Children Of The Land By Marcelo Hernandez Castillo

Children of the Land describes Marcelo Hernandez Castillo’s experiences as an immigrant, from the perspective of a former undocumented person to a green card recipient, and his feelings toward U.S immigration through it and his family’s history.

I might describe the memoir’s structure as a narrative with extra bits of memories and history peppered between significant events, like listening to a story interrupt itself to add details that still relate to the themes. This can be hit or miss for some people but it feels very personal this way. Sometimes our experiences can’t be told consecutively in isolated events, so we have to go back to the past or fast forward again to make the story understandable.

Castillo is deeply moving when he writes about himself and his parents. The way he describes his feelings seem unique, but universal at the same time, and readers connect with him in ways they don’t want to. His conflicting emotions when he reconnects with his dad are too familiar for readers with a similar childhood, touching on how his dad’s abuse affects his life, but loving him for his caring moments. There’s much more to be said about this but Castillo describes his relationship with his mom too. There are countless ways he describes her devotion to their family, of course, migrating to Northern California for better lives, working in a fruit plant, and the toll of strenuous physical labor on her body, for example.

It’s through his own and his family’s struggles that Castillo adds commentary on the U.S immigration system, connecting the confusing, complex process and history of immigration policies to their harmful effects on his family. This way, he educates and makes readers empathize with undocumented immigrants because legal status shouldn’t weaken our compassion for people trying to live their lives.

Thank you for sharing a very personal story Castillo!

5 stars from me!