An American actress, author and committed political activist, works tirelessly for immigration reform
If you haven’t read this inspiring book — get them for your tweens, teens & young adults in your life!
Diane Guerrero’s New Book
By Elia Esparza
For five seasons, we knew her in her role as inmate Maritza Ramos on the Netflix hit series, Orange is the New Black, and more recently as Lina on the CW’s Jane the Virgin. But where she resonated the most to her fans, especially the Latino community, is Diane Guerrero’s painful childhood story, where social injustice inflicted the worse—a forced separation from her beloved parents.
Recently, Guerrero authored her second book, “My Family Divided,” a teen and young adult version of her 2016 first book, “In the Country We Love: My Family Divided,” a memoir about her parents being detained and deported when she was fourteen. During the time her parents were in jail, the 14-year old Guerrero worked in multiple jobs to pay off debt and shouldering the responsibility of being her parents’ only hope for return. Guerrero’s books candidly talks about the toll the dramatic experience had on her mental health. She hopes her new book helps kids in immigrant families by giving them hope and inspiration that there is light at the end of the dark tunnel.
Born in New Jersey to Colombian parents and raised in Boston, she lived a fairly normal family life. Guerrero, while in high school, in 2001, came home to an empty house. She later learned that immigration officers had taken her parents, undocumented immigrants from Colombia, who had lived in U.S. for two decades. A strong family unit, torn apart without any concern about the American child left behind. Her mother was taken while preparing dinner, and her father, as he arrived home after work. Mom and dad had overstayed their visas, and all efforts to become legal citizens had failed.
Diane Guerrero w/parents, from her memoir
Somehow, despite being left alone at 14 years old, Guerrero managed to get through high school (Boston Academy for Performing Arts High School) and carve out a successful career for herself. Earlier this year, she teamed up with Reese Witherspoon to host How It Is, a podcast that invites women to tell their stories in their own words. In 2017, Guerrero was cast in a regular role for season 2 of Superior Donuts, and in 2018 she is due to appear in the films, Beyond Control and The Godmother. In July 2018, Guerrero joined the cast of the upcoming DC Universe series Doom Patrol as Crazy Jane, a series set to debut in 2019.
Diane Guerrero is represented by Abrams Artist Agency, Damnation Entertainment/Manager, Imprint PR/Publicist.
“My Family Divided” One Girl’s Journey of Home, Loss, and Hope by Diane Guerrero & Erica Moroz Tween to Young Adult Buy now from Amazon Barnes Noble Local Bookseller
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