Someone Like Me

Someone Like Me is Julissa Arce's memoir about growing up as an undocumented Mexican immigrant in Texas. The book traces her journey from age 11, when she first arrived in the United States, through her teenage years navigating school, family dynamics, and her immigration status. The narrative follows Arce's experiences straddling two cultures - maintaining Mexican traditions at home while pursuing American dreams at school. She recounts both the practical and emotional challenges of living undocumented, including family separation, academic pressures, and the constant fear of deportation. Through high school friendships, academic achievements, and first love, Arce works to define her identity as both Mexican and American. Her story provides an intimate view of the undocumented youth experience in America, exploring themes of belonging, resilience, and the true meaning of citizenship. Her memoir speaks to broader questions about immigration policy, education access, and what it means to be American. The book offers a window into how immigration status shapes young lives and challenges common assumptions about undocumented immigrants in the United States.

Readers connect with the raw honesty of Arce's immigration story and her depiction of straddling two cultures as a Mexican-American teenager. Many note the book helps build empathy and understanding around immigration experiences. What readers liked: - Relatable portrayal of high school struggles and family dynamics - Clear, engaging writing style accessible to young readers - Spanish language integration throughout the text - Representation of Mexican-American youth experiences What readers disliked: - Some found the pacing uneven, particularly in middle chapters - A few readers wanted more depth on specific events - Several mentioned wanting more details about the author's later life Ratings: Goodreads: 4.31/5 (500+ ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (100+ ratings) Kirkus Reviews: Starred Review Sample reader comment: "Her voice is authentic and her story compelling. She doesn't sugar-coat the difficulties but maintains hope throughout." - Goodreads reviewer

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🔹 Author Julissa Arce worked her way up to become a vice president at Goldman Sachs while undocumented, later becoming an immigration rights advocate and sharing her story through multiple books 🔹 The book explores the complexity of growing up between two cultures, as Arce lived in Mexico until age 11 and then moved to San Antonio, Texas 🔹 Though written for young readers, this memoir is an adaptation of Arce's adult bestseller "My (Underground) American Dream" 🔹 The author turned down her acceptance to Texas A&M University because, as an undocumented student in 2001, she would have had to pay international student tuition rates that were three times higher than in-state rates 🔹 After becoming a U.S. citizen in 2014, Arce left her successful Wall Street career to focus on advocacy work and co-founded the Ascend Educational Fund, which provides scholarships to immigrant students regardless of their immigration status