I joined the burgeoning social media site Bluesky to stay connected to fellow authors and the vast community of readers who crave new books. Even so, I was surprised to receive a private message from Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, a writer whose work has been published by the New York Times, The Atlantic, and the New Yorker. She had read the first book in my series—The Awakening of Artemis. Here’s what she had to say:
I’ve had the opportunity to thoroughly review your book, and I must say it has incredible potential to deeply connect with readers. Your unique voice and compelling story are exactly the kind of work that deserves to reach a wide audience. I truly believe it has the power to resonate with readers worldwide, leaving a lasting impression on hearts and minds everywhere.
It was very kind of her to reach out to me. Before long, I found myself downloading her book titled Undocumented Americans. Ms. Villavicencio is a beneficiary of the DACA program. Colloquially, she is a Dreamer. Her book bypasses the political dynamite of the border and immigration law to explore the lives of the undocumented. Here’s my review:
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio straddles two worlds. She is a Harvard educated journalist who has written for the NY Times, the Atlantic, and the New Republic. She is also an undocumented resident of the US.
In this series of stories told with passion and unsurpassable erudition, she shows her strengths as a storyteller and her weakness as a journalist. Unable or unwilling to maintain the Chinese wall between reporter and subject, she dives into the world of the undocumented with the goal of telling their stories. In the end, she tells us as much about herself and her family as she does the subjects of this book.
She tells tales of those who are consigned to trivial jobs despite their intelligence, compassion, and ambition. They have no way up and no way out. She attends their religious services, cares for their children, and gives them money. This is not journalism. This is immersion.
Along the way, she paints a picture of those who have come here illegally with the primary purpose of enabling their children to have a better life. She joins families and acts in loco parentis, explaining how getting a good education is the only way out in America. When her brother, born in the USA, brings home a lousy report card, she treats him to a tongue-lashing. She wonders how he can squander the opportunity their parents have worked so hard to give him.
As I read this book, I was forced to remember my grandparents who came here from Italy over 100 years ago. My grandmother sat behind a sewing machine in what we would now call a sweatshop. My grandfather worked in a shoe factory. They were here legally. Their children started businesses, and their grandchildren went to college. Yes, immigrants will do work that Americans won’t. And, yes, their children and grandchildren will contribute to society by living, working, and raising their families here. I wonder how we as a nation can allow so much human capital to go to waste.
I also think of my son in law who came here from Cuba at the age of six and my daughter in law who came from the Dominican Republic at sixteen. Even with the benefit of legal status, they—like my grandparents—have struggled to integrate into American society.
I am reminded of my time living in the Miami metro area, where Cubans became legal residents simply by setting foot on US soil. Miami thrives as a result of their legal status. Their grandchildren have followed the same path as I did—going to college and becoming professionals who don’t speak their grandparents’ native language.
What comes through on every page, in every paragraph, and in every sentence is the very human struggles of those in the dire straits we have imposed on them.
Whatever your political beliefs or preconceived notions may be, set them aside. Read this book. And then reexamine them.
Ms. Villavicencio's book is available on Amazon. Here's a link: Undocumented Americans.
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