

The depression led to alcoholic blackouts, self-injury, and a near-suicide before she opened up to a therapist and got much-needed help. She still suffered in her parents' absence, growing increasingly depressed with no one to confide in. Guerrero, writing with Oprah magazine founding editor Burford, could have been placed in state care, but she was one of the lucky ones: friends and family took her in and helped her get into the Boston Arts Academy.

They tried to obtain green cards and citizenship through legal channels, but were scammed by a con artist. Like many of the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country, her parents worked in countless low-paying menial jobs while in constant fear, knowing that they could be snatched away any time. Guerrero, 14 at the time, was left on her own with no government oversight whatsoever, a harrowing situation that she recounts with honesty, pathos, and bravery.

They lived in the States while undocumented until they were deported in 2001. Guerrero, an actress best known for her roles on Orange Is the New Black and Jane the Virgin, was born in the U.S. Written with bestselling author Michelle Burford, this memoir is a tale of personal triumph that also casts a much-needed light on the fears that haunt the daily existence of families likes the author's and on a system that fails them over and over. There are over 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US, many of whom have citizen children, whose lives here are just as precarious, and whose stories haven't been told. In the Country We Love is a moving, heartbreaking story of one woman's extraordinary resilience in the face of the nightmarish struggles of undocumented residents in this country. Born in the U.S., Guerrero was able to remain in the country and continue her education, depending on the kindness of family friends who took her in and helped her build a life and a successful acting career for herself, without the support system of her family. The star of Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin presents her personal story of the real plight of undocumented immigrants in this countryĭiane Guerrero, the television actress from the megahit Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin, was just fourteen years old on the day her parents were detained and deported while she was at school.
