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Where I Belong Audiobook
Original price was: $32.00.$7.60Current price is: $7.60.
| Author | |
|---|---|
| Narrator | |
| Publisher | |
| Audio Length | 7 hours |
| Release Date | Sep 28, 2021 |
| Format | M4B, MP3, Unabridged Audiobook |
| Delivery | Instant Download |
| ISBN | 9781666151466 |
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An immigrant teen fights for her family, her future, and the place she calls home.
In the spring of 2018, Guatemalan American high school senior Milagros “Millie” Vargas knows her life is about to change. She’s lived in Corpus Christi, Texas, ever since her parents sought asylum there when she was a baby. Now a citizen, Millie devotes herself to school and caring for her younger siblings while her mom works as a housekeeper for the wealthy Wheeler family. With college on the horizon, Millie is torn between attending her dream school and staying close to home, where she knows she’s needed. She’s disturbed by what’s happening to asylum-seekers at the US-Mexico border, but she doesn’t see herself as an activist or a change-maker. She’s just trying to take care of her own family.
Then Mr. Wheeler, a US Senate candidate, mentions Millie’s achievements in a campaign speech about “deserving” immigrants. It doesn’t take long for people to identify Millie’s family and place them at the center of a statewide immigration debate. Faced with journalists, trolls, anonymous threats, and the Wheelers’ good intentions—especially those of Mr. Wheeler’s son, Charlie—Millie must confront the complexity of her past, the uncertainty of her future, and her place in the country that she believed was home.
Verified owner David –
Not only is the story of Millie Vargas—an immigrant teen from Guatemala thrust unexpectedly into the limelight of US socio-political debate—timely and poignant, but also authentic to both the Latina and teen experience. Like many teens, Millie isn’t looking to change the world, just to get by unnoticed. But responsibility is thrust upon her, and she rises to the occasion despite her own misgivings. Not every teen is a born rebel / activist, but when Millie at last decides to step up, the results are rousing. A pitch-perfect, authentic look at one of our most pressing issues.
Verified owner Abigail Portillo –
I really enjoyed the book. You couldn’t help but love the characters the author wrote. She made sure they had their perfections and flaws that make them human, and overall relatable. I felt that the message the book gave was not only about sacrifices for family but having courage in times of need.
Verified owner Claudia –
Millie is an immigrant teen living in Texas whose life gets swept up in politics, putting her family in danger. Her resilient family weathers many challenges, and Millie emerges as a courageous activist. It’s a well-told story full of tension, touching family moments, and authentic glimpses of the immigrant experience. Plus a very satisfying ending! Recommended for teens and adults.
Verified owner Erica –
This is an important book right here. Millie (Milagros) and her family immigrated to the US from Guatemala when she was an infant. Along with a story about family hardships, high school crushes, and typical coming of age plot points, Mickelson gives us an authentic story about immigration, financial disparities, activism, and courage. I know many Latino teens will see a mirror on this book with things like the responsibility of watch g younger siblings whole parents work and worrying about the perceptions of immigrants, to name a few. But I hope other Americans will see a window in this book, like I did.
I appreciate that the author has a similar background to the story, aiding in the authentic feel of the book.
Verified owner Emily Francis –
Wow. Talk about a thought-provoking book! This book!!! Millie is my heroine. Guatemalan born whose parents bring to the US for a better life & future. Parents work their tail off for their children to not only obtain citizenship BUT also to go to school and be successful.
Millie is a character who struggles with her identity. She LOVES helping her mom (as an older child) but also longs to BELONG!
As a reader, I can see how this book deserves a Pura Beltre recognition because it respects the immigrant & Latinx culture.
Authenticity at its best!!
Verified owner John Klein-Collins –
When Millie Vargas and her family are uses as an example of immigrants who have taken the right path to citizenship by a U.S. Senate candidate, she feels betrayed and used. The Senate candidate, Charles Wheeler, is her mother’s employer. Candidate Wheeler quickly apologizes and asks what he can do to make things right. After her family’s home is the target of an arsonist, Charles Wheeler and his family takes in Millie’s family. The lifestyle change is drastic. Making matters worse, Charlie, the candidate’s son, is Millie’s classmate, and she finds him to be a pompous goody two shoes.
Millie struggles with being the Wheeler’s houseguest, even though her mother is their housekeeper. She can’t separate the two, nor can she separate Mr. Wheeler’s intentions as a candidate from his graciousness as a host.
As anti-immigrant rhetoric picks up, Millie feels more and more pressure to participate in rallies and interviews when all she wants to do is fade into the background to her family is not put in harm’s way again.
Verified owner Ipuna Black –
Wow! Where I Belong is a beautiful story told from an authentic voice. It provides an intimate perspective of the struggles immigrants face when trying to better their lives in the United States. The story gives examples of love and hate toward immigrants; when truly, we are all U.S. immigrants. There is a charming and believable love story between the protagonist, Millie, and Charlie, the son of a wealthy U.S. Senate candidate—who is also the boss of Millie’s mother. This is a very complex and important story. I loved it and could relate to many of the struggles Millie’s family faced.
Verified owner Kassidi –
Where I belong deals with a girl named Millie. Millie is a Guatemalan American citizen whose life changes with one interview with news outlet, after Charlie Wheeler’s dad who is running for Senate mentions her story. This interview not only changes her life, but her family’s life forever. Millie has to make a choice speak out or stay silent.