My (Underground) American Dream

September 1, 2016
Arce's parents lived and worked primarily in San Antonio, Texas, while their children and extended family remained in their hometown of Taxco, Mexico. Arce was a bright, outgoing child with plenty of confidence when, at age 11, she tried to win the heart of a cute boy with an old Playboy magazine. Soon after, she used a tourist instead of a student visa to enter the States and rejoin her parents, thus beginning her precarious existence as an undocumented immigrant. Arce managed to become a vice president at Goldman Sachs, a rare Latina executive. Now, by sharing the struggles she's faced, Arce provides readers with a relatable story that distills the overwhelming and complex social and political issues currently swirling around immigration. Written in an engaging, easy-to-read style and with impressive honesty regarding such difficult-to-reveal secrets as her father's alcoholism and how exactly she managed to live illegally in the U.S., Arce's memoir offers an invaluably personal perspective that will spark much-needed conversations on a variety of urgent and volatile topics.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)