Reviewed by Social Justice Books Staff
Review Source: Teaching for Change
Book Author: Rajani LaRocca
Some of Us: A Story of Citizenship and the United States endeavors to celebrate the diversity of immigrants in America and the contributions they make to society as well as underscore the freedom and milestone of choosing to become a naturalized citizen, but the narrative misses the mark. LaRocca presents a romanticized version of immigration, citizenship, and the United States that’s loaded with patriotism, but lacks true substance.
The narrative opens with, “Some of us are born American. Some choose,” a reductive interpretation of the reality of immigration and citizenship, which disregards the fact that birthright citizenship has been long challenged. Though the author acknowledges that some folks immigrate to flee war, oppression, and poverty, she neglects to directly address that these are conditions which contribute to forced immigration. The first allusion to this appears in the author’s note where LaRocca states, “Enslaved people were brought here against their will,” as if forced immigration is only relegated to the past. Yet the United States continues to support regressive governments, the climate crisis, global trade policies, and wars that force people to flee their home country in search of refuge in a land that doesn’t welcome them. As journalist David Bacon explains, migration is a last resort and most immigrants would prefer the right to stay home. LaRocca goes on to state in her note that some people are denied the right to immigrate due to arbitrary or racist laws and delves a bit into the history of the struggle for suffrage across minority groups, but concurrently states that “all U.S. citizens have the same rights and responsibilities,” a confusing, contradictory takeaway for the young elementary target audience. LaRocca falls into infantilizing optimism rather than offering an accessible and accurate portrayal of the current state of our country.
Right now, there is a prevalence of racist rhetoric that incites fear of deportation in undocumented U.S. citizens with the promise of an indefinite barred return. The administration’s call for “voluntary” deportation leaves unacknowledged the reality that immigrants have no choice but to return to the war, oppression, and poverty they were escaping from in the first place. Some immigrants, who have lived here for most of their lives and have played a crucial role in creating the culturally diverse and rich tapestry that the United States is supposed to stand for, are finding themselves in a now foreign land with no home and no community, not to mention the cases where immigrants who have been legally granted citizenship have also been “mistakenly” kidnapped and incarcerated.
While intended to inspire pride, this book is an immigration fairytale.
Find recommended books on this topic on our Immigration booklist.
Some of Us by Rajani LaRocca
on June 14, 2025
Genres: Immigration and Emigration
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Grade K
ISBN: 9780316571753
Review Source: Teaching for Change
Also by this author: Where Three Oceans Meet
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