This book broke my heart. Partly because it’s my most frequent nightmare, but mostly because it’s so true to life and so many people can sadly relate to it. Indivisible is such a good book that I preordered a hard copy from my local book store before I was even 20% through the ARC. 

Mateo Garcia is a junior in high school, living in NYC with his parents and sister Sophia. This tight knit, hardworking, and happy family is ripped apart when ICE suddenly detains Mateo’s parents. Mateo is forced to make huge changes in his life that he doesn’t feel prepared for, and the future that he thought was laid out in front of him doesn’t seem so clear anymore.

Daniel Aleman has written a beautiful, heartbreaking, and realistic novel on the realities of the US immigration system, how it targets families and rips them apart, and forces children and adults to make choices that they would not have to do if the policies were not based on exclusion but rather on inclusion. As someone who knows the system too well I feel like the author did a brilliant job of depicting it, and the long-ranging consequences of each ICE raid and interaction. I expect many people who don’t have to deal with the immigration don’t understand exactly how it works, and I really, really wish they would. Books like Indivisible portray a very realistic overview of life as an undocumented person or in a family where certain members are undocumented. Highly, highly recommended read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.