Undocumented Motherhood
eBook - ePub

Undocumented Motherhood

Conversations on Love, Trauma, and Border Crossing

  1. English
  2. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Undocumented Motherhood

Conversations on Love, Trauma, and Border Crossing

About this book

2023 SANA Book Award, Society for the Anthro­pology of North Amer­ica
2023 Honorable Mention, Outstanding Book Award NACCS Tejas Foco Award for Non-Fiction, National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies
2022 Nonfiction Discovery Prize, Writers' League of Texas

An intimate portrayal of the hardships faced by an undocumented family navigating the medical and educational systems in the United States.


Claudia Garcia crossed the border because her toddler, Natalia, could not hear. Leaving behind everything she knew in Mexico, Claudia recounts the terror of migrating alone with her toddler and the incredible challenges she faced advocating for her daughter's health in the United States. When she arrived in Texas, Claudia discovered that being undocumented would mean more than just an immigration status—it would be a way of living, of mothering, and of being discarded by even those institutions we count on to care.

Elizabeth Farfán-Santos spent five years with Claudia. As she listened to Claudia's experiences, she recalled her own mother's story, another life molded by migration, the US-Mexico border, and the quest for a healthy future on either side. Witnessing Claudia's struggles with doctors and teachers, we see how the education and medical systems enforce undocumented status and perpetuate disability. At one point, in the midst of advocating for her daughter, Claudia suddenly finds herself struck by debilitating pain. Claudia is lifted up by her comadres, sent to the doctor, and reminded why she must care for herself.

A braided narrative that speaks to the power of stories for creating connection, this book reveals what remains undocumented in the motherhood of Mexican women who find themselves making impossible decisions and multiple sacrifices as they build a future for their families.

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Yes, you can access Undocumented Motherhood by Elizabeth Farfán-Santos in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Cultural & Social Anthropology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Series Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Author’s Notes
  8. Undocumented Moments
  9. 1. Becoming an Undocumented Mother
  10. 2. Falsas Esperanzas
  11. 3. What Sickness?
  12. 4. Comadres
  13. 5. Natalia
  14. Undocumented Stories
  15. Afterword: La Última Rifa
  16. Acknowledgments
  17. Notes
  18. Selected Sources