Someone Like Me: How One Undocumented Girl Fought for Her American Dream
Young immigrant achieves her dreams in inspiring memoir.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Julissa Arce's memoir, Someone Like Me: How One Undocumented Girl Fought for Her American Dream, begins in Mexico, where Arce lives with her two older sisters while her parents spend weeks and sometimes months away, working throughout Mexico and then in the United States. When Arce comes to live with them in San Antonio, Texas, she becomes one of the millions of "Dreamers," young undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. But it isn't until she begins to apply to colleges that Arce, an honor student, comes to fully realize what being undocumented means for her future. Inspired by her parents' strong work ethic, she never gives up, graduating from college with honors and becoming a vice-president at a multinational investment bank before finally becoming an American citizen in 2014. While Arce's parents were great role models when it came to working hard and valuing the importance of a good education, she writes honestly (but not graphically) about the dark side of her family life. Her father became an alcoholic who would regularly hit her.
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What's the Story?
Julissa Arce begins SOMEONE LIKE ME in her hometown of Taxco, Mexico, where she lives with her parents and two older sisters. Her parents work tirelessly to be able to send all three girls to a private school, but this takes them away from home for long stretches of time, and the girls are left behind to be cared for by their grandmother and a nanny. Arce struggles to fit in, never feeling as if she belongs in the world of her wealthy classmates or with neighborhood kids who attend the local school. Always ambitious and looking for ways to improve life for the family, her parents begin spending months away in the United Sates, selling silver jewelry at trade shows. In fifth grade, Arce gets into trouble at school and her parents decide she'll come to the U.S. (on a tourist visa) and live permanently with them. She struggles once again to fit in again as she's teased and sometimes taunted for being Mexican throughout her school years. Then when she's 14, Arce is told that her visa has long expired and she's an "illegal," an undocumented immigrant. As Arcane begins applying to colleges, it looks as if her illegal status will shatter the dreams she has for her future. Despite graduating high school with honors, all her applications are rejected because she can't provide a social security number. Only a recent law allowing undocumented students to attend college in Texas opens a door for her.
Is It Any Good?
Julissa Arce puts a relatable face on America's Dreamers, showing readers that one of them could well be a classmate, a teammate, or even one of their closest friends. Someone Like Me is more than simply an inspiring personal story, it offers valuable lessons for young readers on the importance of hard work, not prejudging someone by where they come from or how well they speak English, and never giving up on your dreams.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the assumptions people make about author Julissa Arce in Someone Like Me. Do students in your school ever make snap judgements ("He's probably not very smart" or "I'll bet she's a trouble maker") about someone simply because of where they come from or the color of their skin?
Arce's parents teach her important lessons about the value of working really hard and never giving up. What's the most important lesson you've learned from your family?
What do you think should happen to the estimated 2.5 million young undocumented immigrants who, like Arce, were brought to the United States illegally as children? Should they be allowed to stay and become citizens, or should they be deported?
Book Details
- Author: Julissa Arce
- Genre: Autobiography
- Topics: Book Characters, Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: September 18, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 10 - 14
- Number of pages: 240
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: September 25, 2019
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