Review: Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card by Sara Saedi

Release date: February 6th 2018
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

The hilarious, poignant, and true story of one teens's experience growing up in America as an undocumented immigrant from the Middle East, perfect for fans of Mindy Kaling and Lena Dunham's books.

At thirteen, bright-eyed, straight-A student Sara Saedi uncovered a terrible family secret: she was breaking the law simply by living in the United States. Only two years old when her parents fled Iran, she didn't learn of her undocumented status until her older sister wanted to apply for an after-school job, but couldn't because she didn't have a Social Security number.

Fear of deportation kept Sara up at night, but it didn't keep her from being a teenager. She desperately wanted a green card, along with clear skin, her own car, and a boyfriend.

Americanized follows Sara's progress toward getting her green card, but that's only a portion of her experiences as an Iranian-"American" teenager. From discovering that her parents secretly divorced to facilitate her mother's green card application to learning how to tame her unibrow, Sara pivots gracefully from the terrifying prospect that she might be kicked out of the country at any time to the almost-as-terrifying possibility that she might be the only one of her friends without a date to the prom. This moving, often hilarious story is for anyone who has ever shared either fear.

*Publisher approved request via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I usually stay clear of memoirs because they usually don't hold my attention, but I'm so happy I took a chance with Saedi's story. It turned out to be quite an eye-opening experience that I could relate to on various levels, even though we're both from different countries. 

This book is perfect for readers who are looking to better understand the life of immigrants and the immigration process and to also see things from the perspective of someone from the Middle East, Iran to be exact. It's definitely a sad time in this country where hate seems to continue to grow daily, and Sara describes how she and her family are affected, how different things were for them before 9/11, and how it is now. 

Sara delved deeply, sharing about her "Americanized" ways growing up in the country, significant moments that shaped her character, crushes, friendships, loss, body issues, and all the things she and her family went through to sort out their immigration status. And let me tell you, it was a long and difficult journey plagued with disappointments and short-lived hope. If you think being an immigrant is easy it is absolutely not. I loved that Sara made it clear from start to finish, especially since a lot of people think immigrants are here to live freely, don't pay tax, and take every job. Welp, that mindset will change once you read Saedi's story.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir. I liked how Sara included humor to sort of balance the seriousness, and her definitions of terms, remarks and also names used in Iran were quite informative. Just a really great read. I highly recommend.

About the Author
Sara Saedi was born in Tehran, Iran smack-dab in the middle of a war and an Islamic Revolution. She entered the world to the sounds of bombs exploding near the hospital and though her memory of the day is a bit fuzzy, the life and death stakes surrounding her birth prepared Sara for the writing life. (Obviously.) Once a creative executive for ABC Daytime, Sara now writes novels for teens and TV for everyone. Credits include the ABC Daytime web series What If…(she won an Emmy), the FOX sitcom The Goodwin Games, and most importantly, discovering that Scott Foley is even hotter in person.

These days, Sara writes for the CW’s iZombie and is excited about the release of her debut novel, Never Ever. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and her pug, Mabel, who pretty much outshines everyone.

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Review: The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon

Release date: November 1st 2016
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story.

Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us.

The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

*Received physical ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This one had really nice writing, a diverse setting, and an instant yet sweet romance. I don't think I've ever read a story that plays out in one day (maybe I just don't remember) but I liked the author's delivery and how much was touched on throughout. 

Natasha was a bit hard for me to like in the beginning. She just seemed too tough, too much attitude, but then I realized that the way she was had a lot to do with the issues she had with her father. And also, her family was about to be deported, so of course she would be upset. She was about to leave the country that had been her home since she was eight, and return to an island she didn't remember and didn't have much connection with anymore. While I'm from Jamaica and love that the author is also from there (yay), I do understand this family's situation. This is something that happens often and I wish more could be done for immigrants like Natasha and her brother (he was actually born in the US). So that was another thing I liked about the story--it's realistic. And even if I can't relate to the situation, I'm sure someone else will. 

Daniel was a sweetheart. I can't get over how awesome of a guy he was, coming from a family that had so much expectations and never cared to ask what he wanted. His older brother was a self-hating a-hole, by the way. Both Daniel and Natasha were from different cultures and their parents came from different countries, but there was some correlation. For instance, going back to the parents, they all worked hard to give their children opportunities, so they wouldn't have to face the hardships they once did in their home country. I wasn't expecting certain racial issues to come up in a story that only takes place in one day, but I liked that the author brought it up, especially in the scene with Natasha and Daniel's father. Man I wanted to slap him for his asinine presumption about her hair. That's another real issue that happens in society and it's truly sad. By the way, did I mention that Daniel's brother was a self-hating a-hole? Yeah, he had me seething. Another thing too, while it wasn't really obvious if Natasha's parents wanted her to be with someone black, though I doubt they cared, Daniel's parents wanted him to be with Korean girls. Yeah, that's still going on in modern times. 

The one thing about the story that some may not like or find the most unrealistic, is the way these two characters came to meet and fell in love (in one day). But I thought it was sweet and their emotions were convincing. I'm the kind of person that believes in falling for someone instantly because that happened to me and my husband, but when it comes to books I don't always like it because it usually isn't believable. But in the case of Daniel and Natasha, their romance tugged at my heart, especially when they only had one day together and who knew what the future had in store for them. I loved how Daniel got her to reconsider love and actually believe it, and believe that some things are just meant to be.  

My only issue with the story were the parts that gave a character breakdown on someone I didn't really care for, and the scientific explanations. I thought the book could do without those parts, but thankfully it wasn't enough to break my interest. Like I said, nice writing and a sweet romance. But the one thing I loved most of all was the multicultural aspect. Do give this one a read. 

About the Author

NICOLA YOON is the number one New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything. She grew up in Jamaica and Brooklyn and lives in Los Angeles with her husband, who created the artwork in these pages, and daughter, both of whom she loves beyond all reason. Everything, Everything is her first novel.

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CAN'T WAIT TO READ: Dream Things True by Marie Marquardt

Release date: September 1st 2015
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pre-order: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:
A modern-day Romeo and Juliet story in which a wealthy Southern boy falls in love with an undocumented Mexican girl and together they face perils in their hostile Georgia town.

Evan, a soccer star and the nephew of a conservative Southern Senator, has never wanted for much -- except a functional family. Alma has lived in Georgia since she was two-years-old, excels in school, and has a large, warm Mexican family. Never mind their differences, the two fall in love, and they fall hard. But when ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) begins raids on their town, Alma knows that she needs to tell Evan her secret. There's too much at stake. But how to tell her country-club boyfriend that she’s an undocumented immigrant? That her whole family and most of her friends live in the country without permission. What follows is a beautiful, nuanced, well-paced exploration of the complications of immigration, young love, defying one’s family, and facing a tangled bureaucracy that threatens to completely upend two young lives.

About the Author

Marie Marquardt is a college professor who lives with her husband, four kids, a dog, and a bearded dragon in a very busy household in Decatur, Georgia. Dream Things True is her first book of Young Adult fiction, and it was inspired by her work with Mexican immigrants in Georgia. 

Since the late 1990s, she has been doing research and advocacy with immigrants from Mexico, and has witnessed – on both sides of the border – the effects of a broken immigration system. Currently, she has the honor of working with an amazing group of volunteers to run El Refugio, a non-profit that offers temporary lodging and support to the loved ones of detained immigrants. As a part of this work, she regularly visits with detained immigrants at one of the largest detention centers in the United States (which happens to be in Southwest Georgia). They assist them as they prepare for deportation. This work is heartbreaking, but it also reminds her every day that love is more powerful than fear. 

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*Aside from the GORGEOUS cover, I'm really intrigued after reading the blurb because I've never read a story with a character like Alma's before. And this is a debut novel so I'm curious as to how the author will deliver when the plot surrounds the topic of immigration.