We Are Here to Stay: Voices of Undocumented Young Adults

In lengthy interviews, nine young adults recount their experiences of immigrating to the United States from Colombia, Ghana, Mexico, Independent Samoa, and South Korea and living as undocumented noncitizens. In an opening note to readers, Kuklin (Beyond Magenta) explains that the book was originally meant to include portraits of the subjects, but the 2017 repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, resulted in the decision to conceal the individuals’ identities—movingly (and dishearteningly), empty frames stand in lieu of the portraits. Kuklin presents the exact words of the contributors, which plainly describe their unique family struggles, the challenges of adapting to a new culture, and the reasons behind their coming to the United States—namely poverty, pervasive violence, the desire for better lives, and escaping tyrannical governments or trafficking. Kuklin includes haunting photos from her journey, guided by human rights activist John Fife, to the border between Nogales, Mexico, and Norales, Arizona: “This author needed to see the border in order to write about it,” she explains. This is a poignant, powerful, and timely volume. Ages 14–up. (Jan.)