Introduction
One of the functions of literary works is to draw readers’ attention to a particular problem. Although authors can analyze a single issue, they can offer unique perspectives, providing more detail and greater depth. The book The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is an example of a unique narrative of the Latinx people’s experience. She uses the concept of mixing genres and literary techniques to draw the reader’s attention to the problem the book describes. Villavicencio’s book offers an opportunity to examine the challenges faced by Latinx immigrants and how the author’s attitude toward the issue is conveyed through the text.
Book Review
Themes
First, it is necessary to pay attention to what the work under study centers on. In The Undocumented Americans, the author Karla Cornejo Villavicencio addresses the challenges of Latinx identity and liminality. In her essay on undocumented Americans, she examines immigrants and delves deep into the issues they face upon arrival and as they try to build a life in a new place (Alex 109). She reveals how they are mistreated and how there is a liminal space between belonging and exclusion, along with struggling with their undocumented status in the United States.
Within the book, Villavicencio pays special attention to the uncertainty of an undocumented person’s life. This includes the risk of mental health illness as they face many obstacles, such as family separation and traumatic deportations, along with many other tragic events, all while just trying to survive. She provides personal narratives that reveal the impact that living dual identities has on their psychological well-being and how they lack access to affordable health care.
On top of everything else, they have this burden of stereotypes. This circumstance causes their separation from society and the emergence of bias. They are seen as “speechless, invisible, unregistered, and non-existent by definition” (Canelo 1). It leaves them afraid of deportation since the US wants to keep these individuals out of the state as much as possible.
The Author’s Perspective
The Undocumented Americans introduces the Latinx people, culture, and events that have not been captured before. To do this, she uses various literary tools and techniques that not only make the text more engaging but also attract the reader to the real problems of individuals. Villavicencio provides a nuanced and multifaceted view of the lives of undocumented immigrants in the United States rather than perpetuating assumptions and stereotypical narratives. She expresses in the first chapter how undocumented Americans are only good for hard labor work and how many of them are uneducated or illiterate (Villavicencio 13). As a result, Americans take advantage of them because they lack sufficient knowledge of American life or their rights.
First-Hand Accounts
Providing an honest account of immigrants in books is particularly valuable. This adds greater realism and authenticity, making the book more authentic. Moreover, the author uses transitions from nonfiction to fiction that blend elements of reporting and personal narrative. Through this approach, Villavicencio highlights the real-life experiences of people who have decided to immigrate. She shows that over the years, she has heard how people try to describe undocumented Americans by their appearance and only as a source of labor (Villavicencio 13).
At the same time, she sometimes turns to narration, which is an example of fiction, and sometimes switches to the reporting format, which is inherent in non-fiction. The refusal to see people deeper than their outward signs also contributes to the notion of liminality. In other words, they cannot fully become part of society and remain on the edge because they are not recognized as Americans.
People and the state are allowing individuals to dehumanize while reducing immigrants to a set of traits and characteristics. Villavicencio counters those assumptions through her interviews with real-life undocumented Americans, each story distinct and complex. She also reveals a little about her identity as an undocumented American.
She discloses her struggles with mental health illness, all because of the traumatic experience she had as a child. Her parents left her behind in Ecuador for 5 years while they immigrated to the US (Villavicencio 9). They did that to establish a life out there so they could later bring Villavicencio to the US.
Literary Techniques
The author portrays people and herself as individuals with stories, dreams, struggles, and achievements, so readers can recognize the unnoticed events they face. To do this, she uses literary devices such as the metaphor of borders and boundaries. Mentioning the border between countries, she touches on the topic of separated families and the difficulties of accepting a new place due to a disconnect from relatives (Villavicencio 16).
Thus, she highlights the seriousness and complexity of the problem of non-acceptance and the barriers immigrants face in assimilating into a new society, thereby contributing to the book’s concept of liminality. The novel allows readers to recognize the shared experiences of mistreatment, trauma, and resilience faced by those who immigrate to the US. By doing so, she employs a range of writing techniques to vividly convey the complex experiences of living in the liminal space of being undocumented.
One technique she employs is her realism, which creates a vivid scene and uses characters to compare an undocumented American to an American. Villavicencio introduces undocumented Americans using anecdotes, allowing her audience to feel the raw emotions and complex realities of being in between two worlds. An example of this technique is part of the interview: “If you left America, what would you miss? I ask him/ I’d miss the money, Julián says/ Me too, I say/ We both laugh” (Villavicencio 17). Together with elements of nonfiction and fiction, she creates a narrative tapestry that reflects the in-between of these individuals’ faces.
Special attention is also paid to the use of the American Dream symbol. This problem is especially relevant for literature that examines the experiences and complexities of immigrant life in America. Therefore, in the book, this symbol is deconstructed by providing real accounts of undocumented Americans.
Individuals telling their stories reveal the inherent illusion of this dream. They expected “better working hours, better treatment, a better environment” (Villavicencio 94). It is destroyed due to the disparity and prejudice experienced by many Latinx individuals striving for a better life. Thus. The author attempts to show the reader not only the difficulties that arise in immigrants’ lives but also how they affect their physical and mental states and their ability to struggle to achieve what they want.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Villavicencio’s book The Undocumented Americans is a masterfully presented account of immigrants’ daily struggles in America. She resorts to using transitions from fiction to nonfiction, which gives the text dynamics and depth. An even more significant contribution is the use of literary tools such as metaphor and symbols, which emphasize the concept of liminality running through the lives of undocumented Americans.
Works Cited
Alex, Stacey. “Undocumented Latinx Life-Writing: Refusing Worth and Meritocracy.” Prose Studies, vol. 41, no. 2, 2020, pp. 108-128.
Canelo, Maria José. “Notes on Undocumented Immigrants and Affective Citizenship.” Oficina do CES, vol. 459, 2021, pp. 1-16.
Villavicencio, Karla Cornejo. The Undocumented Americans. One World, 2021.