by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
First published 2020
Karla Cornejo Villavicencio was on DACA when she decided to share her own story as an undocumented immigrant. Embarking on a cross-country trip, she gives voice to the singular, effervescent characters often reduced to political pawns or nameless laborers. From the Ground Zero cleanup workers in New York to the botanica owners in Miami, Cornejo Villavicencio uncovers remarkable stories of resilience, madness, and death. Through it all, she grapples with the biggest questions of love, duty, family, and what it truly means to be an American.
Genres: american, social-issues, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-narrative, social-commentary
Setting: Cleveland, Flint, Ground Zero, Miami, New Haven, Staten Island, United States
Period: 21st-century
208 pages · Paperback · Swift Press