Undocumented

Book cover of Undocumented: A Dominican Boy's Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League

Book description

An undocumented immigrant’s journey from a New York City homeless shelter to the top of his Princeton class

Dan-el Padilla Peralta has lived the American dream. As a boy, he arrived in the United States legally with his family. Together they had traveled from Santo Domingo to seek medical care…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Undocumented as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Danny Ramadan

Author

I want to end this list on a strong note: this book by an immigrant to New York felt personal to me. Navigating life in New York is a dream for many immigrants, one that, realistically, I know I shouldn’t keep, but emotionally, I’m still connected to.

Still, this book carries more than just the background of NYC, it also has such a strong case against the idea that undocumented immigrants have nothing of value for the US. After reading this book, I kinda wanted Dan-el to be my friend.

From Danny's list on memoirs written refugees and immigrants.