The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
Book Review
After reading The Beast - a nonfiction book about the journey of Central American migrants to the US - The Undocumented Americans was the perfect next read. While this book is completely heartbreaking, it’s one that every American should read.
The author, who herself is an undocumented American and a Harvard graduate, travels the country to interview other undocumented Latinx immigrants. Throughout her stateside travels, she talks to workers who helped clean up ground zero after 9/11 and travels to Flint, Michigan to speaks with those who were unable to acquire clean water - when the city’s water supply was infected with dangerous levels of lead - due to their lack of ID. She also visits Miami to learn about medicinal herbs and Connecticut where she interviews a man seeking sanctuary inside a church. Throughout the book, she weaves in her own stories about the challenges of growing up undocumented and on DACA, as well as her mental health struggles and much more.
This book opened my eyes to a number of different issues undocumented Americans face that I honestly never even thought about prior to reading this book. For example, it never occurred to me that undocumented Americans can not obtain a drivers license or health insurance. In a country where healthcare is exorbitantly expensive, the book details the experiences of those who fall sick and are forced to rely on homeopathic remedies or black market pharmaceuticals…or worse, are refused care for critical injuries and left to die. Furthermore, without the ability to drive legally, many undocumented immigrants live in fear of being pulled over and deported.
This book makes it very clear that the obstacles immigrants face do not end upon crossing the border. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book! At just 172 pages, it’s a fast, informative and gut-wrenching read.
