Summary of Karla Cornejo Villavicencio's The Undocumented Americans

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 My parents, who are New Yorkers, came to the United States to pay off a debt. They left me as an economic assurance. I have never thought about it enough to ask them why they chose to come to America, or why they chose to leave me behind. #2 I am a New York City kid, but I am from Queens. Queens is the most diverse borough in the city. When I walk through my neighborhood, I will encounter a Polish child with a toy gun who will shoot at my head, a Puerto Rican kid who will rap along to a song on his phone, some Egyptian teenagers who will refuse to move out of my way, and some Mexican guys who will invite me to join a pyramid scheme. #3 I found that the same thing is generally true for the other boroughs as well, except for one that I was always curious about: Staten Island, New York’s richest, whitest, and most suburban borough. It is almost 80 percent white. #4 There are many estimates of the number of day laborers in New York City, from a little under six thousand to more than ten thousand. They are typically men, and they get paid in cash.