In the Country We Love: My Family Divided

Product Description 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 were detained 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 bestselling author 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. From School Library Journal Teens may recognize Guerrero from Orange Is the New Black, where she plays Maritza ("If you want more pizza, vote for Maritza!"), or Jane the Virgin, where she plays the title character's BFF Lina. In recent months, Guerrero has been speaking out about immigration reform, and this book explains why: when she was 14, she came home from school one day to find that her parents had been arrested; they were ultimately deported to Colombia. Guerrero, born in the United States, was more fortunate than most young people in this situation, in that her family had a strong contingent of friends who lived nearby and who took her in, allowing her to continue her schooling. But she describes how she never truly felt at home once her parents were gone: she tried to minimize the space she took up; she always asked permission, even to eat a snack; she did household chores whenever she could; and she spent her free time worrying about how to achieve financial independence. Guerrero hid her story from others for years but eventually realized it was time to start dealing with her past and sharing her experience, in the hopes of helping others in the same situation. Her acting career has given her the platform to do just that. VERDICT This touching memoir will resonate with teens who love acting as well as those who want to know more about of the lives of immigrants and refugees, or have experienced a similar situation to Guerrero's.—Sarah Flowers, formerly with Santa Clara County Library, CA Review One of Chicago Public Library's and BookRiot's Best Books of 2016 "Guerrero, 14 at the time, was left on her own with no government oversight whatsoever, a harrowing situation that she recounts with honesty, pathos, and bravery...Guerrero transforms a truly terrible situation into something meaningful, using her story and her role as an Ambassador for Citizenship and Naturalization by the White House to try to help other immigrant families left in this terrible position."―Publishers Weekly “Orange Is the New Black actress Guerrero delivers an affecting tale of a childhood lived in the margins. . . . lovingly detailed in colloquial and well-paced prose . . . The author's candor in chronicling the lowest moments of her life reads like an urgent confessional. . . The author's greatest strength lies in her ability to advocate for undocumented immigrants and others affected by immigration status: 'I've written the book that I wish I could have read when I was that girl.' A moving, humanizing portrait of the collateral damage caused by America's immigration policy." ―Kirkus Reviews "Guerrero relates her struggle to hold her life together, get through high school and college, and find her feet in