Cover of Diary of a Reluctant Dreamer: Undocumented Vignettes from a Pre-American Life

Diary of a Reluctant Dreamer: Undocumented Vignettes from a Pre-American Life

In this hybrid memoir, Alberto Ledesma wonders, At what point does a long-time undocumented immigrant become an American in the making? From undocumented little boy to "hyper documented" university professor, Ledesma recounts how even now, he sometimes finds himself reverting to the child he was, recalling his father's words: "Mijo, it doesn't matter how good you think your English is, la migra will still get you."

Read more

Exploring Ledesma's experiences from immigrant to student to academic, Diary of a Reluctant Dreamerpresents a humorous, gritty, and multilayered portrait of undocumented immigrant life in urban America. Ledesma's vignettes about life in the midst of ongoing social trauma give voice to a generation that has long been silent about its struggles. Delving into the key moments of cultural transition throughout his childhood and adulthood—police at the back door waiting to deport his family, the ex-girlfriend who threatens to call INS and report him, and the interactions with law enforcement even after he is no longer undocumented—Ledesma, through his art and his words, provides a glimpse into the psychological and philosophical concerns of undocumented immigrant youth who struggle to pinpoint their identity and community.

Audience
adult
Length
short · 127 pages

Click a tag to see books like this one that share it. Point at it (on a phone, tap it) for less of it instead.

Read it? Sign in to help tag it.

Liked Diary of a Reluctant Dreamer: Undocumented Vignettes from a Pre-American Life? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked Diary of a Reluctant Dreamer: Undocumented Vignettes from a Pre-American Life. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. Open Borders Shares graphic novels, noncitizens, illegal aliens
  2. Malaya Shares noncitizens, illegal aliens, emigration and immigration
  3. A dream called home Shares mexican americans, biography, emigration and immigration
  4. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration Shares noncitizens, illegal aliens, emigration and immigration

“If you want more of the same (biography), start with these.”

  1. Krazy: The Black and White World of George Herriman
  2. Malcolm X for Beginners
  3. Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee
  4. Amelia Earhart

“If it was the noncitizens that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. Human Traffic: Sex, Slaves & Immigration
  2. Paper citizens
  3. Protect, Serve, and Deport
  4. Ethnicity, Crime, and Immigration

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. We Are Americans: Undocumented Students Pursuing the American Dream
  2. The DREAMers: How the Undocumented Youth Movement Transformed the Immigrant Rights Debate
  3. The Secret Side of Empty
  4. Labor and Legality: An Ethnography of a Mexican Immigrant Network