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Dear America : : Notes of an Undocumented Citizen

Vargas, Jose Antonio. Book - 2018 921 Vargas, Jose, Display, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Biography / Literary / Vargas, Jose Antonio 5 On Shelf No requests on this item Community Rating: 4.4 out of 5

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Call Number: 921 Vargas, Jose, Display, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Biography / Literary / Vargas, Jose Antonio
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PART I: LYING. Gamblers ; The wrong country ; Crittenden Middle School ; Not black, not white ; Filipinos ; Mexican José and Filipino Jose ; Fake ; Coming out PART II: PASSING. Playing a role ; Mountain View High School ; An adopted family ; Breaking the law ; The master narrative ; Ambition ; White people ; The Washington Post ; Strangers ; Bylines ; Campaign 2008 ; Purgatory ; Thirty ; Facing myself ; Lawyers ; Second coming out ; Outlaw ; Who am I? ; Inside Fox News ; Public person, private self ; Progress -- PART III: HIDING. My government, myself ; Home ; Distant intimacy ; Leaving ; Staying ; Detained ; The machine ; National security threat ; Alone ; Interview ; Cycle of loss ; Truth.
"My name is Jose Antonio Vargas. I was born in the Philippines. When I was twelve, my mother sent me to the United States to live with her parents. While applying for a driver's permit, I found out my papers were fake. More than two decades later, I am still here illegally, with no clear path to American citizenship. To some people, I am the "most famous illegal" in America. In my mind, I am only one of an estimated 11 million human beings whose uncertain fate is under threat in a country I call my home. This is not a book about the politics of immigration. This book--at its core--is not about immigration at all. This book is about homelessness, not in a traditional sense, but about the unsettled, unmoored psychological state in which undocumented immigrants like me find ourselves. This book is about lying and being forced to lie to get by; about passing as an American and as a contributing citizen; about families, keeping them together, and having to make new ones when you can't. This book is about what it means to not have a home."--Dust jacket.
"The movement of people--what Americans call 'immigration' and the rest of the world calls 'migration'--is among the defining issues of our time. Technology and information crosses countries and continents at blistering speed. Corporations thrive on being multinational and polyglot. Yet the world's estimated 244 million total migrant population, particularly those deemed 'illegal' by countries and societies, are locked in a chaotic and circular debate about borders and documents, assimilation and identity. An issue about movement seems immovable: politically, culturally and personally. Dear America: Notes Of An Undocumented Citizen is an urgent, provocative and deeply personal account from Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who happens to be the most well-known undocumented immigrant in the United States. Born in the Philippines and brought to the U.S. illegally as a 12-year-old, Vargas hid in plain-sight for years, writing for some of the most prestigious news organizations in the country (The Washington Post, The New Yorker) while lying about where he came from and how he got here. After publicly admitting his undocumented status--risking his career and personal safety--Vargas has challenged the definition of what it means to be an American, and has advocated for the human rights of immigrants and migrants during the largest global movement of people in modern history. Both a letter to America and a window into Vargas's America, this book is a transformative argument about migration and citizenship, and an intimate, searing exploration on what it means to be home when the country you call your home doesn't consider you one of its own"-- Provided by publisher.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Dear America : : Notes of an Undocumented Citizen submitted by gindacu on June 14, 2020, 6:26pm Very well written. It makes you realize that just working hard will not get you whatever you want in life. Being born into the right situation can make all the difference. Reading about all of the people who help Jose makes you feel hope.

Should be required reading! submitted by mickplu on June 20, 2020, 11:12am This is a true account of an undocumented citizen that despite "making it" in America, can never move beyond his undocumented status. This is very well written and thought-provoking.

Taught me things and asked me questions submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on June 20, 2020, 3:08pm The 2019 Washtenaw Reads book is powerful, clear, and thought-provoking. Both a memoir and a set of questions to the reader, this book documents Vargas’ life in the US from his arrival at age 12, when he didn’t know he was here illegally, through his adulthood and decision to live with “radical transparency” and be publicly open about his undocumented status. It taught me things I did not know, asked me questions I could not answer, and leaves me wondering what to do next (I have some ideas, but this book makes it clear to me that they are not enough).

Well-written and insightful submitted by adimarzo on June 23, 2020, 10:24pm This first-person account of the life of an undocumented immigrant is very well-written and gives insight into the challenges faced by children who grow up in the United States but are not entitled to earn citizenship, no matter how hard they work or how many hoops they are willing to jump through.

Not as expected submitted by sushai on June 23, 2020, 10:42pm Certainly his story is very compelling. I am a sympathetic reader. But I felt like the book read more like a very early draft--almost a timeline--with all the emotions and embellishments yet to be added. A friend of mine saw him in person, discussing his book, and said he was very charismatic. That does not come through in his writing.

I couldn't get into it, darn it! submitted by lisa on July 20, 2020, 2:33pm Started out promising. I think I was affected by the deadline for the community read (which is why the library currently has a zillion copies of this book). Wish I'd gone to hear the talk, even without having finished the book.

Let me add that the writer is clearly courageous and is likely inspirational to many.

An important read submitted by Xris on September 11, 2020, 10:32pm I'm glad I read this book to help educate me about how broken the immigration system is. I'm glad he's a journalist, so he can report on this situation that he's going through, along with 11 million others. I'm also glad he's speaking out by writing articles to document what's going on in America. I hope we change how things are done, so that people can get a path to citizenship.

Putting a face to a timeless issue submitted by Bethybeth07 on July 27, 2022, 10:43pm Excellent read. Gives you the perspective of an undocumented citizen. It is so easy to listen to big news outlets talk about how illegal immigration works but to see it from the view of an adult who was moved here as a child gives you a whole new view.

Thought provoking submitted by JennJenn on August 3, 2022, 10:21am This book was thought provoking and eye-opening, especially in terms of the question "why don't they just do what they need to become legal?". It also gives great insight into the help that is sometimes needed to make a go of things, especially as an undocumented immigrant.

“Why don’t you just become legal?” submitted by Cherie on July 11, 2023, 12:46pm “Dear America” is the heart-wrenching biography of a man struggling to identify himself as an American citizen when everything is working against him. Vargas’ journey illustrates just how difficult the path to citizenship can be, even for someone as well-connected as himself.

“Why don’t you just become legal?” It’s the question at the heart of this book because it’s the muddiest gray area for those who are stuck in legal limbo like Vargas. People think citizenship is black and white; like you can just go to the DMV, check a box, and it’s done. People act as if non-citizenship is a willful choice, an act of defiance, and treat you as a criminal when it’s not a matter of choice, it’s a matter of ability. And even when people learn the truth of the matter, there are those who are too un-empathetic, obstinate, and close-minded. Those who think self-deportation is what it comes down to when citizenship can’t be obtained. This book looks those people directly in the eyes and asks about home, identity, and what makes you American.

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PUBLISHED
New York, NY : Dey St., [2018]
Year Published: 2018
Description: 232 pages ; 20 cm
Language: English
Format: Book

ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
9780062851352
9780062851345

SUBJECTS
Vargas, Jose Antonio.
Journalists -- Biography.
Undocumented immigrants -- United States.
Undocumented immigrants -- Family relationships.
Filipino Americans -- Biography.
Motion picture producers and directors -- Biography.
United States -- Emigration and immigration.
Autobiographies.