In the Country We Love: My Family Divided

by Diane Guerrero, Michelle Burford (Co-Author)

The star of Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin presents her personal story of the real plight of undocumented immigrants in this country

Diane Guerrero, the television actress from the megahit Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin, was just fourteen years old on the day her parents and brother were arrested and deported while she was at school. Born in the U.S., Guerrero was able to remain in the country and continue her education, depending on the kindness of family friends who took her in and helped her build a life and a successful acting career for herself, without the support system of her family.

In the Country We Love is a moving, heartbreaking story of one woman's extraordinary resilience in the face of the nightmarish struggles of undocumented residents in this country. There are over 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US, many of whom have citizen children, whose lives here are just as precarious, and whose stories haven't been told. Written with Michelle Burford, this memoir is a tale of personal triumph that also casts a much-needed light on the fears that haunt the daily existence of families likes the author's and on a system that fails them over and over.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Latinx, Politics

Audiobook

First published May 3, 2016

About the author

Diane Guerrero is an actress on the hit shows Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin. She volunteers with the nonprofit Immigrant Legal Resource Center, as well as with Mi Familia Vota, an organization that promotes civic involvement. She has been named an Ambassador for Citizenship and Naturalization by the White House. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“For the thousands of nameless children who feel as forgotten as I did—this memoir is my gift to you. It’s as much for your healing as it is for my own.”

I recently watched Diane Guerrero's interview where she talked about her family’s deportation and this sudden need in me sparked to pick up In the Country We Love. And I'm so glad I listened because I was mesmerized. Within these pages, Guerrero talks elaborately about everything that led up to that dreadful moment where her family was taken and everything left in its wake.

But this deeply personal memoir starts off moments before Guerrero gets home from school to find out that her whole family was deported to Colombia. Moments before a child came home to find a home with no one in it. And out of this whole situation, what messed me up most was that not a single soul in authority looked up to acknowledge her absence in their leave. She'd been completely overlooked by her government.

“Has anyone from immigration tried to contact you?” my father asked.
“No,” I told him. Not only had US Immigration and Customs Enforcement been silent, I also hadn’t received a call from Massachusetts’s Child Protective Services. At fourteen, I’d been left on my own. Literally. When the authorities made the choice to detain my parents, no one bothered to check that a young girl, a minor, a citizen of this country, would be left without a family. Without a home. Without a way to move forward. I’m fortunate that Amelia agreed to take me in temporarily, but no one in our government was aware that she’d done so. In the eyes of the ICE, it was as if I didn’t exist. I’d been invisible to them.”

With the recent elections results in America, this memoir hit home even more than I was anticipating. The first half focused mainly on Guerrero's family and childhood and adolescence, and I loved how personal it got. I really felt like I got to know her; her hopes, dreams and fears. While the second half of the book focused on healing, forgiving, growing and Guerrero's journey to get to where she is today.

“Through mile after mile of freeway, I recalled the years my family had spent worrying about this day, the energy we’d expended fearing my parents’ arrest. I now wished we’d set aside the anxiety, refused to let it invade our every interaction, fully enjoyed one another’s presence. Instead, we’d allowed ourselves to be robbed twice. We’d trudged through our days with our stomachs in knots, our lives on hold, our hearts in our throats—and yet our worry hadn’t changed the outcome.”

I felt everything she described in this book, from feeling mortified for asking her father to buy her bras and pads to later resenting her mother for not being there when she needed her most. I'm still reeling. And above all else, this book was educating, piercingly honest and complelty open.

“Putting my ordeal on paper has been gut-wrenching. I’ve felt vulnerable through every step of it. I’ve had to look back at moments I’d rather forget and stare into dark places.”

Also, the writing style - charming and earnest - kept me engaged throughout this book. And after everything, words aren’t enough to convey the overwhelming love and gratitude I have for Diane Guerrero after finishing In the Country We Love.

Plus, I loved the photographs scattered throughout:


“Mami and Papi looking real ’70s. Two-year-old me in Boston Commons. The British are coming! The British are coming!”


“Papi and me at our favorite place in the whole world, Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts.”


“Me and Papi, Mama and Vanilla Ice—(cough) I mean my big bro Eric.”


“Me and the shiny Big Apple.”


“Some of the Orange Is the New Black crew and Maritza Ramos.”


“Me and POTUS.”



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[Book Riot Community]

I used one of my precious Audible credits to listen to this book by the beautiful Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin actress, and my credit was well spent. In today’s current political climate, I think this tale of the way this country has failed immigrants attempting to legally become citizens is very important and should be a mandatory reading for anyone talking in all seriousness about building walls and “bad hombres.” Guerrero’s parents were ripped from her at the tender age of 14 and she was left to fend for herself. In the aftermath, the government did not so much as attempt to ensure that a vulnerable teenager had a safe place to stay and a support system. When you realize how many children must fall through the cracks in this broken system, nevermind the number of families completely destroyed by it, it is utterly heartbreaking. Guererro continues her activism in immigrant reform, but if her only contribution to the cause is this book and the exposure to the system it brought, she has succeeded.

— Elizabeth Allen

from The Best Books We Read In April 2017: http://bookriot.com/2017/05/01/riot-r...

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People always mention how brave an actor is for altering their weight for a role or playing a sexual orientation different than their own but I don’t think that’s brave in the least. I think putting your life down on paper as honest and raw as Diane Guerrero has done is brave. Imagine being 14 years old when your family is deported and you fall through the cracks of the system so no one from social services or any agency come to check on you, to make sure you’re okay and cared for. This is what happened to Guerrero: an American born child whose brother and parents were undocumented immigrants. While you probably know her for her roles on OITNB and Jane the Virgin her memoir isn’t about her acting career (although it does touch on her pursuit of her dreams) it’s about the reality of undocumented life in the U.S. that never seems to be discussed while people are too busy shouting about building walls, deportation, and the terrible term “anchor baby.” From her childhood, through her teen years struggling to live without her family, the years of resentment, her serious bout with mental illness, Guerrero bares her life showing her faults, her heart, her humor, that the saying kids are resilient is not so, and most importantly her fight to thrive and succeed. I could not recommend this book enough, especially if you liked The Book of Unknown Americans.

– Jamie Canaves



from The Best Books We Read In April: http://bookriot.com/2016/04/29/riot-r...

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Holy damn, this book is good. Guerrero tells the harrowing story of living in fear of her parents being deported, until one day, when she is 14, it finally happens. This book is raw, powerful, and so, so important. As a Latina sister (also from Colombia) I applaud Guerrero for having the courage to tell her story.

— Nicole Froio


from The Best Books We Read In June 2016: http://bookriot.com/2016/06/29/riot-r...

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook.....
Diane Guerrero's high pitch voice --along with her 'girlie-girlie' personality was a little grating for me.....( not the author's fault - it's her voice). It's just that her voice - over a long period just wasn't comforting. At times the way she talked - in slang -'cool' - 'hip jargon' was a bit distracting from the more poignant issues at hand.
However, this young woman, lived in FEAR AS AS CHILD that her parents--illegal immigrants--would be deported from her. Diane was very aware of her family's situation by the age of seven. In seven more years - age 14 - they were deported.

The reality of undocumented parents (mixed with documented children),
must be a daily living hell for these families.....like a chronic illness. Never a sound peace of mind of solid security. We get to 'feel' what this is like -- the fricken nightmare situation this really is through Diane's memoir. We need to filter through other chatter as well - but we do get an inside look into one families story. There are millions more similar undocumented stories to be told!!! Now- if that isn't sad!!!

Diane's memoir is a look at how she ( an American born citizen), fell through the cracks after her parents were taken away. She wasn't placed in State Care. The people who took her parents away --took zero responsibility for Diane. Nobody checked in on her. She was basically a loss child to fend for herself.
Apparently- she is doing pretty well. -- she had personal dreams - ( doesn't really matter if they are my Dream)- good for her and anyone who is thriving!

I commend Diane Guerrero for the stand she is on immigration reform.
As for her 'entire' life story....(her interest in performing), I think it's more meaningful to her - or maybe younger folks with the same interests.

3.5

[Esil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio of In the Country We Love. I feel like I listened to two stories -- one I loved and the other one I found so so.

I haven't watched Orange is the New Black so I don't know Diane Guerrero. But I read a really positive review of her memoir on GR which made me feel like listening to her read her own story -- which turns out to be like two books -- although somewhat intertwined:

Book 1: Guerrero tells the story of her family's move from Columbia to the US, how her parents lived as undocumented migrants, how she was born in the US growing up in a household where her parents always worried about deportation, how she came home from school at age 14 and found that her parents had been taken away, and how she pretty much raised herself from the age of 14 as she stayed in the US and her parents lived in Columbia. She uses her own experience as a platform to advocate for reform in the area of the rights of undocumented immigrants. Her experience and perspective are extremely timely given the issues in the current US election, and she ends the book urging people to get out and vote in November 2016.

Book 2: Guerrero recounts her rise to Orange is the New Black fame. She talks about going to a performing arts school, a real slump in college and in her early adult years until she found acting again, endless acting classes, photo shoots and her big break. She is sweet, enthusiastic and unpretentious but I honestly have no interest in anyone's rise to stardom let alone an actor that isn't familiar to me.

Final verdict? A solid 4 stars. What I didn't like about this book didn't really detract from the importance of what Guerrero has to say about her experience as the child of parents who were deported. Her message is powerful and timely, and she conveys it with honesty, humour and sincerity. And the reality is that she has been given this platform to tell her story because of her rise to fame. So I can't deduct any points for what seemed less interesting to me -- besides, it really doesn't dominate the book.

A note on the audio: Guerrero gives a very animated performance. She sounds younger than she is, which works well when she describes her teenage years. I suspect she may irritate some people. But again I was willing to forgive a lot for the benefit of her moving story and powerful message.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As part of my Borders 2017 reading project, I wanted to read at least one book discussing undocumented people in America. Diane Guerrero is the only American-born member of her family, and when she was 14, her parents and brother were deported to Colombia. She arrived home to find an empty house, and the INS and Dept of Social Services somehow let her slip through the cracks. Thankfully the family had friends that took her in.

It would be easy, and at first I found myself doing this too, to get distracted by Diane's silly outbursts and pop culture references, and not take her story very seriously. Or to just be impressed by her gumption, which is evidential. But keeping herself together, growing up overnight, all these things took a tremendous toll that took years to surface. She may have impressively survived the teenage loss of family, but I'm almost more impressed by her survival of her college years and beyond.

I say loss of family even though her family members were still alive, because it was never the same after they were deported. She was able to visit them in Colombia and then again in Spain, but without daily contact and support, roles and familiarity changed significantly. Yet she had the understanding of how much her parents had sacrificed to try to leave Colombia, and refused to move there with them despite knowing they would not be able to return to the states. I enjoyed hearing her talk about her first trip to Colombia in particular, because it is so foreign to her, and interesting to hear her feelings about some of the religious and holiday traditions as experienced by this insider-outsider that she had to be.

(If her face seems familiar, I know Diane Guerrero from Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin. The book goes through her arrival on the set of OitNB, and could also be instructive for how to make a break in Hollywood.)

[Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I commend the author so much for how completely vulnerable she was in telling this story, not only of her parents' deportation, but also of her struggles with depression, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm. It's sadly an all-too-common story, but one that she and millions of other children in her situation may not hear or see or read about in their youth. And that's such a formative time to feel supported, secure, or at the very least, seen. The writing is true to her voice, especially as it slips into slang and very informal language. It's not writing I'm generally used to but I think it fits this narrative well. I also liked that this really didn't focus much on the 'celebrity' portion of her life, like many celebrity memoirs do, though it does touch on her rise to fame on shows like Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin. Overall a very powerful and compelling read that I think many people can benefit from.

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally I don’t think I’d be interested in reading a memoir by someone so young. Diane Guerrero was only 30 when this books was was published back in 2016, but she has experienced more in her childhood, teenage years and 20s than most of us will in our whole lives. I’ve read some celebrity memoirs that have just been very....bland. They all begin to run together at some point. Guerrero’s story is as unique as she is, though some elements of it are all too familiar.

After her parents are deported when she’s 14, Diane is on her own. The United States government was persistent in its attempts to expel her mother, father and brother from this country, but apparently couldn’t spare a thought for the minor left without a guardian. No agency checks on her, none calls—it’s like she’s invisible to them. This is the part of the story most going into the book know about already, but that doesn’t make it any easier to read. It’s heartbreaking and devastating. The fear that loomed over the Guerrero’s never seemed to go away, and it’s relegated countless families like theirs to living in the shadows of American society.

Written in conjunction with Michelle Burford, this book takes on an exceedingly casual cadence. Diane comes off as she does in real life: funny, personable, like someone you’d want to be friends with. The structure was interesting. Some information is withheld, like the self-harm, so it feels like you’ve gotten the air knocked out of you once it’s revealed. Every chapter seems to end with a cliffhanger, kind of like a true crime series right before it goes to commercial. I don’t think it needed the extra element of drama; there’s enough tension to engage readers on its own.

When talking about growing up and going to school, Guerrero seems unsympathetic to some of her classmates. While pointing out times that the system failed her, specifically, she’s simultaneously calling kids in just as difficult situations “smart-mouth punks”, as if a few sarcastic eighth graders is what’s held her school back. It’s hardly other 12 and 13-year-olds who are to blame, and I wish she wouldn’t keep deriding them as “ghetto”.

I also feel like she’s dismissive of her family members outside of her and her father. Though as an adult she does reflect on how she treated her mother unfairly, Guerrero doesn’t seem to understand why her brother might be acting out against a step-father who has made it clear multiple times he’s not going to treat his stepson and his daughter the same. And it doesn’t end there for Eric; his parents treat him differently, but so does the country both he and Diane grew up in. She’s an American citizen and he is not. Her options are limited, yes, but his are virtually nonexistent. He’s not simply being ‘lazy’. He’s had his wings clipped, but then has to watch his friends and little sister move past him in life and take opportunities he will never get. That’s absolutely demoralizing.

That said, the beginning is filled with sweet memories of Diane and her family, as she grows up in New England. Though there isn’t any part of her life left untouched by the US immigration system, this is more than an immigration story. It’s about a young woman trying to find her path, and constantly failing to. There’s a lot that Diane goes through that I think plenty of people will be able to relate to. The way in which she succeeds in the end, by landing her career-launching role as Maritza Ramos in Orange Is the New Black, feels like a triumph for everyone following along.

[Brandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was unfamiliar with Diane Guerrero prior to watching Orange is the New Black and I haven’t seen anything else she’s appeared in. While I was curious to check this book out, I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it.

In the Country We Love: My Family Divided is a memoir by Guerrero discussing the deportation of her parents when she was 14 and how this, as you can imagine, greatly impacted her life. She notes in the book how much a person changes from 14 to even just 18, and to have your parents absent for so many milestones is devastating. I can’t imagine going through that.

Guerrero blamed her mom for a long time for her parents’ deportation, based on some of her actions, and as I read the story, I didn’t disagree with her. It was easy for me to see how her mom was to blame. Guerrero herself was born in the US so she is a citizen - When her parents were deported, nobody came looking for her. She felt abandoned not only by her parents but by the government, for neglecting to check in on her at all (not that she wanted to live in foster care or anything). She bounced around living with family friends, not feeling at “home” which undoubtedly was also taxing on her. She struggled through trying to determine what she wanted to do with her life and suffered from depression, then finally the pull of performing was too strong for her to ignore.

“That seems to be every child’s worst nightmare, that your family is taken from you,” Michaela said to me with compassion in her voice. I nodded, and then told her I’d gotten to visit them in Colombia. “How is that?” she asked. That’s when I broke down.

“It’s tough,” I said, the tears toppling out before I could squelch them. “We’ve been separated for so long I feel like sometimes we don’t know each other.… There are things about them that are new, that I don’t recognize. It just … It hurts.”

Immigration remains a hot topic in the US. Guerrero provides information at the end of the book, supporting her notion that our immigration policies are outdated and discounting common misconceptions about immigrants here. While Guerrero is clearly not the only person who’s been impacted by such policies, I really enjoyed reading her story.

[Taryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diane Guerrero has some important things to say about immigration reform in this country, but she gets in her own way a bit with the tone she chooses for this memoir. She was only fourteen years old when her parents were arrested while she was at school, and after they were swiftly deported back to their native Colombia, their only daughter was left completely alone. No one showed up to check on her welfare—not police, not ICE, not child protective services. So not only did her parents disappear from her life, but it was also as if she herself had become invisible.

Clearly, Guerrero's experiences growing up as the child of undocumented immigrants were heartbreaking, and perhaps her idea was to try to inhabit the mindset she had as a teenager when all this was happening to her. Unfortunately, for my tastes anyway, Guerrero channels that immaturity a little too well, and the result is a superficial, grating tone that put me off even though, knowing of her eventual success as an actress, I tried hard to root for her.

I'm having a tough time articulating why exactly her conversational style didn't work for me, because I don't think of myself as picky when it comes to formality in writing. I've read and enjoyed plenty of other celebrity memoirs that fall short of (and don't aspire to be) great literature. But Guerrero's attempts at humor aren't clever or creative, they're just one-note riffs on a single theme—that she's a loud, excitable ditz.

It frustrated me, because she's so obviously more than that. The last chapter is a call to action, with statistics on immigration and analysis of specific policies that do and don't work, along with suggestions for what concerned citizens can do to help. It was a 180 degree shift in tone from the rest of the book, and I found myself wishing Guerrero had written that book instead of the one she did write, one that showcased her intelligence and insight instead of masking it under layers of inane adolescent snark.

Despite these reservations, I do hope Guerrero gains a solid audience for her book, because there is a lot of great information here that could be eye-opening to readers who haven't seen the struggles of undocumented immigrants firsthand. She fully explores all the different emotions she went through and how her parents' absence affected her life. By telling her story, she makes a public policy debate personal and accessible, which is never a bad thing, especially in our current polarized political climate.

More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com

[Jessica J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Diane Guerrero was just fourteen, she came home from school to find that her parents had been deported. They’d come from Colombia to New Jersey on a work visa before she was born (and they later moved to Boston), with every intention of pursuing permanent residency or citizenship. But a combination of factors stood in their way. One was fear that simply pursuing the process would put them on ICE’s radar and get them deported. They were uncertain of exactly how to go about the process properly, because they were getting different information from different people who’d been through the process themselves. Then there was the lack of money--even working multiple jobs apiece wasn’t enough to pay for a legitimate lawyer. When they did finally find a lawyer they could afford, he turned out to be a crook who took most of their savings and skipped town.

Diane’s mother Maria had a sister who had obtained a green card when she married a citizen, and she offered to sponsor Maria. The process had gotten started then stalled, and went forgotten for many years. Maria decided to revisit the paperwork and shortly after she was arrested and deported. She came back, essentially sneaking into the country, because she didn’t want to be without her family and she didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t long before she found herself in trouble again. This time, though, both Maria and Diane’s father Hector were arrested and sent back to Colombia. Diane fell through the cracks. Having been born in the US, she wasn’t on ICE’s radar but she wasn’t on anyone else’s radar either. No children’s services or social work agency came to her aid. She was alone. She had recently been granted admission to a performing arts high school and she couldn’t imagine giving up the opportunity to go to a country she’d never set foot in, and so she spent the next three and a half years living with family friends before going off to college.

About halfway through college, things started to fall apart for Diane. Her unaddressed trauma and depression got in her way, as did her inability to manage finances. She found herself without many coping mechanisms or a strong support system, broke and in so much debt. Eventually, she ended up in front of a psychologist who encouraged her to address her issues and pursue her long-held dream of performing. Armed with gradually increasing self-awareness and self-confidence, Diane enrolled in acting classes and started auditioning. It wasn’t long before she landed the two roles she’s known for, Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin.

This book was fine, though not extraordinary. It addresses an incredibly important topic--how easy it is for immigrants to fall through the cracks, the reasons why so many remain undocumented, and the very human toll that’s caused by some of our immigration policies. The ending of the book includes a call to action and examines some of the advocacy she’s done since getting her life together. This was easily the strongest part of this book, and it's why I picked it up in the first place. But I was kind of underwhelmed by her abilities as a storyteller throughout much of the book. I didn’t think that her writing voice was particularly strong and she doesn’t explore a lot with a great deal of emotional depth. It’s a lot of brief, factual descriptions of events followed by brief statements of feelings. Maybe she's not comfortable revealing too much detail in her quest to advocate, and that's fine. The tone just didn’t make a huge emotional impact on me.

I was also a little bit bored by the time she spent discussing her career. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so happy that things turned around for her and that she found success. But I wasn’t really very interested in reading about the professional stuff, so much as I was about the personal side of the story. I wish I knew a little bit more about why her parents decided to come to America and how the deportation affected them emotionally. That’s just my personal preference, though, so others might find the show biz aspect way more interesting.

3.5 stars, rounded up because I do think it gives a lot of insight into just how screwed up our immigration system really is and I definitely encourage lots of people to read it. We desperately need immigration reform. It shouldn’t just be about keeping people out, but perhaps making it a little easier for people who do arrive with every intention of following the rules to actually do just that.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

While COUNTRY sheds a heartbreaking insight into the way the U.S. treats immigrants, I felt that Guerrero's tone was a bit unnecessary & distracting to the themes of this book. (Trying to make jokes at inappropriate times ruins the powerful punch this could have given & the lacked the seriousness for such heavy topics. Thankfully, this doesn't occur over a long duration, but it is still noticeable.)

I am thankful that Guerrero sticks to discussing her family & life stories, rather than a huge chunk on her career. I have never seen OITNB (yikes) or JTV, but that never discourages me from reading a celeb's memoir. I was intrigued into her upbringing & she did that part. I enjoyed hearing about her meeting the POTUS & what led up to getting the help she needed instead of food lists & 5,000 pages of red-carpet descriptions & romantic encounters gone wrong (*cough* Anna *cough* Kendrick), & I'm glad that the most important parts were never overshadowed by acting tales.

It's clear that Guerrero is compassionate & smart, which is why I was so discouraged reading this at times because her "joking" makes her seem the opposite. She does a great job of revealing the awful way her family was torn, but I would have liked to seen a bit more time spent on the facts of immigration & how people can help, a.k.a. time to wake people up!! The last chapter is written so intelligently & so strong, I just wanted it to last. Overall this is a wonderful look into what happens to so many in this country & how disgusting we treat those who want the same exact thing as everyone else: a chance at a life. Okay, getting off my soapbox now. I don't have any other complaints than tone & wish certain things took up a bigger chunk. Do recommend if you're looking for a memoir that isn't complete junk. Thank you, Diane, for sharing your story.

[Rincey · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 star story written in a 3 star style so... 3.5 stars. I think this would've been a significantly better experience on audiobook.

[Taryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart-breaking and politically relevant memoir with an authentic voice. Diane Guerrero, actress in the popular TV shows Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin, tells the story of her parents' deportation and the devastating effect it had on all of their lives. It reveals the circumstances that many undocumented immigrants live with on a daily basis. This title will be released on May 3, 2016.

Human beings are not categorically bad because of their mistakes. They can learn from their errors and get back on track. No one should be forever written off because of one part of his or her history.

Diane Guerrero was only fourteen years old when she walked into an empty house and discovered her parents were detained for deportation. Diane, an American citizen, was left to fend for herself and no government official ever contacted her. With the help of friends, she was able to continue her education in the United States, but she never saw her parents on US soil again. After years of secrecy, even from some of those closest to her, Diane went public with her family's story in an LA Times op-ed on November 14, 2014. She also appeared on CNN.

Each chapter begins with a large photograph and I really liked that the photos were interspersed with the story, rather than gathered in the middle or at the end. It is more impactful to see the images when they are most relevant. The writing style is casual and conversational. There is slang and textspeak scattered throughout the text. I have complained about slang usage other books, but that is usually in the case of an author imitating someone else's voice. In this book, I thought it helped show Diane's personality and made her voice more authentic. I also think it makes it more accessible to a younger audience. Plus, if there is ever a moment to use 'OMG', meeting a president would be it! However, I was glad the textspeak was used sparingly. Diane writes with great compassion and perspective when discussing her family, friends, and former classmates. The central focus of this book is the plight of undocumented immigrants, but she also touches on the impact that media portrayals of race have on self-esteem and the hopelessness inherent in the poverty cycle.

Life does that to us. Deep down, we know what may come to pass, but we hope that what we dread can be permanently put off. We convince ourselves it may never occur, because if it were going to, it would've already. Then without warning, reality socks us in the face and we realize how foolish it was to believe we'd been spared. And however many years we spent agonizing about what tragedy may come, the sting is no less severe when it does.

Diane's parents and their young son left Columbia for the United States to escape political instability and to start a better life. Five years after their arrival, Diane was born. She grew up in an economically disadvantaged Boston neighborhood with strong community bonds. She grew up with a lot of love and her parents did the best they could to give their children a good life, but the heavy weight of secrecy and the fear of deportation always lingered overhead. Her parents worked hard and made attempts to become legal citizens, but it is a long, arduous process and there were many insurmountable obstacles. The prospect of doing something that would catch the eye of the authorities made it a scary process to even begin. One of the most heartbreaking sections in the book involved people who make careers out of taking advantage of undocumented immigrant's hopes to become legal citizens and their inability to report crimes. I also really felt for her brother Eric, who was caught up in a difficult situation that was not of his choosing.

The day you finally start dealing with your past is the day you stop dragging into the present.

It is difficult to read about any child going through what Diane went through when she was separated from her parents. The fear and sadness described in the chapters surrounding her parents' deportation was palpable. She describes the loneliness of living like a guest and the overwhelming pressure of having to become an adult at such a young age. A sense of hopelessness eventually creeps in and she cast aside dreams of success in the entertainment industry. The stress of everything that had happened and the lack of outlet eventually became too much to bear. She speaks honestly about her battle with severe depression during college.

Our passions don't just compel us, they can also heal us.

Reentry into creative pursuits gave Diane solid footing during her recovery. Since her career is just beginning and the central focus of the book is her personal story, there are only a few chapters about the entertainment industry. She writes about a few of her experiences on the sets of Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin. It is especially funny to read about what she thought OITNB was when she auditioned, versus the award-winning phenomena it became! However, the specter of her parent's absence always lingers in the background. She reveals the emotional blocks she had to overcome to make peace with the past and how her experiences made her a more empathetic actress. Her success in the entertainment industry also gave her a greater platform to help others.

Any cause worth taking up requires courage. And you can't wait until you're feeling bold to act; if we did, most of us would never move a toe. You have a step out in spite of the fact that you feel like the world's biggest scaredy-cat. And I often do.

The short "Call to Action" chapter at the end is the only part of the book that is overtly political and it applies her individual story to the national scale. She discusses the contributions that immigrants make to society, as well as the impracticalities of building walls at the border and mass deportations. She emphasizes the importance of voting and writing elected officials.

We don't do all of our growing up between birth and adolescence or even our twenties. If we're fortunate, we never stop.

This is one woman's story, but it is a story shared by many. I really admired Diane's strength, determination, and honesty. Even if a person disagrees with Diane's conclusions, an open-minded reading of her book could go a long way towards toning down the dehumanizing rhetoric directed towards immigrants. It is one of my favorite celebrity memoirs and I'm definitely a fan for life now! I recommend it, especially those interested in reading about the human side of immigration issues. This book deals with some difficult issues, but I think it could be inspiring and informative for older teens as well. If the topic of this book interests you, I recommend the fictional book The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez.

I received this book from the LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's program, in exchange for an honest review.

[Cande · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading challenge 2016: #23 A book that is published in 2016.

Este año estoy leyendo bastante memoir y es una experiencia interesante. Son libros, están escritos para ser leídos (dah), pero el propósito es entender, no juzgar las decisiones que están personas -no personajes creados- tomaron.

Diane Guerrero es la actriz de Orange is the New Black y Jane the virgin. Adoro ambas series, simpatizo con sus dos personajes y me maravilla ver latinas exitosas. Sí, es una mezcla de las tres lo que me llevó a comprar su libro. Y estoy segura que así lo presentan para vender más. Pero no crean que no vale la pena, o es una historia más de gente buscando dinero. Diane abrió su vida para mostrarnos qué pasa realmente con las deportaciones, puso una cara a la situación y nos compartió de su miedo, enojo, frustración y tristeza.

Ella misma lo dice, escribe su historia porque aunque ella terminó bien, hay miles de chicos que lo sufren y lo van a sufrir; ser arrancados de sus familias y no tener la buena suerte que tuvo ella. Y más que nada, porque absolutamente ningún niño merece pasar por semejante dolor.
Si piensan que es importante apoyar a Latinxs, léanlo. Si les gustaría conocer más sobre el tema de deportación en Estados Unidos, léanlo. Si creen que venir acá te convierte automáticamente en una persona exitosa y millonaria, léanlo.

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This falls somewhere between three or four stars.

Please note that the book has a co-author: Michelle Burford. Diane Guerrero is still rather young; she is born July 21, 1986. She is primarily an actress, not an author. It is to her credit that she saw the need for a co-author. She is writing this book to bring attention to the plight of undocumented immigrants in the United States. Definitely a worthy goal.

The author's youth is evident in the language used by the author. On one hand her exuberance is charming and yet at times the swearing and the hip choice of words simply come across as immature. However, I am willing to dismiss this immaturity, reasoning that this is a book about her life and she is telling us how she has experienced the events. Maybe she simply cannot tell it any other way, and she is only thirty. Still, I am not quite sure a thirty-year-old should sound this way.

The book covers three central topics - the deportation of her parents when she was only fourteen, her path toward psychological maturity with focus upon her relationships with her parents and finally her acting career. Of course all three motifs blend. The author is very honest when analyzing her own behavior and decisions. The traumatic disappearance of her parents and the total absence of family from such a young age have had psychological consequences. Fortunately she did eventually receive psychological guidance. Today she is a motivated woman fighting for immigration reforms, feminism, environmental awareness and political activism. She voices her opposition to Trump. With reference to her own past difficulties, she asks if pain has a purpose and replies, "It can if we give it one."

So in the final analysis while at times the writing feels immature, her maturity shines through too. The two jar against each other somehow. Are we seeing a contrast between the lines of Diane Guerrero and the co-author Michelle Burford? Perhaps.

The parts about her acting career shower praise on those she is working with and stress the importance of these projects - the series Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin. Here the absolute honesty revealed in the earlier discussion of family relationships is lacking. What other alternative does she have? She cannot criticize her current employers and colleagues. These portions satisfied me least, but will probably be gulped up by aspiring young actresses. It is particularly in these sections that the author sounds so terribly immature.

Diane narrates her own audiobook. She sounds young. OK, she is still young, but at the same time she here seems to be directing her voice toward a younger audience. Yelps and screams are difficult to render well in the audio format. You have to recognize a scream but not sound too screechy. Here you jump. At times her voice drones on, but on the whole it is her exuberance that is too inflated. The audiobook has accompanying PDF files with family photos. Don't miss them!

The question addressed is important – better rights for undocumented immigrants. The honest revelations about the author’s feelings toward her parents are moving and intelligent. Yet the book feels as though it was written primarily for young people, and that is not me.

[Kelly]

You need not know anything about Guerrero or her career to read this book. It's not about how she made her break or what her path to Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin were.

This is a book about growing up as a child of immigrants when your parents have been detained then deported. How do you make a life in the US when you're 14 and have no family to turn to? Guerrero's story is heartbreaking and hard to read, especially as she talks about struggling with learning disorders and mental health issues, but it's also an important one to read because, as she notes throughout, her story is the story of so, so many people in the US. And we don't hear these stories.

I read The Book of Unknown Americans last year and loved it to bits and pieces because it was a story about those very immigrants. Guerrero's memoir is that story, but told through her personal experience. These would be excellent paired together.

Should be required memoir reading, honestly, especially for anyone who cares about immigration, inclusivity, and how shitty the US government is toward those who just want to make a better life for themselves.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diane Guerrero story of immigrant parents touched me deeply. I am not that familiar with the actress, neither did I watch the show, Orange is the New Black interest me. I tried to get into it but was bored midway through the first episode, but I may go back to watch it. Back to the book, I thought that this was extraordinary but heartbreaking reading though the painful scenes. Tracing back to her childhood,Guerrero tells the story of her family persistence, faith and hard work ethic. I liked the photos that accompanied each chapter, it made the movie come to life. Despite the touching moments about her family bonding, this was really a sad memoir overall.

I honestly could not imagine if I switched places with Guerrero, she was so resilient telling her story. Although this was one of the saddest books I read, I am glad that it was told with so much brilliance and care. I am definitely more intrigued with the author now that I read this story, it will cause you to not take for granted the parents that birth you and the lessons they instilled in you.

Kudos to this author, it as a devastating but provocative read!

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Diane from Jane the Virgin and I also loved her in Orange is the New Black so when I randomly seen this book on Book Outlet, I had to grab a copy. I read it soon after receiving it in the mail, which is pretty rare for me to read a book right away. I thought this book was amazing. I learned a lot from reading it and I was shown a perspective that I haven't seen before. I really appreciate everything that Diane put into this book and it's definitely worth a read.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diane Guerrero shares her story of growing up as the child of undocumented immigrants as a way of advocating for better immigration laws. Her parents were deported when she was only 14; for some reason nobody came for her and so she spent the next years with different friends of her family. She tells both the story of her life until then as well as her struggles afterwards. It is a very important and timely book and one I am glad to have read /listened to.

I listened to the audio version of this book and I think that was the right choice given the conversational tone she chose to tell her story. But this is also my biggest problem with the book; for something that so obviously affected her gravely the tone is sometimes too flippant. The parts of the book where she was the most honest and raw were the ones that worked best for me; but at the same time I understand that she has to tell the story in her way and who am I to judge?

Especially her last chapter (her call to action) showed a glimpse of what brilliant book it could have been. I kinda wish she had chosen to use statistics and expert opinions throughout the whole book as it would have been even more impactful.

But overall, I really enjoyed listening to Diane Guerrero tell her own story. I liked how reflexively she is able to talk about her difficult relationships with her parents and how she has taken her negative experiences and built something so positive out of them.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I figured there would be some hard knocks in her past, but Diane Guerrero’s life (and particularly her response to her situation) was way more than I expected.

Diane’s parents came to the US on temporary visas and overstayed. Like many they were looking for a better life. Diane was born a US citizen. You get a glimpse of what life is like for the Dreamers (technically her brother) and their families. They are poor, but not impoverished. They try to live beneath the radar and not call attention to themselves. They work long hours. They are vulnerable to deportation and those who prey on their fears.

When Diane was 14 years old, she came home to an empty house: her parents were arrested. (While the family seemed to blame the mother, it could have been her father’s winning lottery ticket). Her trauma begins. Her father, from the deportation center, and later from Colombia, made arrangements for her to stay in the US. She writes of her humiliation and how she tried to be a good student and a perfect guest for those who take her in. She made decisions too quickly (a college, a major, loans and credit cards) and the pressure wore heavily. Her school work suffered, her bills piled up, she took jobs that put her in sleazy situations. The description of the toll this anxiety took was surprising. The book is worthwhile, if only for the description of how and why people inflict pain on themselves.

Once she got help her life got better and she gained the confidence to follow her passion. There are descriptions of auditioning, life on the set of “Orange is the New Black” and how she re-connected with her parents. She became famous.

The last chapter is about the need for immigration reform. Perhaps unwittingly, Diane told a story that crystallizes the immigration debate. Some will emphasize the cruel system took her parents away and/or the sloppy system let them overstay their visas (and live in fear) for too many years. Others will emphasize that the family did not care that they broke the law, that they had a child to game the system and if they wanted to live as a family, they could have done so in Colombia.

Like Diane’s family, a lot of the big issues will go unresolved for some time. Diane is to be commended for being brave enough about her circumstances to write about them. While not a realistic solution for everyone with a dream her story is inspirational for those with families in limbo and those who have suffered extreme depression.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most important books to read this year, given our current political landscape. My heart ached for Diane as I read her devastating story of hardship and heartbreak. Here is an unflinching, honest account of the unfortunate consequences of chasing the American Dream, and how our government often fails those who work their hardest to achieve prosperity and security for themselves and their loved ones. Guerrero recounts her painful memories with the greater purpose of encouraging others to share their stories and break the silence that had for so long restrained her. I hope Guerrero’s words touch the hearts of many others as profoundly as they moved mine.

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to Diane Guerrero narrate this on audio, which I highly recommend. This is an important read, and it was brave of Guerrero, of Orange is the New Black fame, to share her family's story. A heartfelt exploration of her immigrant family's experience in the U.S., and her life after her family was deported leaving her to fend for herself. More thoughts to come.

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

While reading In the Country We Love, I found myself relating to Diane on more than one occasion. Having been born to a single mother who immigrated from Mexico at the age of seventeen to seek a better life I saw qualities that Diane’s parents had that my mother has as well. I was born here in the states in 1991 making me Mexican-American, I have always been proud to have Latina blood. My mother faced many challenges and struggles coming to this country with her two younger brothers and her mother. Today she is a citizen of the United States, but for many years she and many others of my family members lived in fear of being deported one day and having to leave family members behind. She would always say “you know you are walking out that door but you never know if you are going to return at the end of the day.” The issue of deportation is a serious issue that many Latinos face, it not only breaks families apart but it also brings incredible hardship. My heart goes out to those families who have been affected by unfair and cruel immigration laws. I also applaud Diane for sharing her story and being the voice for many Latinos.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Diane Guerrero.
Thank you for sharing your very painful story, hoping it would help others.
Thank you for showing us your determination and sheer survival.
Thank you for sharing the times when you almost gave up and hit rock bottom.
Thank you for opening up the process that saved you from yourself.
Thank you for loving Boston (the place I consider "home").
Thank you for telling us there were some brave souls who helped you.
Thanks for saying a wall across the border is a stupid idea and why.
Thank you for saying "There is no line!". I've been saying this for years but your book was the first time I'd heard someone else say it. I married a non-citizen and learned through him, family, friends and my community, that the idea of a line is totally made up. It sounds good, but it is in the same vein as the comment I've heard about refugees - Why don't they learn English before they come here?

A book that will help Americans consider the impact of a broken immigration system, that tears families apart. It is a book that we should read.

[Francesca]

I need to read this ASAP!

[Saajid Hosein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was by far one the best books I've ever read. Standing fucking ovation.

[Obsidian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please note that I gave this book 4.5 stars, but rounded up to 5 stars on Goodreads.

I don't know how many people are familiar with Diane Guerrero, but I first saw her in Orange is the New Black.

She's one of my favorite characters in the show and I honestly was surprised when I saw this book pop up as a new release in memoirs/biographies. And I was a bit gun shy about borrowing this because I was worried it would not be a good read. I am so happy I was wrong about that.

Besides an initial slow start to this memoir (why I gave it 4.5 stars) after Ms. Guerrero starts describing her family's experiences in Columbia and also in the United States the book gets moving. I know that not everything wraps up in a happy ending, but this book really showcases the pain the children of undocumented immigrants feel knowing that if their parents are found out, they are definitely going to be sent back to their country. But, and that's the big thing, what happens to the children who were born in the U.S. and are seen as legal residents?

I don't think I could have went through what Ms. Guerrero did. My identity as a pre-teen and teenager was so intertwined with my mother and father it would have bizarre to not have them there. As it is, since they have both passed away it always feel wrong to me to know that one day I am going to be alive longer than I actually had them in my life and that hurts like hell.

Ms. Guerrero starts her memoir off with the day her parents were taken by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and then backtracks the book back to her parents lives in Columbia. Reading about Ms. Guerrero's parents losing their own parents, brothers/sisters and both of them meeting and realizing that they could do better in America was a cornerstone of the story and I definitely get why they did what they did. To make a better life for you, and for your kids, that's what all parents and just people want to do.

From there we get to see Ms. Guerrero's story and her family's story really come to life.

Ms. Guerrero was open and honest enough to let us see the good and bad about her life/parents/brother/herself. I love that she chose to do that. Lately most memoirs I have read don't feel authentic to me. You can tell when an author is holding something back from you to either make themselves look good and or they don't want to share. And I get that, but then I always think to myself while reading, why the heck did you write this book?

She took pains I think to show that she was not some perfect child or sister. That she was often selfish and angry about how her parents circumstances and then deportation impacted her life. I don't think I would have been as strong as she was. Knowing that her best opportunity lay int he United States and to decide to not follow her parents, but instead live with friends until she graduated high school was a huge thing for her to do.

The book goes from her childhood to her finally landing her big breaks on Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin. We even get to read about her meeting President Obama and how she acted like a fangirl (hey I feel here there).

I loved that the book also included pictures (one of my favorite things to see in memoirs) and the book was broken up into sensible sections. I thought it flowed perfectly after we got past the initial chapters and then I couldn't put the book down because I had to know what happened next.

The settings of this book goes to Columbia, Spain, and the United States (Boston, New York, Washington, D.C. New Jersey, etc.) and Ms. Guerrero is able to bring most places to life with her writing (except for Washington, D.C.--I get why though, she hated her time here at that point in her life) and I loved that I was able to picture myself in these places.

The ending was sad though. You read about how there's really no path to citizenship that's open right now and even though President Obama tried to pass immigration reform, as of today the U.S. Supreme Court voted 4-4 on it so now Texas lawsuit against it still stands.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is not much that I can add other's reviews of this memoir by Diane Guerrero. It was fascinating to see how Diane survived being left basically orphaned when the US Government deported her parents back to Colombia. At 14 years old, she was left in the country of her birth (USA) with no parents, and no one in the government even seemed to know or care that she was left alone.

In the past, I had taken a rather unsympathetic stance on undocumented aliens. This book has totally changed how I feel about our immigration system. I have no idea how to fix this messed up system, but something needs to change in order to protect our citizens from things like this happening to them in the future.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This memoir shows an important perspective that we never really hear about - that of a child of undocumented immigrants who end up getting deported, while she slips through the cracks of the system in America. It definitely raises awareness of an issue we need to pay more attention to. The writing was just terrible, though. She uses obnoxious amounts of slang, hashtags, and internet abbreviations on pretty much every page. I felt like I was reading a 200 page long text message. The style of the writing didn't do the story justice. The only part of the book I liked a lot was the afterword, where she succinctly and in a more professional tone explains the contributions that undocumented immigrants make to American society, the mistreatment they endure, and how nearly impossible it is in some situations to become a citizen.

[Práxedes Rivera · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though not a fan of celebrity autobiographies, my darling niece was so into this book I just had to take a look. She is a strong reader which is something that connects us.

The good: Guerrero's unfortunate plight (growing up without her parents) is an eye-opening look at the life of hard working and honest undocumented immigrants in the US. Perhaps her case is not typical, but the story is nevertheless gripping.

The bad: Everything else reads much like any other celebrity's life (i.e. growing up with a dream, a period of self-destruction, her persistence in the face of adversity, etc.), with little to make it stand out vs others of its kind.