The heart of the book is about a woman, through letters of shared experiences, reflect upon her journey from being an undocumented immigrant who came here as a young girl, to becoming a teacher. Inspiring and pulls at the heart, her thoughtful letters to her students, giving them hope and solace, shares a part of herself that leaves them feeling loved and appreciated.

I loved everything about this book. I found myself completely immersed in their experiences and empathetic to the plight of their fears, hopelessness and insecurities. Their personal journeys for a better place into a situation where many families are separated, many are alone, have no resources to begin their next chapter really presents a stronger appreciation of the life we have even with its impurities.

There’s been much debate about the subject of young undocumented people but many don’t see the pain they go through and despite their opinion, they are somebody. For all the stories you hear or see, that is the minority. The majority are parents and who selflessly are willing to risk their lives for their children to have a chance to be better than and in many cases, break the cycle of what they desperately want to leave behind.

In a climate where young people are ridiculed and pushed to a place of feeling not good enough, I can only imagine kids such as this who feel inferior to fit in. The insecurities of comprehension with English to assimilate create a barrier that can leave many feeling defeated. Its teachers like this whom they can have a connection that inspires their hopes, dreams and tenacity to persevere. You can be anything you dream you can be becomes tangible rather than a myth.

For every student that has a shared experience, this would be such a wonderful book to read. Not just for the content but the author has made herself available to connect to spare them the unnecessary obstacles and promote confidence and strength that they can pursue their dreams. For teachers in general who work with kids that English isn’t their first language, this would be a great way to get a perspective for them from the experiences of others.

Overall, this was a wonderful read. If you get a chance, this is a wonderful example of someone who worked hard to achieve the American dream and is paying it forward.

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