are controlled.
And I don’t even think they’re trying to hurt us, exactly. They do it because that’s just how this system is built. They do it because that’s how it’s done here. They’ve created this prison camp where all of us are constantly told: you’re a criminal, you’re a pain in the ass, you don’t matter. They don't say it out loud, but stay locked up here long enough, and you get the message, loud and clear."
Wow! Thank you to the author, D. Esperanza, for his bravery in sharing his emotional and turbulent story of migration, child detainment, and the unnecessary suffering that transpires when unchecked imperialism comes home to roost.
D's narrative was easy to read and written very candidly. Being penned from a young teen's point of view, it was easy to follow along and see the causes and effects of D's decision to leave Honduras with his cousins, especially after events spun out of his control once his guardians passed away.
Accounts about children being forced to make adult decisions will always be difficult reads for me. But I'm glad that I picked up this book.
I hope that D and his family are safe now. But since this memoir was written in 2018, it feels like a lifetime away from the current situation with ICE's indiscriminate arrests, detainment, and deportations. Day by day, the threat of deportation looms heavier and heavier for immigrants.
The situation for undocumented and unaccompanied children are more dire now than they were in 2018.
Children who arrive now are urged to self-deport, with some being offered $2500 to leave. Children are trapped in detention centers as the Trump administration added more vetting requirements for family reunification. Children are now being fined for crossing the border illegally and there is a new $100 fee for asylum applications. Children's sponsors can even be prosecuted or deported for "aiding [their] illegal entry. The article linked also mentions that if a child in federal custody turns 18, they will be handed to ICE for deportation.
D's story is one small part of a larger system at play. By recounting his experiences, he gives voice to this subset of undocumented immigrants who are defenseless against the state apparatus. I thank him for opening this dialogue and letting us read his story.
Thank you to Atria/Primero Sueno Press and NetGalley for this arc.
July 22, 2025
This should be required reading in 2025. Just peels back all the curtains and shines light on the shadows in the most direct and humanizing way. Fuck ICE and fuck the US’s immigration policies 💁♀️
August 3, 2025
I finished this book yesterday and truly have not stopped thinking about it. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Please, read it, learn from it. And find a way to make a difference.
The fact that D was 13 years old and attempting to take care of his 11 year old cousin had me in my feelings from the very beginning after the death of his abuela and his uncle, but my god crossing multiple countries and being so terrified and cold and hungry, I cannot even imagine.
This should be essential reading for everyone. These children were and are held in what are basically prison camps. Treated my criminals when they have done nothing wrong.
D being separated from his cousins tore my heart into pieces, and then everything he went through after, his confusion and fear and feeling so helpless.
I could not believe what happened to him. I’m so incredibly in awe of these kids who survive in these horrific conditions. Something has to change.
Again - absolutely do NOT miss this book. The audio had me crying so hard. The emotion from the narrator was incredible. If you speak Spanish and want to listen to the audio - D himself is recording the audiobook in Spanish to be released in a couple weeks.
The fact that D was 13 years old and attempting to take care of his 11 year old cousin had me in my feelings from the very beginning after the death of his abuela and his uncle, but my god crossing multiple countries and being so terrified and cold and hungry, I cannot even imagine.
This should be essential reading for everyone. These children were and are held in what are basically prison camps. Treated my criminals when they have done nothing wrong.
D being separated from his cousins tore my heart into pieces, and then everything he went through after, his confusion and fear and feeling so helpless.
I could not believe what happened to him. I’m so incredibly in awe of these kids who survive in these horrific conditions. Something has to change.
Again - absolutely do NOT miss this book. The audio had me crying so hard. The emotion from the narrator was incredible. If you speak Spanish and want to listen to the audio - D himself is recording the audiobook in Spanish to be released in a couple weeks.
May 26, 2025
There are some books that fundamentally change who you are and this is one of them. Now if you’ll excuse me, I will continue to sob uncontrollably & curse the evil immigration system that perpetuates and creates harrowing and sad stories like this one.
September 7, 2025
Jesus. Everyone should read this
September 8, 2025
Detained is an incredibly heartbreaking memoir of what it is like at the border between Mexio and the USA.
D. Esperanza should never have gone through what he did, but his story is powerful and brings to light the realities of the situation at the border. What I find most upsetting is that, most likely, no one who needs to read this (to see/understand the ‘other side’) will read it.
A quote that really stuck with me was, “You can hurt a person actively, like by punching them or stealing from them or whatever. But you can also hurt a person passively, by refusing to give them help when they need it, or by pretending you don’t see them, or by acting like they don’t exist.”
D. Esperanza should never have gone through what he did, but his story is powerful and brings to light the realities of the situation at the border. What I find most upsetting is that, most likely, no one who needs to read this (to see/understand the ‘other side’) will read it.
A quote that really stuck with me was, “You can hurt a person actively, like by punching them or stealing from them or whatever. But you can also hurt a person passively, by refusing to give them help when they need it, or by pretending you don’t see them, or by acting like they don’t exist.”
March 8, 2026
Juntos somos mas fuertes!
I took my time with this book, sometimes, not because I wanted to but because of how heartbreaking it was. I lived 2 years in Mexico, I heard the bestia from my apartment and while some of the locals told me the story about it, D's story paints the picture that their stories couldn't really do. I wish I could really put into words what this book means, all I can say is that Detenido is equal parts Heartbreaking, real, raw and hopeful. A must read! D's story (as well as the people we meet along the way) will stay with me forever.
I took my time with this book, sometimes, not because I wanted to but because of how heartbreaking it was. I lived 2 years in Mexico, I heard the bestia from my apartment and while some of the locals told me the story about it, D's story paints the picture that their stories couldn't really do. I wish I could really put into words what this book means, all I can say is that Detenido is equal parts Heartbreaking, real, raw and hopeful. A must read! D's story (as well as the people we meet along the way) will stay with me forever.
February 14, 2026
Required reading for everybody
January 21, 2026
First 5⭐️ read of 2026!!!!!!! Thank you so much Atria Books for this incredibly moving memoir. This is a book I think everyone should read and unfortunately, those that need to read it won’t. I know it’s early in the year, but I think I can categorically say if you read one memoir this year, it should be this one.
D Esperanza recounts his story of being left in Honduras with his grandmother while his parents took his little sister to America to try for a better life. But when she passes, D cannot fill his own belly and has to drop out of school to earn money. He quickly realizes this isn’t sustainable and begins the harrowing journey of immigrating to the USA to live with his parents. He begins the journey with his cousins and what they face no child should have to. Thinking they will be okay when they make it to the USA, they are instead forced in Trump’s inhumane detention centers for months on end.
This is “the first-ever memoir of a child’s experience in detention on the US/Mexico border under President Trump’s infamous family separation policy,” complete with real journal entries and drawings. While this memoir is devastating (especially when highlighting the dehumanization detainees experience), there is also a big beating heart at its core. D’s yearning for friendship, family and community is so moving - this memoir will stay with me forever.
✨Content Warnings: Death, Racism, Violence, Deportation, Grief, Anima Death, Xenophobia, Death of a Parent, Child Abuse, Medical Content, Classism, Police Brutality, Eating Disorder
✨Themes: Survival, Family, Childhood Trauma
✨You May Like This If You Enjoyed:
-In the Country We Love (Diane Guerrero)
-Infinite Country (Patricia Engel)
D Esperanza recounts his story of being left in Honduras with his grandmother while his parents took his little sister to America to try for a better life. But when she passes, D cannot fill his own belly and has to drop out of school to earn money. He quickly realizes this isn’t sustainable and begins the harrowing journey of immigrating to the USA to live with his parents. He begins the journey with his cousins and what they face no child should have to. Thinking they will be okay when they make it to the USA, they are instead forced in Trump’s inhumane detention centers for months on end.
This is “the first-ever memoir of a child’s experience in detention on the US/Mexico border under President Trump’s infamous family separation policy,” complete with real journal entries and drawings. While this memoir is devastating (especially when highlighting the dehumanization detainees experience), there is also a big beating heart at its core. D’s yearning for friendship, family and community is so moving - this memoir will stay with me forever.
✨Content Warnings: Death, Racism, Violence, Deportation, Grief, Anima Death, Xenophobia, Death of a Parent, Child Abuse, Medical Content, Classism, Police Brutality, Eating Disorder
✨Themes: Survival, Family, Childhood Trauma
✨You May Like This If You Enjoyed:
-In the Country We Love (Diane Guerrero)
-Infinite Country (Patricia Engel)
September 23, 2025
4.5/5 - This is one of the most impactful books that I have read in a long time. The amount of heartbreak and pain that came from reading the first part weighed so heavily on my mind and will continue to long after I have read past this book. It hurts knowing these are experiences that happened 7 years ago that are now being experienced again without practically any change, and if any, most will argue that it is worse now. However, I do feel like there was a shift in the second part, more specifically, once the translator of the book - Ivan comes into play that made the book feel a bit less authentic from D and more tilted towards Ivan and his heroic character and politics which is why I took half a star off of my rating. Overall this is a must read for anyone, no matter your stance on immigration or political beliefs. At the end of the day we are all human and we deserve to be treated as such! (Thank you to NetGalley for providing this read)
July 8, 2025
Anyone who has empathy needs to read this.
Read
September 1, 2025I can't even rate this. Heartbreaking and inspiring, an insight of what humans can endure and the cruelty that we can inflict upon each other.
January 24, 2026
I saw another reviewer who said the people who need to read this won’t and they’re right. They either don’t want to or they simply don’t give a shit.
I cried a lot reading this, and you’d think the epilogue would leave you with a happier feeling. I think this is the one time I’ve read an epilogue and sobbed through it because this was written prior to the 2024 election. Prior to Trump taking office again. Prior to the horrific things we’ve been seeing since with ICE, things that are literally happening right now.
I really hope D and his family are safe and together. It’s horrifying to think that they’re not. It’s also horrifying to know that even if he’s all right, there are other families who’ve gone through a similar journey that are currently suffering because of this administration, ICE, and people who will look the other way.
6⭐️
I cried a lot reading this, and you’d think the epilogue would leave you with a happier feeling. I think this is the one time I’ve read an epilogue and sobbed through it because this was written prior to the 2024 election. Prior to Trump taking office again. Prior to the horrific things we’ve been seeing since with ICE, things that are literally happening right now.
I really hope D and his family are safe and together. It’s horrifying to think that they’re not. It’s also horrifying to know that even if he’s all right, there are other families who’ve gone through a similar journey that are currently suffering because of this administration, ICE, and people who will look the other way.
6⭐️
May 29, 2026
This world needs more Ivans 🥹
February 8, 2026
Detained is a memoir from someone who attempted to migrate to the US as an unaccompanied child. Esperanza was 13 and had no money for smugglers and attempted the crossing on his own with his cousins.
This book is excellent and an absolute must read. People don’t leave their children like this or ask them to cross alone unless the circumstances are so much worse than the risk.
Esperanza also has a story of migration, as told through his journals he kept in detention writing to his dead grandmother, and how very very hard it is and the acts of kindness along the way that helped him and kept him alive. All before the US. Once he gets to the US that kindness disappears and he is detained in horrible conditions for FIVE MONTHS. Locked up, alone, suffering depression and trauma, for months. His is a story of detention and not just the Trump administration’s regime and chaos and cruelty of family separation, but a system of cruelty as deterrence upheld by BOTH republican and democratic administrations. He has no childhood at all and it’s devastating.
Americans who have a government tearing apart lives in the name of America first must read this book. We should know who these children are, what they’ve gone through to get here. We need to dismantle these systems of cruelty.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the review copy of Detained in exchange for an honest review.
This book is excellent and an absolute must read. People don’t leave their children like this or ask them to cross alone unless the circumstances are so much worse than the risk.
Esperanza also has a story of migration, as told through his journals he kept in detention writing to his dead grandmother, and how very very hard it is and the acts of kindness along the way that helped him and kept him alive. All before the US. Once he gets to the US that kindness disappears and he is detained in horrible conditions for FIVE MONTHS. Locked up, alone, suffering depression and trauma, for months. His is a story of detention and not just the Trump administration’s regime and chaos and cruelty of family separation, but a system of cruelty as deterrence upheld by BOTH republican and democratic administrations. He has no childhood at all and it’s devastating.
Americans who have a government tearing apart lives in the name of America first must read this book. We should know who these children are, what they’ve gone through to get here. We need to dismantle these systems of cruelty.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the review copy of Detained in exchange for an honest review.
November 13, 2025
I don't even know where to start with this review, there are so many emotions, there's immense grief, devastation, and intense rage.
Thank you to Atria and Primero Sueño Press for a gifted finished copy.
I read this in Spanish and there was truly no other way I would have preferred to, if you are able to I encourage you to listen or read this book in Spanish.
The immigration system here in the United States is a system that no human should ever go through that no child should be separated from his family and kept in a prison. How is it that with the years that have passed the immigration system has only worsened?
The dehumanization of immigrants is evil, there is not a document on this earth that could excuse this violation of human rights. The effects of the abuse that immigrants are put through by the system is something so devastating, this is a trauma that will spread through a multitude of generations. Some families today are living through that trauma.
In reading this D felt like family, I saw every ounce of my father, my mother, and my ancestors in him. This is truly a testament to how resilient Latine's are.
D's story is one that needs to continue to be uplifted, especially given the times that we are in. I truly wish D nothing but the best.
Chinga la Migra y a la puta naranja que llaman presidente.
Thank you to Atria and Primero Sueño Press for a gifted finished copy.
I read this in Spanish and there was truly no other way I would have preferred to, if you are able to I encourage you to listen or read this book in Spanish.
The immigration system here in the United States is a system that no human should ever go through that no child should be separated from his family and kept in a prison. How is it that with the years that have passed the immigration system has only worsened?
The dehumanization of immigrants is evil, there is not a document on this earth that could excuse this violation of human rights. The effects of the abuse that immigrants are put through by the system is something so devastating, this is a trauma that will spread through a multitude of generations. Some families today are living through that trauma.
In reading this D felt like family, I saw every ounce of my father, my mother, and my ancestors in him. This is truly a testament to how resilient Latine's are.
D's story is one that needs to continue to be uplifted, especially given the times that we are in. I truly wish D nothing but the best.
Chinga la Migra y a la puta naranja que llaman presidente.
July 30, 2025
Such an important book to read at this time.
I waited two hours after finishing to write this review.
I'm filled with such sadness for what the author went through but also hope and inspiration.
I know the journal entries are edited for grammar and spelling and yet they still keep the voice of a 13 year old child who is forced to go through the unthinkable.
finish the book and then reread the prologue, it really brings the story together.
I really wish I could speak with the author today. he was a victim during Trump's first term and this book was published before Trump was re-elected in 2024. I guess the biggest lesson is no matter what happens it's important to keep going forward.
I waited two hours after finishing to write this review.
I'm filled with such sadness for what the author went through but also hope and inspiration.
I know the journal entries are edited for grammar and spelling and yet they still keep the voice of a 13 year old child who is forced to go through the unthinkable.
finish the book and then reread the prologue, it really brings the story together.
I really wish I could speak with the author today. he was a victim during Trump's first term and this book was published before Trump was re-elected in 2024. I guess the biggest lesson is no matter what happens it's important to keep going forward.
October 6, 2025
Despite the book's shorter length, it took me a while to get through it because it's a pretty heavy read. It is a modern Anne Frank sort of story - a 14-year-old boy keeping a journal of traumas and experiences that no person, much less a child, should have to go through, much of which is at the hands of a horrific regime. He beautifully puts words to feelings he's not felt before, feelings of dehumanization, of loneliness, of nearly giving up after being criminalized for simply wanting to reunite with your family. I would recommend this book to every single person in the US.
March 3, 2026
"i’m treated like a criminal even though i’m a fourteen-year-old kid."
"i’m sick of being torn away from people without getting to say goodbye."
"i might be a migrante and i might be a kid, but im still a person. people have names, not numbers."
where do i even begin? can barely see through my tears as i type this review; i just want to give little D the biggest hug
this harrowing and raw, yet powerful account of D’s horrific and dehumanizing experience through detention camps was so painful to read on so many levels. first, while it was beautifully written, a testament of D’s innate writing talent, it was clearly characteristic of a parentified child. i honestly felt so sick and enraged reading how mature D writes bc he takes on not only big sibling and caretaker roles, but actual adult roles bc he’s forced to grow up at such a young age (and he recognizes this as well). second, children need/crave safety and security in their lives; every time D built a community or his own family, they were ripped away from him. first his uncle, aunt, cousins, and his alpha 13 "brothers." this trauma profoundly affects him, especially as he wrestles with the meaning of belonging and home, even in thinking about his biological parents. i kept thinking about how young D was throughout this entire ordeal and i have nothing but sadness for how much he and so many other children endured and how much of his childhood he was forced to give up in order to survive. yet, i am also in awe and admiration how D always had hope despite it all (even in the darkest moments), clinging to his strong values of community both with friends and family.
as a former teacher and now juvenile public defender, it is crucial for students to have adult figures in their lives who truly care, just as iván did for D. their relationship reminded me very much of that with my former students. in both of my careers, i have seen so many adults don’t give a crap (as D would say) about kids and i am so freaking tired of it. adults are always over-policing, over-punishing, and dehumanizing kids. kids continue to suffer the adverse effects of adults’ selfish and poor decisions, whether it’s immigration laws or education policies. and this is why i do the work i do, so the kids i represent have a voice and someone who will fiercely advocate for them and ensure no adult takes advantage of them.
i have many more thoughts but its 2 am and i need to sleep but this should be REQUIRED READING FOR EVERYONE!!!! if D’s story doesn’t enrage you, i’m convinced you don’t have a heart or soul.
thank you to NetGalley & Atria/Primero Sueño Press for the e-ARC!!
"i’m sick of being torn away from people without getting to say goodbye."
"i might be a migrante and i might be a kid, but im still a person. people have names, not numbers."
where do i even begin? can barely see through my tears as i type this review; i just want to give little D the biggest hug
this harrowing and raw, yet powerful account of D’s horrific and dehumanizing experience through detention camps was so painful to read on so many levels. first, while it was beautifully written, a testament of D’s innate writing talent, it was clearly characteristic of a parentified child. i honestly felt so sick and enraged reading how mature D writes bc he takes on not only big sibling and caretaker roles, but actual adult roles bc he’s forced to grow up at such a young age (and he recognizes this as well). second, children need/crave safety and security in their lives; every time D built a community or his own family, they were ripped away from him. first his uncle, aunt, cousins, and his alpha 13 "brothers." this trauma profoundly affects him, especially as he wrestles with the meaning of belonging and home, even in thinking about his biological parents. i kept thinking about how young D was throughout this entire ordeal and i have nothing but sadness for how much he and so many other children endured and how much of his childhood he was forced to give up in order to survive. yet, i am also in awe and admiration how D always had hope despite it all (even in the darkest moments), clinging to his strong values of community both with friends and family.
as a former teacher and now juvenile public defender, it is crucial for students to have adult figures in their lives who truly care, just as iván did for D. their relationship reminded me very much of that with my former students. in both of my careers, i have seen so many adults don’t give a crap (as D would say) about kids and i am so freaking tired of it. adults are always over-policing, over-punishing, and dehumanizing kids. kids continue to suffer the adverse effects of adults’ selfish and poor decisions, whether it’s immigration laws or education policies. and this is why i do the work i do, so the kids i represent have a voice and someone who will fiercely advocate for them and ensure no adult takes advantage of them.
i have many more thoughts but its 2 am and i need to sleep but this should be REQUIRED READING FOR EVERYONE!!!! if D’s story doesn’t enrage you, i’m convinced you don’t have a heart or soul.
thank you to NetGalley & Atria/Primero Sueño Press for the e-ARC!!
January 21, 2026
“But if the experiences I describe in this book have taught me anything, it's that the authorities—cops, tíchers, administrators, agentes de la Migra, presidents—will never save us. We can expect nothing from them except cruel indifference at best and cruel abuse at worst. But the world is also full of Iváns and Nancys and Yulis; its full of generous souls who give needy kids oranges, tamales, rosaries, and pineapple empanadas; women with septum piercings who volunteer at the Casa del Migrante; men with face tattoos who strap you onto the train so you don't fall off. It's full of brothers and sisters ready to stand in solidarity with you, like my brothers in Alpha 13. All we have is each other.
Juntos somos más fuertes. If we put our faith in God and stick together, I now-from experience-that we can survive the unsurvivable.”
WOW, everyone should read this book. i’ve read many stories about immigration, but this one hit different.
Juntos somos más fuertes. If we put our faith in God and stick together, I now-from experience-that we can survive the unsurvivable.”
WOW, everyone should read this book. i’ve read many stories about immigration, but this one hit different.
May 10, 2026
I taught the stories of Elie Wiesel and Anne Frank for 8 years when I taught 8th grade English. Reading this story feels like a modern day version of their stories. Yes, there are differences. Yes, there were choices that were made, but I ask you to read this story and tell me with an open mind and heart, how are the detainment camps we have in the US different than what we historically knew to be horrific? The fact that we aren’t actively killing people? It doesn’t change the fact that kids are dying, that traumatic events are continuously happening to them.
I ask you to read this story or listen to this audiobook and imagine your son, nephew, grandson going through this story. Would you ever allow this to happen to them?
After all of this, I’m in awe of D’s perspective on the world. He says we are all the helpers who can save someone, like Ivan did for him. 😭♥️
I ask you to read this story or listen to this audiobook and imagine your son, nephew, grandson going through this story. Would you ever allow this to happen to them?
After all of this, I’m in awe of D’s perspective on the world. He says we are all the helpers who can save someone, like Ivan did for him. 😭♥️
February 27, 2026
This was such a difficult read especially with everything that is going on in this world.
To read this from a Childs perspective took my heart and ripped it into a million pieces.
The inhumanity that you read about in this is something that will stick with you for life.
This is a must read. “All we have is each other” The epilogue and Ivan’s note is a must.
To read this from a Childs perspective took my heart and ripped it into a million pieces.
The inhumanity that you read about in this is something that will stick with you for life.
This is a must read. “All we have is each other” The epilogue and Ivan’s note is a must.
April 3, 2026
This was heartbreaking… Detained is an epistolary nonfiction book of a child’s journey from Honduras to a detention facility in Texas, during the Trump administration’s family separation policy.. The journey to the border was so rough… but D’s time in the detention facilities was inhumane, abusive, and a trauma no child should ever go through.
So many people, including Ivan, helped D along his journey.. but the fact that so many personnel were cruel and insensitive …
I didn’t love the translation at some points, and I wish I had read this in Spanish
So many people, including Ivan, helped D along his journey.. but the fact that so many personnel were cruel and insensitive …
I didn’t love the translation at some points, and I wish I had read this in Spanish
January 20, 2026
Sobering and important.
March 31, 2026
I think this book should be required reading
August 15, 2026
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader. If you like this post, you might like others on that site. Consider checking it out!
---
THE POLITICS OF IMMIGRATION
Is something that I won't be addressing. And really, neither does this book, no matter what your first impressions are. (I had similar ones, too) Yes, the primary author clearly acted in a way that indicates a certain perspective on it—as much as a 13-year-old from Honduras might have one.
Anyway, the book isn't about that. I'm not going to talk about that either.
But enough of that:
WHAT'S DETAINED ABOUT?
After his grandmother died, 13-year-old David Esperanza tries to provide for himself and his cousin in their small Honduran home. His parents went to the States when David was so young he can't remember them, really. Aside from the weekly phone calls, anyway.
David finally admits he can't make enough money to keep them fed and housed, so he and his cousin decide to join his parents in Nashville. David doesn't relate this information to them, sure they'd forbid it. But he feels that he has no choice. They have great misconceptions about how long their journey will take, but it doesn't take long for them to learn that lesson.
They stop in Guatemala to spend a day or two with an aunt, who sends her two sons with them for many of the same reasons. Hope for work, hope for food, hope for peace exists in the U.S., not where they live.
It's not easy to get through Mexico—but they manage, relatively unscathed. One cousin has to turn back, but the rest make it. They get separated on the other side of the border and David spends months bouncing around from one facility to the next, waiting to learn what will happen to him. Throughout it all, he journals as often as he can.
Those journals—cleaned up and filled out a little bit—make up this book. Telling his story from before his grandmother's death through his days in the various facilities.
WELL, THIS IS JUST TOO EERIE
So, so, so many of the events that happen to David and his cousins on their journey North—and what happens to David when he crosses the border felt familiar.
There's a young character in Winslow's Cartel trilogy who goes through so many similar things—I believe he's sent North by his mother to prevent him from being forcibly initiated into a gang, so he can live with his aunt and uncle (it's been a few years, so forgive me if my details are wrong). But the more exciting events on the walk/ride through Guatemala and Mexico are pretty much what befell David and his cousins (except condensed into one person), and a good deal of the events in the States were similar, too.
I have to wonder if Esperanza was interviewed by Winslow—although I can't imagine that his experiences are all that unique, either. Anyway, it was just one of those parallels that I couldn't stop thinking about.
WHY DID I PICK THIS UP? WHY DID I KEEP READING?
A local bookstore was selling this as a fundraiser for a charity that I felt interested in supporting—and the book looked like it could be interesting, too.
I kept reading because I wanted to see how the kid came through it all—and maybe how. I wanted to see how many adults treated him decently, how he clung to and/or found some hope...something.
WHAT DOES THIS BOOK TELL US ABOUT HUMANITY?
On July 13, 2018—roughly two and a half months after he was apprehended by Immigration officers—David wrote:
The hope-giving thing there is that "until this morning"—but that event (a tícher letting them have an extra serving of Frosted Flakes—without knowing that was unacceptable) isn't common. This book doesn't paint a particularly pleasant picture of humanity—especially in the United States.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT DETAINED?
As I said at the outset, this is not a book about Immigration politics. It's about how we treat people—particularly children—who have been apprehended by Immigration officers. It's about how a children are treated little better than animals—despite everyone assuring them, in practically a gaslighting way, "You're safe." A sentence that I can't believe David would ever believe again.
There are moments of joy, of relief, of hope. David's first experience with Elote, the day before they cross the border brought a smile to my face (and made me crave some). And there are more moments with that tícher above. Like, in Henry: A Polish Swimmer's True Story of Friendship from Auschwitz to America , there are moments of friendship and happiness to be found in the camps, too.
Is the writing the best? No. But it's based on a semi-literate (even in his native language), barely educated 13-year-old's journals—you're not going to find Gabriel García Márquez-level prose here.
But the story David tells is engaging, gripping, heartbreaking, and tension-filled. You will get drawn in very quickly and you won't be able to stop reading until the end. You won't be able to stop rooting for him—even if you're not crazy about his choices (or downright disapprove), it's more than easy to understand them.
The book will exercise your compassion. It's definitely worth the (minimal) effort to read—and you'll find it rewarding. I strongly commend it to your attention.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader. If you like this post, you might like others on that site. Consider checking it out!
---
THE POLITICS OF IMMIGRATION
Is something that I won't be addressing. And really, neither does this book, no matter what your first impressions are. (I had similar ones, too) Yes, the primary author clearly acted in a way that indicates a certain perspective on it—as much as a 13-year-old from Honduras might have one.
Anyway, the book isn't about that. I'm not going to talk about that either.
But enough of that:
WHAT'S DETAINED ABOUT?
After his grandmother died, 13-year-old David Esperanza tries to provide for himself and his cousin in their small Honduran home. His parents went to the States when David was so young he can't remember them, really. Aside from the weekly phone calls, anyway.
David finally admits he can't make enough money to keep them fed and housed, so he and his cousin decide to join his parents in Nashville. David doesn't relate this information to them, sure they'd forbid it. But he feels that he has no choice. They have great misconceptions about how long their journey will take, but it doesn't take long for them to learn that lesson.
They stop in Guatemala to spend a day or two with an aunt, who sends her two sons with them for many of the same reasons. Hope for work, hope for food, hope for peace exists in the U.S., not where they live.
It's not easy to get through Mexico—but they manage, relatively unscathed. One cousin has to turn back, but the rest make it. They get separated on the other side of the border and David spends months bouncing around from one facility to the next, waiting to learn what will happen to him. Throughout it all, he journals as often as he can.
Those journals—cleaned up and filled out a little bit—make up this book. Telling his story from before his grandmother's death through his days in the various facilities.
WELL, THIS IS JUST TOO EERIE
So, so, so many of the events that happen to David and his cousins on their journey North—and what happens to David when he crosses the border felt familiar.
There's a young character in Winslow's Cartel trilogy who goes through so many similar things—I believe he's sent North by his mother to prevent him from being forcibly initiated into a gang, so he can live with his aunt and uncle (it's been a few years, so forgive me if my details are wrong). But the more exciting events on the walk/ride through Guatemala and Mexico are pretty much what befell David and his cousins (except condensed into one person), and a good deal of the events in the States were similar, too.
I have to wonder if Esperanza was interviewed by Winslow—although I can't imagine that his experiences are all that unique, either. Anyway, it was just one of those parallels that I couldn't stop thinking about.
WHY DID I PICK THIS UP? WHY DID I KEEP READING?
A local bookstore was selling this as a fundraiser for a charity that I felt interested in supporting—and the book looked like it could be interesting, too.
I kept reading because I wanted to see how the kid came through it all—and maybe how. I wanted to see how many adults treated him decently, how he clung to and/or found some hope...something.
WHAT DOES THIS BOOK TELL US ABOUT HUMANITY?
On July 13, 2018—roughly two and a half months after he was apprehended by Immigration officers—David wrote:
...ever since this morning, I’ve been thinking a lot about a story in the Biblia that Padre Juan talked about at church once in Naranjito. It’s about a man who gets beat up and thrown in a ditch by a gang, just like what happened to Damián. He’s hurt and lying in this ditch, and a priest walks past without helping him, because it'd be too much work or he’s afraid it's a trap or he doesn’t want to get his clothes bloody or whatever. The man only gets saved when a buen Samaritano stops to help him. In a way, even though the priest didn’t do anything, he was just as bad, or almost as bad, as the gang that beat the man up. Padre Juan says the priest in the story was bad because he didn’t do anything. I thought it was interesting that Padre Juan told us about it, even though the bad person is a priest like him.
The point is, there are two ways you can hurt people. You can hurt a person actively, like by punching them or stealing from them or whatever. But you can also hurt a person passively, by refusing to give them help when they need it, or by pretending you don't see them, or by acting like they don’t exist.
Since leaving Naranjito, there have been a few adults who have tried to hurt me actively—like the hombres del cartel who shot at us while we were riding La Bestia, or the pissed-off Migra guys who put me and my cousins in a refrigerator to freeze half to death. And all that was horrible, obviously. But in a way, when someone hurts you actively, the damage is mostly just physical. Back home, gangs are a fact of life, and even though I was always lucky—I was never directly targeted until the cartel chased me off La Bestia—there’s always a risk that someone will hurt you in an active way. But that doesn’t give me this horrible, whole-body feeling of worthlessness. In Naranjito, I never saw anyone get passively hurt. I'm sure some kids had parents and family who were bad to them, but in some ways, anyone's kids were like everyone's kids. Ifa kid was hungry, obviously it was their parents’ job to feed them, but if thelr parents were missing for some reason, the rest of the pueblo wouldn't just let the kid starve to death.
Since crossing the border though, until breakfast this morning, I don’t think a single adult in los Estados Unidos would have cared if I'd starved. In los Estados Unidos, the passive pain has been the worst feeling of all. Passive pain is a little harder to explain than active pain, but I'll try;
It hurts in a different way. The adults who have tried to actively hurt me aren't as bad as all the adults who stand around, seeing what’s happening doing nothing. Looking bored. This has been everywhere since I got to el Norte. There have been a million examples: the woman behind the desk at oficina de la Migra who called Papa and filled out my registration on her computer before her buddies in green uniforms stuck me in a refrigerator. The bus drivers who shuttled me and a vehicle full of innocent kids from one kind of jail to another and never stopped to ask what we did to deserve this, why we weren't in school, why we weren't with our parents, why we were crying, why we were dirty, why my foot was oozing blood and pus and stinking up the entire bus like roadkill. The servers in the cafeteria who see this food is making us sick but won't do anything about it, who won't let us grab another box of Frosted Flakes. The worst of all are the tíchers, these useless tíchers who call us by our bed numbers, these grown-ups who speak fluent English and could really do something to help us, but who just stand around looking tired and annoyed while kids like me are kept from our parents for no reason, tíchers who don’t sound any alarms when nine and ten-year-olds are passing out on the campo de fútbol because they're afraid to drink water, because they’re afraid to use the bathroom.
Sometimes it makes me want to grab a piece of cardboard and write I'm a kid, do something on it. It makes me want to grab a megaphone and scream “I’m a person! I’m supposed to matter!” But more often, it makes me wonder if maybe I don’t matter, it makes me want to collapse, it makes me want to give up, it makes me want to melt into my bunk, it makes me want to climb down the porta-potty pit and dissolve in the chemicals. It makes me never want to look anyone in the eye again.
The hope-giving thing there is that "until this morning"—but that event (a tícher letting them have an extra serving of Frosted Flakes—without knowing that was unacceptable) isn't common. This book doesn't paint a particularly pleasant picture of humanity—especially in the United States.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT DETAINED?
As I said at the outset, this is not a book about Immigration politics. It's about how we treat people—particularly children—who have been apprehended by Immigration officers. It's about how a children are treated little better than animals—despite everyone assuring them, in practically a gaslighting way, "You're safe." A sentence that I can't believe David would ever believe again.
There are moments of joy, of relief, of hope. David's first experience with Elote, the day before they cross the border brought a smile to my face (and made me crave some). And there are more moments with that tícher above. Like, in Henry: A Polish Swimmer's True Story of Friendship from Auschwitz to America , there are moments of friendship and happiness to be found in the camps, too.
Is the writing the best? No. But it's based on a semi-literate (even in his native language), barely educated 13-year-old's journals—you're not going to find Gabriel García Márquez-level prose here.
But the story David tells is engaging, gripping, heartbreaking, and tension-filled. You will get drawn in very quickly and you won't be able to stop reading until the end. You won't be able to stop rooting for him—even if you're not crazy about his choices (or downright disapprove), it's more than easy to understand them.
The book will exercise your compassion. It's definitely worth the (minimal) effort to read—and you'll find it rewarding. I strongly commend it to your attention.
July 26, 2025
A heart wrenching story of one young man’s experience in a child detention camp in 2018. His story is told through his diary entries and it is so very powerful. I can’t say enough about this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 298 reviews