ReView: Illegally Yours by Rafael Agustin

“Wait…we’re illegal.”

So begins one of the defining moments of Rafael Agustin’s life as an unknowingly undocumented immigrant to the United States, as told in his witty and candid memoir, Illegally Yours. 

Agustin (@mrrafaelagustin) takes us on a journey from his time growing up as the son of doctors in Ecuador, to their journey moving to the U.S. for better opportunity. To say that moving to the U.S. throws everything Agustin knew about his world into question is an understatement.  He’s forced to navigate consistently changing schools/homes, race and identity, and most challenging of all, his undocumented status. 

As if growing up isn’t hard enough (puberty, school, peer pressure), Agustin is always trying to find a balance between trying to fit in, be liked and find a place for himself with also being on edge, always being on his best behavior, simply because he doesn’t want to risk the livelihood of himself and his family. I really appreciated how this was covered in Illegally Yours, with Agustin being able to look at the story through his eyes at the time and now, with additional clarity.  

Agustin’s commanding, hilarious voice demands your attention. Each chapter documents a memorable piece of his life; each chapter is lovingly and comically told but never afraid to challenge and educate. It’s clear by the way Agustin tells his story that there is a fire inside him that has always burned bright and that nothing, not even the many, many hurdles he’s dealt with, can put out.

Everyone should read this book. There are so many important discussions that can start by reading it and I hope that as more people do, we can look at the flawed systems that we have in place and think about what we can do to make it easier, not harder to give everyone an equal opportunity to fly.

Illegally Yours is available through Grand Central Publishing. This book was provided in exchange for my honest review.