"Why are some people called 'expats' while others are called 'immigrants'? What's the difference between a 'settler' and a 'refugee'? Language itself is a barrier to information, a fortress against understanding the inalienable instinct of human beings to move."
Dear America comes to us from the "Most Famous Undocumented Immigrant" in the U.S., Jose Antonio Vargas. In this memoir, Vargas, originally from the Philippines, talks to us about his life immigrating to and living in the U.S. We learn about his immigration story and the part of his childhood where he was unaware of his undocumented status, as well as the abrupt end to that childhood after learning the truth from an unlikely source. Jose walks us through the difficult choices and lies he has had to tell to continue living in the place he has come to know as home and pursue his chosen career (journalism). Jose’s story is deeply personal and moving. However, for someone with a career as a writer, we thought some of his accounts were disjointed and other parts of the book could have used a heavy hand from an editor. Nevertheless, given how poignant and relevant his story is, we highly recommend.