A hilarious and satirically accurate introduction to the United States immigration system from comedian and writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Felipe Torres Medina
Born in Colombia, Felipe Torres Medina moved to the US at the age of 21 and has spent over ten years of his life both navigating the chaos and confusion of the immigration system and explaining that craziness to the clueless Americans around him. There are few subjects that Americans have stronger opinions on. And there are few subjects that they know less about.
So, like many immigrants before him, Torres Medina sets out to do the job American-born citizens won’t: make the US immigration process accessible, relatable, and, hey, a little bit funny. With an outsider’s eye, an insider’s affection, and a biting, humorous flair, Torres Medina invites readers from all passport lines to explore the multiple paths and potholes of moving to America, and experience just how many choices it takes to choose a new home.
In this laugh-out-loud book, you will be taken down a multitude of possible immigration stories that range from the kafkaesquely silly to an uproarious good time. Some of them are real things that happened to Felipe—like discovering in an immigration interview that he shares a name with several criminals—and some of them are totally invented and will make you question your sanity.
By the end of this handy guide, you’ll learn all you need to know about visas like the H-1B work visa, the infamous 90-day fiancé visa, the so-called Einstein visa, and many more. Remember, the fate of each character’s journey is all in your hands. So choose at your own risk.
Praise
. . . darkly hilarious and cleverly constructed explainer on American immigration. . . . Eye-opening and entertaining, this is a gem.
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review
This hilarious and heartfelt book is a compassionate ode to those who risk it all to live in America. A funny, empathetic, and formally inventive guide to the U.S. immigration system.
—KIRKUS REVIEWS, starred review
Immigrants have contributed great things to our nation: James Naismith gave us basketball, Levi Strauss gave us blue jeans, and Felipe Torres Medina wrote a funny book about immigration and sexy centaurs.
—Stephen Colbert
This book shines a light on immigration in a hilarious way. What a great time! We are so lucky to be able to read this jewel by Felipe Torres Medina... until it gets banned.
—Amber Ruffin
Finally, a book about immigration that isn't secretly pushing a white ethnostate. A triumph!
—Jordan Klepper
Of course we needed a comedian to make sense of the weird, often cruel and always confusing morass that is the US immigration system. By unpacking the many winding paths by which immigrants come to this country, by highlighting the numerous impossible choices that have to be made, and for somehow, against all odds, making us laugh in the process, Felipe Torres Medina has done this nation a great service. I hereby officially nominate him for a Congressional Medal of Freedom.
—Daniel Alarcón, host of Radio Ambulante
