Genre: Memoir

The Analysis:

This is the final continuation of the Illegal Critique/Book Review. Check out Part 1 Here. If you’re interested in reading Illegal, you can buy it here.

Dissecting Direct Quotes:

September 11th made me into an activist.”

At the point that this was stated in the book I still couldn’t understand how. Only a vague sense of what I had heard on social media in different settings. That the attack was based off retaliation from governmental oppression in other countries who weren’t allowed to just be. Without interference from the U.S. But see my answer to this in part 1.

He seemed to answer my inquiry later on in the story when he stated, there are levels to Nationalism as if to say theres was justified and ours wasn’t. Of course, I don’t have any response to this.

2. “When I brought my plane ticket to Ecuador I didn’t think much about the Indigenous Culture.”

Big eye roll on this quote when I saw it. Your privilege doesn’t come from being able to cross one border to another with just your passport. Your privilege comes from up and moving to a strange country without studying a damn thing and then blaming it on a poor education that you didn’t walk into a library. And getting a job in said foreign country straight off a park bench. When there are people selling wares from a shack. Sleeping on back-breaking benches there whole life. But this is the place that you want to live after becoming so disillusioned with America. A place you don’t know.

“It wasn’t something that ever came up.”

So you making the decision to move there wasn’t when it came up. No inclination at all to step into a library, huh. But this is where you committing your life. Based off some random political rumblings you heard in the U.S. And since you been there you haven’t done anything to get involved with it, but be a gloried Tornado Chaser.

3.“Up to this point, I had idealized the politics in Ecuador and only permitted myself to see the changes in wholly positive terms. It was similar to how I engaged with my romantic life.”

Aint that the truth. Second of all, what positive changes, drama chaser? There are obvious positives in their culture that seems so sweet and nice and worth visiting and experiencing. But this was never about the culture. This was about governmental issues. What positive changes?

4.“As the Citizen’s Revolution gained steam, it increasingly turned nationalistic. I hated nationalism.”

I could argue that it always was. But I won’t. I’m just going to take this win.

5.“I wanted the revolution around me to be my own but that was much easier to rationalize when it was just a concept rather than a reality.”

You not supposed to gloat when you’re right. So I’m not going to even critique anymore. I’ll just finish reading it quietly. However, nothing drastically happens to change my feelings on any of the above statements. In fact, him going back to New York confirmed it.

Knowledge Nuggets (Not that many that I liked):

1. 1. With the rise of globalization, goods and services have gained greater freedom of movement and humans have lost it. Sneakers can travel anywhere in the world to be sold, but the person who made them cannot follow.

What did I agree with?

All his thoughts on deportation and borders, I loved it so much I wish that I could post it here. But this review is already long. It’s a subject that he talks about off and on throughout the entire novel. However, the meaty part that I loved, comes when he is forcibly held and deported.

Story At A Glance:

Overall Story:

It really is a peek into another world and those stories are usually always worth there weight in gold. Even if you don’t agree with the belief system depicted in them.

Pacing:

Awkward in the beginning but full steam ahead towards the middle and the end. I certainly got a perfect picture of what is going on.

Characterization:

Not a single character in it that I liked. But I sort of feel like we don’t get to know any of the supporting characters with any sort of depth beyond the main character. Perhaps that means that he never really got to know anyone.

World/Building Setting:

5 stars and the main reason to read this novel.

Language:

Simple and understandable.

Feeling:

Skepticism. Annoyance. Curiosity.

Recommendation:  Yes. Read for the World building of Ecuador. Read for a peek into the thought process of someone different from you.

The Ratings:

My Thumbs Up For:

• Real World Depictions
• Plot
• Thoughts on Deportations

My Thumbs Down For:

• Romance
• 9/11 Aftermath Beliefs

THE TRS BOOKS SYSTEM:

Book Cover Appeal:

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

Story & Narration:

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

Romance:

0

Sex Scenes:

Not applicable

OVERALL READING EXPERIENCE:

Illegal gets four strawberries from me. Its ranked at 4 1/2 on Amazon.

Book Info:
Pages: 257
Author: John Dennehy
Available: On Amazon