Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || PinterestCelebrity memoirs can be hit or miss with me. I have found that unless they are either a) part of a fandom I ardently worship, b) have a story to tell that I can personally relate to, or c) just dishing out some A+ gossip, I have difficulty finishing them.IN THE COUNTRY WE LOVE is about Diane Guerrero's childhood. She grew up in numerous poor neighborhoods with her Colombian parents, both of whom were illegal immigrants. One day, when she was 14, she came home to find that both of them had been taken away without notice, leaving her behind.Guerrero writes about her depression, and how this disruption in her life damaged not just her relationship with her parents, but many of her personal relationships to come. She talks about self-harm, her frustration with being poor, and the heartbreak of watching her parents apply again and again for citizenship, only to be taken advantage of by conmen or repeatedly denied.The end of the book is a bit more heartening. She gets into acting and writes about how she received bit (but recurring) parts on both Orange Is the New Black and Jane the Virgin. She ended up writing a cathartic op-ed piece about immigration that drew the attention of the president himself, and ended up becoming rather vocal on her pro-immigration policies and the benefits immigrants have to offer.There are two authors listed in the back of this book, so I am guessing that means that Guerrero was working with a ghost-writer or a co-writer - not an uncommon phenomenon with celebrity memoirs. I do think that both authors did a good job creating a single "voice" that sounds genuine and authentic. I sympathized with Guerrero's plights, even though I couldn't relate to them. It was amazing how much she was forced to endure before making a name for herself. I watched one of the interviews she gave and it was very emotional; she is obviously very passionate about what she believes.The only chapter that doesn't really jibe with the rest is the last chapter, which outlines Guerrero's thoughts on immigration, closing with tools for immigrants to seek out help or make their voices heard. Before this chapter, IN THE COUNTRY WE LOVE wasn't very political, so this 180 was a bit of a surprise, and didn't really fit with the rest of the book. I also think that her views will likely alienate her from a lot of readers who might not believe every person who wants to come to the U.S. should be let in, even if they don't subscribe to the Great Wall of America plan of the hard right.This was decent. I'm not sure I would purchase it myself, but I was very grateful to receive the opportunity to read it from Netgalley and the publisher. I'm also glad to see an alternative view on immigration being posted by a person of color to contrast the many (and there are many) anti-immigration and/or xenophobic views that are spewing all over the internet right now. I may not agree with some of what she says, but I value her arguments and what she is trying to represent.2.5 stars.

Reading challenge 2016: #23 A book that is published in 2016.Este año estoy leyendo bastante memoir y es una experiencia interesante. Son libros, están escritos para ser leídos (dah), pero el propósito es entender, no juzgar las decisiones que están personas -no personajes creados- tomaron. Diane Guerrero es la actriz de Orange is the New Black y Jane the virgin. Adoro ambas series, simpatizo con sus dos personajes y me maravilla ver latinas exitosas. Sí, es una mezcla de las tres lo que me llevó a comprar su libro. Y estoy segura que así lo presentan para vender más. Pero no crean que no vale la pena, o es una historia más de gente buscando dinero. Diane abrió su vida para mostrarnos qué pasa realmente con las deportaciones, puso una cara a la situación y nos compartió de su miedo, enojo, frustración y tristeza. Ella misma lo dice, escribe su historia porque aunque ella terminó bien, hay miles de chicos que lo sufren y lo van a sufrir; ser arrancados de sus familias y no tener la buena suerte que tuvo ella. Y más que nada, porque absolutamente ningún niño merece pasar por semejante dolor. Si piensan que es importante apoyar a Latinxs, léanlo. Si les gustaría conocer más sobre el tema de deportación en Estados Unidos, léanlo. Si creen que venir acá te convierte automáticamente en una persona exitosa y millonaria, léanlo.

I commend the author so much for how completely vulnerable she was in telling this story, not only of her parents' deportation, but also of her struggles with depression, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm. It's sadly an all-too-common story, but one that she and millions of other children in her situation may not hear or see or read about in their youth. And that's such a formative time to feel supported, secure, or at the very least, seen. The writing is true to her voice, especially as it slips into slang and very informal language. It's not writing I'm generally used to but I think it fits this narrative well. I also liked that this really didn't focus much on the 'celebrity' portion of her life, like many celebrity memoirs do, though it does touch on her rise to fame on shows like Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin. Overall a very powerful and compelling read that I think many people can benefit from.

I was unfamiliar with Diane Guerrero prior to watching Orange is the New Black and I havent seen anything else shes appeared in. While I was curious to check this book out, I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it. In the Country We Love: My Family Divided is a memoir by Guerrero discussing the deportation of her parents when she was 14 and how this, as you can imagine, greatly impacted her life. She notes in the book how much a person changes from 14 to even just 18, and to have your parents absent for so many milestones is devastating. I cant imagine going through that. Guerrero blamed her mom for a long time for her parents deportation, based on some of her actions, and as I read the story, I didnt disagree with her. It was easy for me to see how her mom was to blame. Guerrero herself was born in the US so she is a citizen - When her parents were deported, nobody came looking for her. She felt abandoned not only by her parents but by the government, for neglecting to check in on her at all (not that she wanted to live in foster care or anything). She bounced around living with family friends, not feeling at home which undoubtedly was also taxing on her. She struggled through trying to determine what she wanted to do with her life and suffered from depression, then finally the pull of performing was too strong for her to ignore. That seems to be every childs worst nightmare, that your family is taken from you, Michaela said to me with compassion in her voice. I nodded, and then told her Id gotten to visit them in Colombia. How is that? she asked. Thats when I broke down. Its tough, I said, the tears toppling out before I could squelch them. Weve been separated for so long I feel like sometimes we dont know each other. There are things about them that are new, that I dont recognize. It just It hurts. Immigration remains a hot topic in the US. Guerrero provides information at the end of the book, supporting her notion that our immigration policies are outdated and discounting common misconceptions about immigrants here. While Guerrero is clearly not the only person whos been impacted by such policies, I really enjoyed reading her story.

Diane Guerrero story of immigrant parents touched me deeply. I am not that familiar with the actress, neither did I watch the show, Orange is the New Black interest me. I tried to get into it but was bored midway through the first episode, but I may go back to watch it. Back to the book, I thought that this was extraordinary but heartbreaking reading though the painful scenes. Tracing back to her childhood,Guerrero tells the story of her family persistence, faith and hard work ethic. I liked the photos that accompanied each chapter, it made the movie come to life. Despite the touching moments about her family bonding, this was really a sad memoir overall.I honestly could not imagine if I switched places with Guerrero, she was so resilient telling her story. Although this was one of the saddest books I read, I am glad that it was told with so much brilliance and care. I am definitely more intrigued with the author now that I read this story, it will cause you to not take for granted the parents that birth you and the lessons they instilled in you.Kudos to this author, it as a devastating but provocative read!