Just Like Us

Journalist Helen Thorpe follows four girls of Mexican descent, two who have legal status in the United States and two who do not. After completing high school in Denver, Colorado, the girls struggle to figure out what directions their lives will take at the same time that the issue of illegal immigration is becoming a contentious national conversation. Narrator Paula Christensen provides a believable set of accents and rhythms for the Mexicans and Mexican-Americans featured, as well as for the outspoken politicians who join in the political debate. Christensen's delivery enhances the characters' personalities and Thorpe's depiction of the heated political climate of that period. S.G. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine