My Family Divided
As a teacher I am constantly on the lookout for books that will inspire my students and that they can connect with. I sometimes struggle to know how to help some of my students that belong to groups that I am not a part of, such as my Latino students. A few weeks ago when I was at Barnes and Noble I was hoping to find some books about Latinos that they might be interested in. An employee suggested a few to me that I ended up reading this week over spring break.
First, I read I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez. I feel that this book might be a little too mature for my 7th grade students but that many Latino students would find that this book puts to words how they feel about being stuck between the American culture in which they live and the traditions of their parents. The main character, Julia, deals with this internal struggle especially after her "perfect" older sister dies and leaves her feeling like she will never be the type of daughter that her parents want her to be. She battles these feelings as she navigates the difficulties of high school, depression, and learning that her perfect sister had a lot more secrets than anyone knew.
The other book that I took home from Barnes and Noble was the young reader version of Diane My Family Divided: One Girl's Journey of Home, Loss, and Hope. This one was very interesting to me since it is non-fiction. Just from her name, I didn't realize who Diane Guerrero was but after looking her up, I realized that I am a big fan of her work. She is an actress in the hit show Orange is the New Black as well as Jane the Virgin. After reading her story and the situation in which she grew up, I am even more impressed and amazed at what she went through to reach the success that she did.
Guerrero's autobiography called
Diane was born to parents who were living in the U.S. undocumented. While Diane was a citizen, her parents and brother were constantly living in the fear that they would be deported back to Colombia. In fact, her mother was deported twice while she was growing up but managed to make her way back to Boston to be with her family. However, when Diane was 14, her parents were deported and were unable to come back, leaving Diane all alone in the United States. Luckily, she was taken in by family friends. This autobiography details Diane's struggle to not just survive but to thrive as she essentially grows up alone. We also get the story of how she found success in her passion of acting. Her plight is one that is so common in the United States right now and is at the forefront of the immigration conversation.
In thinking of my Latino students and the struggles that many of them have that I don't even know about, I hope that these books are the type that I can continue to find--and that authors will continue to write--that will help them feel seen.
The other book that I took home from Barnes and Noble was the young reader version of Diane My Family Divided: One Girl's Journey of Home, Loss, and Hope. This one was very interesting to me since it is non-fiction. Just from her name, I didn't realize who Diane Guerrero was but after looking her up, I realized that I am a big fan of her work. She is an actress in the hit show Orange is the New Black as well as Jane the Virgin. After reading her story and the situation in which she grew up, I am even more impressed and amazed at what she went through to reach the success that she did.Guerrero's autobiography called
Diane was born to parents who were living in the U.S. undocumented. While Diane was a citizen, her parents and brother were constantly living in the fear that they would be deported back to Colombia. In fact, her mother was deported twice while she was growing up but managed to make her way back to Boston to be with her family. However, when Diane was 14, her parents were deported and were unable to come back, leaving Diane all alone in the United States. Luckily, she was taken in by family friends. This autobiography details Diane's struggle to not just survive but to thrive as she essentially grows up alone. We also get the story of how she found success in her passion of acting. Her plight is one that is so common in the United States right now and is at the forefront of the immigration conversation.
In thinking of my Latino students and the struggles that many of them have that I don't even know about, I hope that these books are the type that I can continue to find--and that authors will continue to write--that will help them feel seen.
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