My Family Divided - by Diane Guerrero & Erica Moroz (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Diane Guerrero, the star of Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin, presents her personal story in this middle-grade memoir about her parents' deportation and the nightmarish struggles of undocumented immigrants and their American children.

Before landing a spot on the megahit Netflix show Orange is the New Black; before wow-ing audiences as Lina on Jane the Virgin; and before her incredible activism and work on immigration reform, Diane Guerrero was a young girl living in Boston. One day, while Guerrero was at school, her undocumented immigrant parents were taken from their home, detained, and deported. Guerrero's life, which had been full of the support of a loving family, was turned upside down.

Reflective of the experiences of millions of undocumented immigrant families in the United States, Guerrero's story in My Family Divided, written with Erica Moroz, is at once heartbreaking and hopeful.

Praise for My Family Divided:

"This memoir's greatest strength is that it captures how life moves on even after a great loss. . .To read this book is to understand. . .how a child's resilience can be as heartbreaking as it is inspirational." --The New York Times Book Review

"Eminently accessible. . . This is a timely reminder that none of us lives in a vacuum and that deportation affects more than just the deportee." --Kirkus Reviews

Review Quotes

In the Country We Love:

One of Chicago Public Library and BookRiot's Best Books of 2016

"Guerrero transforms a truly terrible situation into something meaningful, using her story and her role as an Ambassador for Citizenship and Naturalization by the White House to try to help other immigrant families left in this terrible position." --Publishers Weekly

"Lovingly detailed in colloquial and well-paced prose . . . The author's candor in chronicling the lowest moments of her life reads like an urgent confessional. . . The author's greatest strength lies in her ability to advocate for undocumented immigrants and others affected by immigration status." --Kirkus Reviews

"Offering readers the story she needed to hear as a child, Guerrero shines a light on this country's flawed immigration system, eloquently calling for reform without diminishing her appreciation for the opportunities US citizenship has afforded her. A timely and enlightening read." --Booklist

"In the Country We Love is the poignant, candid, and often shocking account of the challenges Guerrero faced as a citizen child of undocumented parents" --Kirkus Reviews [special cover feature]

"I could not recommend this book enough, especially if you liked The Book of Unknown Americans." --Book Riot [best books of April 2016]

"In the Country We Love is a necessary story for our times...It is a heartrending memoir that humanizes the story of America's immigration policies." --San Antonio News-Express

"Advocating on behalf of the undocumented immigrants in our country, Guerrero's memoir is a well-written tell-all of a woman who traveled a difficult path to stardom." --ReadItForward.com

About the Author

Diane Guerrero is an actress on the hit shows Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin. She volunteers with the non-profit Immigrant Legal Resource Center, as well as with Mi Familia Vota, an organization that promotes civic involvement. She was named an ambassador for citizenship and naturalization by the Obama White House. She lives in New York City.

Erica Moroz is the New York Times-bestselling co-author and ghostwriter of numerous young reader adaptations, including Enrique's Journey: Adapted for Young People by Sonia Nazario, Quiet Power: The Secret Strength of Introverted Kids by Susan Cain, and Just Mercy: Young Reader's Edition by Bryan Stevenson. She lives in New York.