My Boy Will Die of Sorrow: A Memoir of Immigration From the Front Lines
by Efrén C. Olivares
Great book (1/11/2023)
Reflects on the immigrant experience then and now, on the impact of separation on families, and how the act of separation itself adds another layer to immigration status. The author discusses the law and immigration policy in easy-to-understand language, and makes the case that this is nothing new. This is the daily cruelty that most migrants and their families face. For example, children were kept in cages as they passed through Ellis Island, and Japanese Americans were forcibly separated from their families and interned during World War II. For example, children were kept in cages as they passed through Ellis Island, and Japanese Americans were forcibly separated from their families and interned during World War II. He combines his and others' immigration stories with the realities of law and policy. Olivares intentionally lets readers through their assumptions about what nationhood means in America, and makes us question our own empathy and compassion. He exposes the inhumane laws and arguments behind policy, bureaucracy and decision-making.