Just Like Us

Just Like Us
Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Total Pages : 432
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781439166253
ISBN-13 : 1439166250
Rating : 4/5 (250 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Just Like Us by : Helen Thorpe

Download or read book Just Like Us written by Helen Thorpe and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2009-09-22 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this eye-opening and poignant true story about the experiences of four young Mexican women coming of age in Denver—two who have legal documentation, two who don’t—Helen Thorpe “puts a human face on a frequently obtuse conversation” (O, The Oprah Magazine), exploring themes of identity and friendship and exposing the reality of life for many undocumented immigrants seeking the American dream. Just Like Us tells the story of four high school students whose parents entered this country illegally from Mexico. We meet the girls on the eve of their senior prom in Denver, Colorado. All four of the girls have grown up in the United States, and all four want to live the American dream, but only two have documents. As the girls attempt to make it into college, they discover that only the legal pair sees a clear path forward. Their friendships start to divide along lines of immigration status. Then the political firestorm begins. A Mexican immigrant shoots and kills a police officer. The author happens to be married to the Mayor of Denver, a businessman who made his fortune in the restaurant business. In a bizarre twist, the murderer works at one of the Mayor’s restaurants—under a fake Social Security number. A local Congressman seizes upon the murder as proof of all that is wrong with American society and Colorado becomes the place where national arguments over immigration rage most fiercely. The rest of the girls’ lives play out against this backdrop of intense debate over whether they have any right to live here. Just Like Us is a coming-of-age story about girlhood and friendship, as well as the resilience required to transcend poverty. It is also a book about identity—what it means to steal an identity, what it means to have a public identity, what it means to inherit an identity from parents. The girls, their families, and the critics who object to their presence allow the reader to watch one of the most complicated social issues of our times unfurl in a major American city. And the perspective of the author gives the reader insight into both the most powerful and the most vulnerable members of American society as they grapple with the same dilemma: Who gets to live in America? And what happens when we don’t agree?


Just Like Us Related Books

Just Like Us
Language: en
Pages: 432
Authors: Helen Thorpe
Categories: Social Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2009-09-22 - Publisher: Simon and Schuster

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In this eye-opening and poignant true story about the experiences of four young Mexican women coming of age in Denver—two who have legal documentation, two wh
Murder Town, USA
Language: en
Pages: 222
Authors: Yasser Arafat Payne
Categories: Social Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2023-07-14 - Publisher: Rutgers University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Far too many poor Black communities struggle with gun violence and homicide. The result has been the unnatural contortion of Black families and the inter-genera
YADIRA
Language: en
Pages: 88
Authors: David Chapman
Categories:
Type: BOOK - Published: 2021-06-24 - Publisher: Matador

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"These stories are full of love, light and hope.With Nature surrounding and embracing us, mysteries can shine forth through our imagination.The two sisters Arya
International Handbook of Research on Children's Literacy, Learning and Culture
Language: en
Pages: 597
Authors: Kathy Hall
Categories: Education
Type: BOOK - Published: 2016-10-31 - Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The International Handbook of Research in Children's Literacy, Learning and Culture presents an authoritative distillation of current global knowledge related t
Learning a New Land
Language: en
Pages: 437
Authors: Carola Suárez-Orozco
Categories: Education
Type: BOOK - Published: 2010-09-01 - Publisher: Harvard University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

One child in five in America is the child of immigrants, and their numbers increase each year. Very few will return to the country they barely remember. Who are