A raw look at what a family goes through when the parents are deported and how a young man has to find his way to keeping his sister safe while trying to live his own life. ( )

Mateo, whose parents are undocumented immigrants but also respected members of their community, is your typical high school student, trying to navigate the ups and downs of teenage life. He works at his parents’ bodega to help them, but dreams of being on stage. When his parents are detained by ICE and the threat of deportation is looming, Mateo must grow up far too fast as he tries to protect his younger sister, his parent’s business, and understand what is happening to his family. A wildly timely and thought-provoking novel, Aleman depicts a family’s struggle to remain together in the face of a country that wants nothing more than to tear them apart. ( )

If you’re like me, you constantly search for books that give you a window into other lives. When browsing new releases at my library, the cover of Indivisible by Daniel Aleman originally caught my eye, and when I read the description I was hopeful that I had discovered one of the windows I was looking for. I was not disappointed!

Indivisible is a heart-wrenchingly genuine story about a boy named Mateo, living through the trauma of his parents being detained by ICE. Mateo and his little sister, Sophie, suddenly have to fend for themselves and are faced with the very real possibility of losing their parents. On top of that Mateo’s situation is further complicated by attempting to maintain friendships without letting anyone know about his struggles.

I thoroughly enjoyed so many aspects of this book! First of all, the characters are well-developed and likeable. The reader gets an in-depth look into Mateo’s mind, and you feel as though his adversities are your own. Not only is he forced to cope with the sudden loss of his parents and having to care for his sister, he must deal with struggles that many teens go through, such as finding comfort in his sexuality, figuring out what he wants to do with his life, and juggling friendships.

Probably the thing I adored most about the book was that it seems to portray Mateo’s struggles in an extremely genuine and real manner. Daniel Aleman does not sugarcoat the ordeal of Mateo’s parents being detained and shows issues that many people do not necessarily think about. I won’t spoil the ending, but it was also very realistic.

If you’re looking for a book that makes a prominent statement about immigration and how deportation works in the U.S. while also showing a relatable family, then this is the book for you! ( )

Please see my review on Amazon.com under C. Wong. Thank you. ( )

review here ( )