Illegally Yours \ Ilegalmente Tuyo (Spanish Edition) - by Rafael Agustin (Paperback)

About the Book

"What happens when the all-American high school student discovers he's undocumented? Rafa's parents didn't want him to grow up feeling different because, as his mom told him: "Dreams should not have borders." Rafa had no idea of his immigration status until he tried to get his driver's license during his junior year of high school. Suddenly, his perfectly curated and slightly racist (race-ish, if you will) American life came undone. While his parents were relieved to no longer live a lie in front of their son, Rafa found himself completely unraveling in the face of his uncertain future. Illegally Yours is a heartwarming, comical look at how this struggling Ecuadorian immigrant family bonded together to navigate Rafa's school life, his parents' work lives, and their shared secret life as undocumented Americans, determined to make the best of their always turbulent and sometimes dangerous American existence. From stories of how he used the Ricky Martin/Jennifer Lopez "Latin Explosion" to his social advantage in the 90s to how his parents, who were doctors in their home country of Ecuador, were reduced to working menial jobs in the US. The family's secret became their struggle, and their struggle became their hustle. An exploration of race within the Latinx community, Illegally Yours revolves around one very simple question: What does it mean to be American?"--

Book Synopsis

Mientras crecía, los padres de Rafa no querían que se sintiera diferente porque, como su mamá le dijo: "Los sueños no deben tener fronteras". Pero cuando intentó sacar su licencia de conducir en su tercer año de preparatoria, sus padres se vieron forzados a revelarle su estatus migratorio. De pronto, el chico que moldeó todos sus estudios de preparatoria como en los programas de televisión estadounidenses, no tenía idea de que iba a hacer --¡no había un episodio de Salvados por la campana donde Zack fuera deportado!--. Mientras sus padres se liberaron de la carga de vivir una mentira frente a su hijo, Rafa se encontró deshecho por completo frente a su futuro.

Ilegalmente tuyo es un conmovedor y cómico vistazo al modo en que esta familia de inmigrantes ecuatorianos metidos en problemas se une para navegar en la vida escolar de Rafa, la vida de trabajo de sus padres y su vida secreta compartida como estadounidenses indocumentados, determinados a hacer lo mejor de su, siempre turbulenta y a veces peligrosa, existencia en los Estados Unidos. Desde el uso de la "Explosión latina" de Ricky Martin/Jennifer López para sacar ventaja en la sociedad en los años 90 hasta cómo sus padres --doctores en su país de origen, Ecuador-- fueron reducidos a realizar trabajos domésticos en Estados Unidos, el secreto de la familia se convirtió en su problema, y su problema se convirtió en maña. Exploración de pertenencia e identidad que alterna entre lo gracioso y lo conmovedor, Ilegalmente tuyo gira alrededor de una pregunta simple: ¿Qué significa ser estadounidense?

Growing up, Rafa's parents didn't want him to feel different because, as his mom told him: "Dreams should not have borders." But when he tried to get his driver's license during his junior year of high school, his parents were forced to reveal his immigration status. Suddenly, the kid who modeled his entire high school career after American TV shows had no idea what to do -- there was no episode of Saved by the Bell where Zack gets deported! While his parents were relieved to no longer live a lie in front of their son, Rafa found himself completely unraveling in the face of his uncertain future.

Illegally Yours is a heartwarming, comical look at how this struggling Ecuadorian immigrant family bonded together to navigate Rafa's school life, his parents' work lives, and their shared secret life as undocumented Americans, determined to make the best of their always turbulent and sometimes dangerous American existence. From using the Ricky Martin/Jennifer Lopez "Latin Explosion" to his social advantage in the '90s to how his parents--doctors in their home country of Ecuador--were reduced to working menial jobs in the US, the family's secret became their struggle, and their struggle became their hustle. An alternatingly hilarious and touching exploration of belonging and identity, Illegally Yours revolves around one very simple question: What does it mean to be American?