My Family Divided: One Girl's Journey of Home, Loss, and Hope

Diane was recommended an agent who told her she might not be pretty enough for acting. Diane found a different agent. She joined an acting class in New York City and moved into her own tiny apartment in New Jersey. In one of her acting classes, she and the other students were asked to reflect on a time in their lives when they felt most vulnerable. Diane looked back to when her parents disappeared and the years that followed as she tried to rebuild her life from nothing. Her acting teacher continued to push reflection, which forced Diane to think about her parents and how she could heal from her past. She decided to go to Madrid, where her mother was then living, to see her and resolve her anger toward her. Diane’s Mami was surprised but relieved to hear from her daughter, and Diane flew out soon after. Seeing her mother again, Diane observed that her Mami was healthy and seemed happy and independent. All of this made her emotional, realizing how much time she had let pass without contact.

After several days together, Diane’s Mami brought up the topic of her deportation and the awful experience of the detention center. This made Diane angry, and she finally told her mother that she blamed her for tearing apart the family. Diane’s Mami pulled her in and pleaded forgiveness, and the two cried together. Diane made the choice to forgive her mother so that she could truly move on with her life, and she determined never to let so much time pass between visits again. She came to the realization that her mother’s strength in leaving Colombia, the place she knew, for an unfamiliar land and risking everything to raise her children in a safer country was a sign of strength, not something to despise. After Diane returned to New York, she felt lighter and freer. Her acting was observed by talent agents, one of whom, Josh, thought Diane was talented and signed her. Soon after, she was recommended to audition for Orange Is the New Black, one of Netflix’s first and most successful series. During her audition, Diane immersed herself in her character, recalling all her childhood experiences of adversity. She thought the audition went well but didn’t hear back for weeks.

While testing out a costume for a friend, Diane received a phone call from her agent telling her she got the part of Maritza on Orange Is the New Black. Diane was overcome with excitement and disbelief, followed by worries about whether she would be able to actually do it. On her first day on set, Diane entered a room full of actors all hanging out and awaiting their turn to shoot. She was surrounded both by well-known faces and people like her who were just starting out. Diane was nervous and sat by herself at first, but was soon approached by Uzo Aduba, one of her co-stars, and they instantly clicked. Diane waited until two o’clock in the morning to shoot, but found herself immediately falling into her role. She identified with the character’s story of someone who wants security in their life but hasn’t been able to find it.

Being on the set of a prison also reminded Diane of her parents and what they experienced, which sometimes brought her to tears. She also used those memories as fuel for her role. Meanwhile, Diane’s niece was arrested and imprisoned for minor crimes, and Diane couldn’t help but think about how she was acting out what many others were living.

After the first season of the series, Diane gained other roles, including a major role in Jane the Virgin and another in Superior Donuts. Guerrero reflects on how she was and continues to be thrilled to represent Latinas in American media. Orange Is the New Black won a Screen Actors Guild award for “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series” (223), and Diane recounts the Red Carpet experience as being a glamorous thrill.

In the final chapter of her memoir, Diane talks about her activism and involvement in immigration issues and rights. This began when she was encouraged to write a piece about her family and their experiences in 2014 for the Los Angeles Times. It attracted national attention, including from President Barack Obama. Diane was invited to his speech on immigration and deportation and had a chance to meet him afterward. He revealed he was a fan of Orange Is the New Black and commended Diane on her activism and bravery. Diane has also heard from countless other people on how her story informed, comforted, or inspired them. She continues to act and notes that each rejection she faces is only a reason to work harder for the next opportunity. Diane returns to Colombia when she can and talks to her parents as often as possible. Guerrero writes that, at the time of President Donald Trump’s administration, her parents will likely not be allowed back into the US, and she turns her focus to influencing policy and public opinion. Diane is involved in election work and encourages others to vote. She advocates for arts education in schools as she believes that it was art that gave her hope for the future.

Guerrero’s memoir concludes with a call to action. She encourages everyone to become involved, to speak out against bullying and harassment, and to speak to politicians about their concerns. She notes that 7% of children in the US have one or both parents with undocumented immigrant status and urges her government to cease its actions against families, which tear them apart and often leaves children to fend for themselves, like her own situation. Guerrero addresses common arguments against undocumented immigration, noting that undocumented immigrants contribute greatly to the country’s economy and are often willing to take useful jobs that citizens refuse to consider. Many immigrants are escaping starvation and violence and deserve a safe place to call home. She adds that the US is a country built on immigration, and that mass deportation would not only cost the country billions but would also damage society as a whole. She urges families who face the possibility of deportation to create a backup plan and find someone who is willing to take in their children should the worst occur. Guerrero also urges her readers to vote, donate to causes, stand up for what is right, and learn about immigrants directly from immigrants. She hopes that people in the US can learn to take care of one another and hopes that others like her can use their trauma to create “meaningful change for others” (249).