BOOK REVIEW { In The Country We Love by DIANE GUERRERO }

This book is important. This story is about the deportation of parents, this is the story of a child who grew into a woman who dealt with her parents being taken while she was at school. This is an American story, Guerrero hopes to humanize immigration realities and help end the normalization of hate, seperation and barriers.

It has been a while since I did a book review, sorry literary lovers! Mostly I've been reading text books and writing education papers. Any way, over holiday break I finally got to listen to Diane Guerrero's story. I almost bought this book when I saw it's pretty cover at B&N, but listening to Guerrero read the words that Michelle Burford helped her get published was a captivating experience. Some books are just better read aloud by the author. Hearing her emotions come through helped me connect, her experiences are gripping and the kind of sad that is easier to avoid - so having this voice that I know from ORANGE really pulled me all the way in. Oh right and for those of you who haven't read or watched ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (you can read more about what I think about it HERE) or maybe you possibly know Guerrero from the other hit show she is on - JANE THE VIRGIN. I won't get into details about how a girl basically orphaned by the government of 'this country we love' went from parentless in the US to being a famous TV star, that is what the book is for. 

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Guerrero was smart in that she steers clear of all statistics or political discourse until the very end of the book. So don't worry this is definitely a 'story, story' - full of emotion that will hook you in before anything remotely dense is thrown at you. The writting leaves a bit to be desired, but the performance (Guerrero narrates the book herself on Audible) is tremendous, she uses voices, lots of personality and a tone that immediately makes your aware of her vulnerability. 

I was a fan of ORANGE but I didn't really take notice of Guerrero until I saw her on the Chelsea Show...

Watching this interview again after finishing the book made me cry. Guerrero nervously laughed through the interview, probably hoping she wouldn't cry. I definitely also cried a few times during the book but it's hard to watch her smile through it and I applaud Chelsea for forcing a serious conversation and for Guerrero who found her stride and finished the short interview with strength and poise. 

​The book ends on a call to action, with several levels. Hearing Guerrero urge people to vote on November 8th, again, made me cry. Because of course, I know what happened on that day. Voting remains to be one of the most influential things that each individual citizen can do each and every time that an election is help, there is no election too small - so Diane, thanks for becoming my friend through this book and for taking action on issues that make my heart sing with their values and hope. 

Immigration is a topic that a lot of people take an inhumane approach to, people take the child and family factors out of the equation in order to maintain an 'what's our's is our's' mentality. I think that stories like this, honesty and understanding will undoubtly be built upon. Please check this book out, gift it to a friend, read, listen and educate yourself about the plights of people who dream of being a citizens in 'The Country We Love,' I believe that together with empathy and intelligence we can find a pathway to get them there. 

​xox, kp

Just one of the photos from the PDF file included with Audible purchase <3