Family Separation

Diane Guerrero’s My Family Divided breaks ground in young adult literature not only through its underrepresented narrative of an undocumented family’s struggles in the United States but also through a political call to action that is seldom found in the genre of a young-adult-coming-of-age memoir. Guerrero, perhaps most well known for her roles as Maritza Ramos in Orange is the New Black (2013–2019) and Lina on Jane the Virgin (2014–2019), writes an accessible book in which an array of audiences can benefit (young adults with undocumented parents and allies of undocumented peoples’ rights to name a few). The cover of My Family Divided depicts an illustrated young Guerrero at the forefront, arms at her sides in a “Wonder Woman” pose. In the background we find the two cities Guerrero most mentions in the book: Boston (to the right of Guerrero) and an unnamed city in Colombia. The majority of the book takes place in the east coast (New Jersey and Boston) while small parts of Guerrero’s narrative depict life in Colombia.

Guerrero’s memoir can be divided into two sections: (1) a survival guide for young adults that are, or may be at risk of being, separated from their parents; and, (2) what life may look like after the deportation of parents from their documented children. The memoir’s first move is to explain some of the vocabulary one might come across in discussions of undocumented migration. “Deported,” Guerrero begins the introduction of her memoir, “[l]ong before I understood the meaning of that word, I’d learned to dread it.” She then goes on to explain the distinctions between detained and deported, describe ICE and Border Patrol, and differentiate illegal aliens from undocumented citizens — all in wordage that young adults can digest. Guerrero treats her younger audience with respect, never condescending in her approach. There are always moments where a reader can reflect and understand the material before the page is turned.

Guerrero starts her narrative from her teenage years where upon coming home from school a young Diane discovers her parents have been deported. From here, the memoir spends considerable time in hindsight to explain how the family migrated to the United States and their constant struggle with their undocumented status. Born a US citizen in 1984, we follow Diane in childhood through her years of understanding what privileges she holds that her parents are excluded from. For one, Diane realizes at a young age that her parents could be removed from the country for a reason that seemed illogical: they weren’t born in the US. The anxiety of deportation is prevalent throughout the first five chapters as Diane, in her coming-of-age, witnesses her parents’ anxiety and depression caused by their undocumented status. Guerrero uses this opportunity in chapter three, “Mi Familia,” to subvert the caricature of an immigrant family resolving all of their problems as soon as they enter the United States (a stereotype of immigration from the 1940s); instead, My Family Divided portrays a grim reality of an undocumented family under stress through the eyes of Diane as she witnesses her parents fighting, her brother, Eric, rebelling, and the overall vulnerability of a family that may be separated at any moment.

Diane draws lines between her family’s situations and those more privileged around her at school. Bullies, often white boys, would taunt Diane on her race calling her “wetback.” She notices that white peers don’t have to face the same stressors her family does, an early conception of white privilege and racism. At the same time of Diane’s racial realizations, her father was paying large sums of money to a phony immigration lawyer — a lawyer that collected $500 checks at a time and then fled once Diane’s mother was detained by ICE. Much like the tactics displayed in the introduction, Guerrero makes sure to guide the young reader through intimidating language such as helping the reader understand...