Indivisible
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-13 11:51:06
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Daniel Aleman
- ISBN：0759556059
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A timely， moving debut novel about a teen's efforts to keep his family together as his parents face deportation。
Mateo Garcia and his younger sister， Sophie， have been taught to fear one word for as long as they can remember: deportation。 Over the past few years， however， the fear that their undocumented immigrant parents could be sent back to Mexico has started to fade。 Ma and Pa have been in the United States for so long， they have American-born children， and they're hard workers and good neighbors。 When Mateo returns from school one day to find that his parents have been taken by ICE， he realizes that his family's worst nightmare has become a reality。 With his parents' fate and his own future hanging in the balance， Mateo must figure out who he is and what he is capable of， even as he's forced to question what it means to be an American。
Daniel Aleman's Indivisible is a remarkable story -- both powerful in its explorations of immigration in America and deeply intimate in its portrait of a teen boy driven by his fierce， protective love for his parents and his sister。
Mateo Garcia and his younger sister， Sophie， have been taught to fear one word for as long as they can remember: deportation。 Over the past few years， however， the fear that their undocumented immigrant parents could be sent back to Mexico has started to fade。 Ma and Pa have been in the United States for so long， they have American-born children， and they're hard workers and good neighbors。 When Mateo returns from school one day to find that his parents have been taken by ICE， he realizes that his family's worst nightmare has become a reality。 With his parents' fate and his own future hanging in the balance， Mateo must figure out who he is and what he is capable of， even as he's forced to question what it means to be an American。
Daniel Aleman's Indivisible is a remarkable story -- both powerful in its explorations of immigration in America and deeply intimate in its portrait of a teen boy driven by his fierce， protective love for his parents and his sister。
Reviews
Melissa See
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Heartbreaking and necessary without losing its hope， INDIVISIBLE is one of the most important works of YA contemporary fiction I’ve ever read。
Kate
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Daniel Aleman's INDIVISIBLE is one of those books that you can't put down， but also one that you have to set aside periodically because you're afraid your heart might break if you turn the page。 It's an important and timely story about immigration， but even more than that， it's a story about the very real and very painful experience of one family， and one teen， in particular。 Mateo's heart is in every sentence， and his fear， his shame， and his determination to be there for his sister will bring Daniel Aleman's INDIVISIBLE is one of those books that you can't put down， but also one that you have to set aside periodically because you're afraid your heart might break if you turn the page。 It's an important and timely story about immigration， but even more than that， it's a story about the very real and very painful experience of one family， and one teen， in particular。 Mateo's heart is in every sentence， and his fear， his shame， and his determination to be there for his sister will bring you to tears。 This story belongs on every shelf， in every library， and in every classroom。 I'll be handing it to my own kids， and recommending it to everyone I know。 。。。more
Gina
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This audiobook was so good but entirely heartbreaking to read！ The topic is absolutely necessary for today's literature。 I think the storyline of having parents separated from their kids is a reality for some undocumented immigrants， especially during the past administration in the United States。 It reminds me of the Party of Five series reboot， one of the few shows I really wish they hadn't canceled。 This audiobook was so good but entirely heartbreaking to read！ The topic is absolutely necessary for today's literature。 I think the storyline of having parents separated from their kids is a reality for some undocumented immigrants， especially during the past administration in the United States。 It reminds me of the Party of Five series reboot， one of the few shows I really wish they hadn't canceled。 。。。more
jut
，
wow！ this book broke my heart， the story is so heartbreaking， but i think it's a must read to everybody out there！ i absolutely loved this book， and how it had real life problems and dealt with them in a realistic way （not always life is easy or going to be as we want it to be）。 wow！ this book broke my heart， the story is so heartbreaking， but i think it's a must read to everybody out there！ i absolutely loved this book， and how it had real life problems and dealt with them in a realistic way （not always life is easy or going to be as we want it to be）。 。。。more
☁️ priya ☁️
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"I hate this， I think to myself as I try to hold in the tears that are threatening to fall from my eyes。 I just wish I could speak up。 Maybe telling my family about this deep， dark feeling of sadness would help make it go away， but what’s the point of talking about these things， anyway？ There’s nothing we can do。""The rest of the walk back to the bodega is mostly quiet。 There doesn’t seem to be anything left to say， so neither of us tries to speak up。 We just walk comfortably in silence， the way "I hate this， I think to myself as I try to hold in the tears that are threatening to fall from my eyes。 I just wish I could speak up。 Maybe telling my family about this deep， dark feeling of sadness would help make it go away， but what’s the point of talking about these things， anyway？ There’s nothing we can do。""The rest of the walk back to the bodega is mostly quiet。 There doesn’t seem to be anything left to say， so neither of us tries to speak up。 We just walk comfortably in silence， the way that only real friends can。" 。。。more
Libriamo3116
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RTC
Martina
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“No matter how hard they try to separate us， how much the distance hurt or how it nearly broke us， we are really truly Indivisible。 “Indivisible by @danaleman was one of my most anticipated books of 2021，thank you to @hachetteaudio for the ALC。 I loved listening to the book while I read my physical copy。 Thanks to @thenovl for the finished copy。 First of all this is a DEBUT。 I cannot tell you guys how shocked I am by this。 This Beauty of a book was everything I hoped for and more。Indivisible is “No matter how hard they try to separate us， how much the distance hurt or how it nearly broke us， we are really truly Indivisible。 “Indivisible by @danaleman was one of my most anticipated books of 2021，thank you to @hachetteaudio for the ALC。 I loved listening to the book while I read my physical copy。 Thanks to @thenovl for the finished copy。 First of all this is a DEBUT。 I cannot tell you guys how shocked I am by this。 This Beauty of a book was everything I hoped for and more。Indivisible is an important novel about immigration and the aftermath of deportation。 The story follows Mateo （16） and his little sister Sophie a second grader。 After decades of living in New York their parents are suddenly deported back to Mexico， leaving them to figure things out themselves。 Every single thing in this book felt absolutely real， I could feel every bit of fear the characters felt。 As a second generation American I related so much to the story。 I still live in fear of my father being deported。 The characters in this book lived with that fear everyday until that fear became reality。 Mateo our narrator was incredible。 He was fuerte and valiente， always there for his little sister。 The author Daniel did a fantastic job at portraying what it’s like to be an immigrant in this country。 I highly recommend this book to everyone。 Even to people that don’t usually read YA， I suggest you give this one a try。 This book should also be in every classroom because it’s so important for teens to read this。 Indivisible is by far my favorite book of 2021 so far。 Go pick this up as it’s already in a book store near you。 I listened to the audiobook and loved it！ This was my first audiobook narrated by Adam Rocha and I found his voice to be so easy to listen to。 I usually speed up the book and I swear his voice still sounded so clear at 2x。 Great audiobook。 。。。more
Kristine Hope Kowalski
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If you're even thinking about reading this book， please do！ I can't believe how quickly and easily I flew through this book， especially because it's so heartbreaking and difficult nearly all the way through。 But it's driven by a sense of hopefulness on Mateo's part， and I find that super compelling。 It's such an important story that humanizes immigration on the page， and also doesn't shy away from harsher realities of deportation for the sake of younger audiences。 Clearly as the kids in this sto If you're even thinking about reading this book， please do！ I can't believe how quickly and easily I flew through this book， especially because it's so heartbreaking and difficult nearly all the way through。 But it's driven by a sense of hopefulness on Mateo's part， and I find that super compelling。 It's such an important story that humanizes immigration on the page， and also doesn't shy away from harsher realities of deportation for the sake of younger audiences。 Clearly as the kids in this story show， no age was too young to know these realities。I will say - not as a ding to the book at all， just as a story takeaway - that almost all of the adults in this story were super big letdowns。 Not in the way that in some YA books that's like "ugh parents/teachers etc。 just don't understand！" but that they were so absorbed in their own stressful lives or ineffective at managing two things at once that the kids had to carry things on their own。 Mateo had like， 30 seconds of time to focus on himself， and he still managed to make a series of adult decisions without much means to do so。 I think this made the younger characters read so much stronger， but I was extra worried for them。 There were some really wonderful moments of community coming together that helped me get over a bit of the WHY ISN'T ANYONE **HELPING** that I felt so much of the way through。 。。。more
Taryn
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Great audio。 Multiple times I wish I hadn't listened to rg3is while in my car。 Brought tears to my eyes。 Great audio。 Multiple times I wish I hadn't listened to rg3is while in my car。 Brought tears to my eyes。 。。。more
Keith
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"When you talk about illegal immigrants， you see faceless people in your mind。"--MateoAfter reading this story， I will never see a headline regarding immigration again， and not have a face。 It gives a voice to people that need it amplified， now more than ever。Mateo's story is so poignant。 It was hard not to be moved as the plot unfolded and Mateo struggled to navigate the curve balls life was throwing his way。 Questioning where he belonged with his family， his friends， his hopes and dreams， his "When you talk about illegal immigrants， you see faceless people in your mind。"--MateoAfter reading this story， I will never see a headline regarding immigration again， and not have a face。 It gives a voice to people that need it amplified， now more than ever。Mateo's story is so poignant。 It was hard not to be moved as the plot unfolded and Mateo struggled to navigate the curve balls life was throwing his way。 Questioning where he belonged with his family， his friends， his hopes and dreams， his future， and in America-- it was one of the best coming of age stories I have read。 This is truly such a great novel。 And at such a much needed time。 Daniel Aleman is certainly an author I will keep my eye on。 。。。more
Henry Garcia
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Wow。 Speechless。 I’ll write a review when I get my thoughts together。
Amira
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dnf at maybe 30-40%？i was really sad that this book didn't live up to my expectations:（overall i just couldn't connect to the characters， plot， and story。 it felt really shallow and just mediocre and cringey at times and i just couldn't continue reading this。 dnf at maybe 30-40%？i was really sad that this book didn't live up to my expectations:（overall i just couldn't connect to the characters， plot， and story。 it felt really shallow and just mediocre and cringey at times and i just couldn't continue reading this。 。。。more
Richelle Robinson
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Thank you Amazon Vine for my review copy。 I also listened the audio as I read via Libro。fm。 This was a very emotional and heartbreaking story。 My heart broke for Mateo as he had to grow up rather quickly and become the care giver to his sister Sophie。 Even though this is a fictional family， stories like this are happening every day in real life and it’s not easy to read about without becoming sad。 People come to this country for a better life and I couldn’t imagine having to leave everyone and e Thank you Amazon Vine for my review copy。 I also listened the audio as I read via Libro。fm。 This was a very emotional and heartbreaking story。 My heart broke for Mateo as he had to grow up rather quickly and become the care giver to his sister Sophie。 Even though this is a fictional family， stories like this are happening every day in real life and it’s not easy to read about without becoming sad。 People come to this country for a better life and I couldn’t imagine having to leave everyone and everything I know and have to seek asylum in a foreign country and take any job I can get so my kids can have a better future。 This question also ask the reader what does it mean to be American？ What makes you American？ Overall， I did enjoy the story， but at times I felt Mateo’s inner dialogue was a little repetitive。 I loved the supporting characters who stood by Mateo no matter what and that brought a smile to my face。 This was a very solid debut by Aleman and I look forward to reading more books by this author。 。。。more
BookNightOwl
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I decided to read Indivisible By Daniel Aleman for an honest review。This pulled at my heart string。 Even though this is a fiction story。 This is very much true。 Families destroyed and separated by being broken up and separated。 People who have been here almost all there lives being sent back to the one place they are running from。 I felt for these characters。 I felt their pain and hurt。 This story deals with a mother and father who get arrested by ICE for over staying their visas。 The decisions I decided to read Indivisible By Daniel Aleman for an honest review。This pulled at my heart string。 Even though this is a fiction story。 This is very much true。 Families destroyed and separated by being broken up and separated。 People who have been here almost all there lives being sent back to the one place they are running from。 I felt for these characters。 I felt their pain and hurt。 This story deals with a mother and father who get arrested by ICE for over staying their visas。 The decisions that not only adults have to make but children who are often left alone without their adults。 Definitely a story to read and have on your shelf。 A+ 。。。more
Chelsea Garcia
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☆☆☆☆☆ - Absolutely loved phenomenal ☆☆☆☆ - Liked this book a lot☆☆☆ - This book was OKAY☆☆ - I didn't like this book/was bored☆ - DNF'd TITLE OF BOOK: IndivisibleQUICK REVIEW:I absolutely loved this book。 This book had real life problems and dealt with them in a realistic way。 Nothing here was exaggerated or unrealistic and I loved the added bits of Spanish into the text it made it feel like I was living this nightmare with them。 Characters - ☆☆☆☆☆Plot - ☆☆☆☆☆Star rating- ☆☆☆☆☆CONTENT WARNINGS ⚠ ☆☆☆☆☆ - Absolutely loved phenomenal ☆☆☆☆ - Liked this book a lot☆☆☆ - This book was OKAY☆☆ - I didn't like this book/was bored☆ - DNF'd TITLE OF BOOK: IndivisibleQUICK REVIEW:I absolutely loved this book。 This book had real life problems and dealt with them in a realistic way。 Nothing here was exaggerated or unrealistic and I loved the added bits of Spanish into the text it made it feel like I was living this nightmare with them。 Characters - ☆☆☆☆☆Plot - ☆☆☆☆☆Star rating- ☆☆☆☆☆CONTENT WARNINGS ⚠️ : deportation//ICE//missing childrenSYNOPSIS: Mateo and Sophie's world is turned upside down when their parents face deportation。 Mateo is forced to deal with situations he never dreamed of and solve problems larger than he is ready for。 PLOT: The plot is impeccable， everyone needs to read this book as ICE raids are something that POC unfortunately deal with and live in fear of deportation everyday。 I havent read anything like this and I think that this book should be mandatory reading。 CHARACTERS: The characters were meshed out and I absolutely loved Mateo and Jorge for different reasons。 The characters each had their flaws and seemed like I was reading a memoir rather than a fictional book。 CONCLUSION: Overall， I'd recommend this book to anyone and everyone and will be purchasing this book for my personal collection soon。 I loved it so much。 。。。more
tessie
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（4。5）
Susan
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Audiobook provided by NetGalley， Hachette Audio， and Little， Brown Young Readers in exchange for an honest review。So full disclosure， I was tearing up by chapter 3 and I spent the rest of this book alternating between feeling utterly heartbroken and absolutely enraged that this is a real life experience for way too many kids （and adults） in America。 Mateo and Sophie are your typical kids of immigrants living in NYC， until they are forced into the impossible situation of trying to exist and survi Audiobook provided by NetGalley， Hachette Audio， and Little， Brown Young Readers in exchange for an honest review。So full disclosure， I was tearing up by chapter 3 and I spent the rest of this book alternating between feeling utterly heartbroken and absolutely enraged that this is a real life experience for way too many kids （and adults） in America。 Mateo and Sophie are your typical kids of immigrants living in NYC， until they are forced into the impossible situation of trying to exist and survive after ICE takes both of their parents away。 As Mateo tries to keep Sophie's life as normal as possible， he struggles with the reality of knowing that his best friends might look at him differently if they knew what was happening and decides to not tell them even though they know something is wrong。 Which is a good reminder to everyone that we do not know what is happening in the personal lives of our friends and family。。。 and even strangers。 So we should treat all people with kindness。 Before his parents are taken， there was nothing Mateo wanted more than to star in a Broadway play。 Now he's struggling to not fail his classes， while trying to keep his parents' bodega open so they'll still have their business when they come back。 Because they HAVE to come back， right？ Mateo is also a gay teen wondering when he'll have his first kiss and if his community will accept him or shun him for his sexuality。This is a heavy read， but it covers a lot of important topics （both big picture stuff and typical teen stuff）。 Honestly， I think INDIVISIBLE should be required reading for。。。。 everyone。 It opens up dialog on immigration， undocumented members of society （and how this impacts their children born here）， being gay in a more conservative community， what it means to be family （it's more than blood）， and the challenges/struggles that teens face when tasked with growing up before they should have to。Adan Rocha does a great job with the audiobook and Aleman navigates this story so well making INDIVISIBLE a timely read。 。。。more
Christian
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This book is amazing！！ As a Cuban American I resonated a lot with Mateo and the struggles he goes through throughout this story。 It felt like I was living in Mateo’s shoes down to watching the telenovela！ 20/10 recommend reading this book！
Marieke du Pré
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Loving， raw， political， harsh， hopeful。Sometimes I wonder why I read YA stories that hurt so much。 And then I realize I read them because they’re so， so important。 And I hope a lot of other people read those stories too， especially teens， and reflect on them。 Books like Indivisible belong in school libraries and need to be discussed in class。 Although this is a story about Mexican immigrants in the US， I believe it’s comparable to similar situations with refugees in other countries （at least in Loving， raw， political， harsh， hopeful。Sometimes I wonder why I read YA stories that hurt so much。 And then I realize I read them because they’re so， so important。 And I hope a lot of other people read those stories too， especially teens， and reflect on them。 Books like Indivisible belong in school libraries and need to be discussed in class。 Although this is a story about Mexican immigrants in the US， I believe it’s comparable to similar situations with refugees in other countries （at least in mine）， and therefore a powerful and necessary book for youth all over the world。Even though we’d always had this fear in the back of our minds， I didn’t think it was actually going to come true。 Deportation always seemed like something that happened to other people 。。。 not us。While reading this story， I got goosebumps， shivers ran through my body， and I couldn’t believe what I read， even though I know this happens all the time。 What do you do when your parents are arrested because they’re illegal？ Maybe even getting deported to Mexico？ How do you cope？ What do you tell your friends？ Who do you go to？I feel empty。 It’s as if I’m barely even here， as though this is nothing but a strange dream and I’m going to wake up any second。I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading the book to find out that Matt is gay。 It’s not a major storyline， Matt just is。 Most of the story is about his relationship with his seven-year-old sister Sophie。 I had a soft spot for her， such a little girl who suddenly missed her parents and who had to cope with friends who told her Mexicans are ‘dirty’。There will always be people who think someone is worth less than they are because of what they look like or where they’re from。 Just because there are people who believe these things， it doesn’t make any of it true。I loved Indivisible immensely， and already added Daniel Aleman’s next book to my TBR。 Thanks， Daniel， for writing such a powerful and relevant debut！ 。。。more
James
，
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss+ for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Indivisible is an important and timely look at immigration and the families left behind in the wake of deportation。 Every character was fully formed and could easily have their own stories told。 Aleman created a world that felt lived in and incredibly real， this added to the heightened emotions that unfolded as you moved through the story of Mateo， his family， and friends。 Every tear shed whil Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss+ for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Indivisible is an important and timely look at immigration and the families left behind in the wake of deportation。 Every character was fully formed and could easily have their own stories told。 Aleman created a world that felt lived in and incredibly real， this added to the heightened emotions that unfolded as you moved through the story of Mateo， his family， and friends。 Every tear shed while reading felt earned and I couldn't recommend this book more。 This is a must read！ 。。。more
Leyla Demirel
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This was my most anticipated read of 2021。 I’ve been waiting for this release date eagerly， so I can read the book and see what it has in store。 Today， I consumed the whole book in one day and it did not disappoint。 It’s been a long time since I consumed a book in this way， since I’ve put life and all other duties and current reads on hold， to just read a book start to finish in one day。 But it was so worth it。 The book was worth every day I’ve waited for the release。 Every word on every page mo This was my most anticipated read of 2021。 I’ve been waiting for this release date eagerly， so I can read the book and see what it has in store。 Today， I consumed the whole book in one day and it did not disappoint。 It’s been a long time since I consumed a book in this way， since I’ve put life and all other duties and current reads on hold， to just read a book start to finish in one day。 But it was so worth it。 The book was worth every day I’ve waited for the release。 Every word on every page more than made up for it。 This is an emotional read。 It’s heartbreaking and hard hitting so so powerful。 My heart broke for Matteo and Sophie as they kept getting knocked down by life again and again。 I felt their heartbreak， their hope， their feelings of loneliness through the pages。 I love how the book is about Matteo’s parents getting taken by ICE - but that’s not *all* it’s about。 Daniel Aleman covers how this affects not only Matteo and Sophie， but their friends and family too。 You see the impact their parents had on their local community and how loved they are， realising how much harder them being taken by ICE is。 By this I mean - this book is about family， friendship， community， kindness， belonging， isolation， hope。 It’s about life carrying on when Matteo has really been beat down by everything。 It covers so many themes and feelings and emotions in such an impactful way。 It works beautifully。 I want to add that Matteo is a character I just want to hug and make everything better for。 He cares so much for his family and friends， you can feel his anxiety and fear through the words - especially as they heighten。 I also love how Matteo is such a real character。 Sometimes he doesn’t handle situations in the best way - mainly with his friends。 Having him openly admit this and tell himself that he is at fault here， but then reading him actively doing better and changing before our eyes is beautifully refreshing。 Matteo is going through a LOT so I think the actions he takes in the book can be forgiven， but having a realistic character in a book - someone who is human and does make mistakes but uses them to learn and grow - is something I will never， ever tire of。 Daniel Aleman has written this so well in the book that despite all this - I still absolutely adore Matteo and only want the best for him and his family。 The book was paced so well - always wanting me to read more and more （hence my reading it all in one day）。 I loved the unexpectedness。 How the book didn’t go where I was expecting at all throughout from start to finish， but it far from disappointed me。 This book was just fantastic。 It’s raw， honest， and has had me consistently in tears throughout today as I’ve read it。 I truly can’t recommend it enough。 。。。more
Liena
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This is the saddest book I ever read。 The story is so heartbreaking， but I think we should read all this one。 It's about Mateo， who faces the deportation of his parents and about how it feels when this kind of tragedy happens。Mateo is 16 years old， and like a normal teenager， he lives with his parents and his little sister Sophie。 His studies at school， hangs out with his friends， helps his father with the store and dreams about his future。 But all his life changes when agents from ICE come to t This is the saddest book I ever read。 The story is so heartbreaking， but I think we should read all this one。 It's about Mateo， who faces the deportation of his parents and about how it feels when this kind of tragedy happens。Mateo is 16 years old， and like a normal teenager， he lives with his parents and his little sister Sophie。 His studies at school， hangs out with his friends， helps his father with the store and dreams about his future。 But all his life changes when agents from ICE come to take him and his wife。 20 years living in USA， building the life， having children。。。 All this no matters to the government， and it's sad。I loved something that Mateo said: the government see only numbers， but behind all these numbers there are people， people with life， with dreams， with a story， living the hard way， starting all the things without anything in their pockets。I never will understand how you can divide the family， how the government can take apart parents from their children。 It's so hard to live and experience。The book was very good written。 The author transports a reader directly to the ground of the story。 You will cry， a lot。 But this kind of books is a must read for everyone， because only this way we can know how hard is for immigrants start the new life in the other country。A little spoiler: the book ends with a satisfying end。Thank so much Netgalley to give me the copy of this amazing book， and to the author for writing it。 。。。more
Melanie
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Thank you to Netgalley and Hatchette Audio for the alc of this book。When ICE comes for Mateo's parents， his life is turned upside down。 Instead of focusing on acting and high school and SATs， suddenly his focus has to turn to taking care of his younger sister and keep himself from falling apart。This book was absolutely heartbreaking。 I loved every minute of it but it hurt my heart so much！ Honestly I really felt so much empathy for Mateo and his sister and all their family and friends。 I also re Thank you to Netgalley and Hatchette Audio for the alc of this book。When ICE comes for Mateo's parents， his life is turned upside down。 Instead of focusing on acting and high school and SATs， suddenly his focus has to turn to taking care of his younger sister and keep himself from falling apart。This book was absolutely heartbreaking。 I loved every minute of it but it hurt my heart so much！ Honestly I really felt so much empathy for Mateo and his sister and all their family and friends。 I also really loved the romance that ended up happening in this book！ It was really sweet and natural and I also love the friends to lovers trope！I definitely recommend this book！Pub Date: May 4th， 2021Content Warnings:Graphic: Racism， Xenophobia， and Mental illnessdeportation， prison 。。。more
Toya （the reading chemist）
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This is one of those books that I experienced such a myriad of emotions in a short time frame that once I finished， I just needed to sit with my thoughts and process everything。 Indivisible is a story that follows the life of Mateo Garcia （a high schooler） and his younger sister Sophie （an elementary schooler）。 After carefully concealing the truth of their citizenship status for decades， Mateo’s parents are taken away by ICE leaving Mateo and Sophie to their own devices。 Mateo and Sophie quickly This is one of those books that I experienced such a myriad of emotions in a short time frame that once I finished， I just needed to sit with my thoughts and process everything。 Indivisible is a story that follows the life of Mateo Garcia （a high schooler） and his younger sister Sophie （an elementary schooler）。 After carefully concealing the truth of their citizenship status for decades， Mateo’s parents are taken away by ICE leaving Mateo and Sophie to their own devices。 Mateo and Sophie quickly learn the cruelties of the immigration system and the sacrifices that must be made in order to have a better life。 I will not be able to sufficiently unpack everything that this book contains in this review。 This book covers examines illegal immigration， what it means to be American， the “American Dream”， racial injustice， xenophobia， queerness， etc。 It was heart wrenching to see Mateo going from a regular teenage boy to chasing his dreams of attending Tisch and becoming a Broadway sensation to figuring out how to parent his sister who has completely withdrawn from a place where their parents can no longer live。 The fear， anxiety， and PTSD were palpable。 One of the aspects of this story that I absolutely loved was showing the importance of support groups。 In this case， it was Mateo’s community （originally set up by their parents） and friends who came together to ensure that him and Sophie wouldn’t end up another statistic， and I absolutely loved it。 I don’t want to give anything else away。 This is definitely one of those books that I think should be a must read for people because it really is an eye-opening coming of age story that really sheds light onto some of the very real situations that kids are living through right now。 Thank you Hachette Audio for providing an advanced listening copy through NetGalley。 This did not influence my review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Simeon Tsanev
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It feels like every year I get one perfect contemporary gay YA debut novel that just absolutely captures my heart。 Last summer that was Adam Sass’ Surrender Your Sons， which I still rave about to whoever will listen to me。 And in 2021， it is Daniel Aleman’s Indivisible。 Before I start this review however， I must warn you that this is not an easy book。 There is a lot of darkness there， and no easy answers。16-year old Mateo Garcia is a New Yorker living the Manhattan working class life。 He helps a It feels like every year I get one perfect contemporary gay YA debut novel that just absolutely captures my heart。 Last summer that was Adam Sass’ Surrender Your Sons， which I still rave about to whoever will listen to me。 And in 2021， it is Daniel Aleman’s Indivisible。 Before I start this review however， I must warn you that this is not an easy book。 There is a lot of darkness there， and no easy answers。16-year old Mateo Garcia is a New Yorker living the Manhattan working class life。 He helps at his dad's bodega。 He has college aspirations and Broadway dreams。 As well as the fervent hope that he will not， in fact， graduate high school having never kissed another boy。 He is also the child of undocumented immigrants。 Unlike him and his kid sister Sophie， his parents were born in Mexico， and crossed the border decades ago in search of a better life。 And though they are both pillars of their community， not a day goes by without the underlying fear of ICE。Then the worst happens， and Mateo’s life crumbles。 Overnight， he finds himself having to become his sister’s guardian， learn to run his father’s bodega， and figure out what future he can have with his parents gone back to Mexico。 And meanwhile， the feeling that he does not belong in any world drives him away from his closest friends。Indivisible is not only a heart-rending story of hardship and perseverance， but also a meta-commentary on contemporary YA。 The opening chapters show us all the trappings we know and love。 An off-Broadway audition。 A hurtful racial remark。 A sensitive queer boy trying to find himself in a world that sometimes feels too large to comprehend。 Then Daniel Aleman suddenly pulls the rug from under us， and gives us a story that is almost brutal in its earnest tragedy。 And Mateo has to deal with truly adult issues before he has even had a chance to figure out being a teen。At the beginning， I used the word “perfect”。 Of course， no story is ever perfect， and Indivisible has its issues。 I do wish that the pacing in the second half was a bit faster。 While I fully understand the need for the catastrophic reality of Mateo’s life to have space to breathe， for me it did get to a point where I was ready for the book to move along。 Another issue is the fairly contrived reason why he refuses to confide in his friends。 While it does pay off emotionally in the end， I felt that in the actual moments when he could tell them， his reasoning wasn’t terribly convincing。But the reason why I used the word “perfect”， is that Indivisible is greater than the sum of its parts。 Any issues I might have with pacing or foreshadowing are irrelevant。 Because the book was earnest， and powerful in a way that I have not experienced YA being in a very long time。 Daniel Aleman comes out the gate swinging with this explosive debut， and I am thrilled to see what he does next。P。S。 As an aside， while reading I made a startling discovering。 Aleman not only subverted the tropes of the typical contemporary queer YA。 He also had a side character — Mateo’s gay friend Adam — actually have an entire traditional YA arc almost entirely off-screen。 I truly hope that was intentional， because it made me smile during what was otherwise a very serious read。 。。。more
Kristen
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High school junior， Mateo， aspires to one day attend the Tisch school at NYU to pursue his dreams of musical theater。 Until then， he has to manage his school work， his job at his family's bodega， and his test scores to be able to afford school in the first place。 When his parents are detained by ICE and his family faces the reality of deportation， Mateo must become the sole provider to his sister， Sophie。 All of the normal pressures of being a teen living in NYC are compounded by his new respons High school junior， Mateo， aspires to one day attend the Tisch school at NYU to pursue his dreams of musical theater。 Until then， he has to manage his school work， his job at his family's bodega， and his test scores to be able to afford school in the first place。 When his parents are detained by ICE and his family faces the reality of deportation， Mateo must become the sole provider to his sister， Sophie。 All of the normal pressures of being a teen living in NYC are compounded by his new responsibilities: paying the rent， feeding and clothing himself and his sister， giving his sister a "normal" childhood。 Mateo's story is heartbreaking and anxiety inducing。 I have had students experience similar situations in the past， and it hurt so much reading Mateo's perspective and realizing how heavy a burden they （and many other teens） carried， but still were expected to show up to school and try to learn。 While I normally gripe about YA realistic fiction being entirely predictable， several plot lines were not predictable in the least。 Most notably， the main conflict with Mateo and his family struggling to stay in America had me surprised a few times！ The more teen-related conflicts， however， mostly centering on communication and identity， went just about as I expected them to。 Maybe I'm just really adept at figuring out what teens will do at this point？ The only other noticeable detractor for me was the repetition of the symbolism in the beginning of the book -- Aleman refers to Mateo bearing a heavy weight several times early on， and the repetitiveness pulled me out of the story in a few spots。 Even for a teenage audience， it can be more subtle and still be communicated effectively。 But an altogether small gripe nonetheless。"Indivisible" will find a home on my classroom library shelves。 It is a gut-wrenching story that is an unfortunate reality for plenty of young people today， embedded within some standard YA fare that is sure to engage students and educate them about this perspective。 。。。more
Jade
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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 m 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。 。。。more
GavShire
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You actually get to follow the whole story。。This is a must read！！！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Indivisible
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Indivisible&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Indivisible&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0