Book Review: Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth by Daisy Hernandez-Immigration Studies

Hello, dear Readers,

Below is my book review of Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth by Daisy Hernandez.

Title: Citizenship

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Non-Fiction

Author: Daisy Hernandez

Publisher: Hogarth
Publication Date: February 17, 2026

Language: English

Hardcover: 304 Pages

Meet the Author: Daisy Hernandez

Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

A provocative, personal, blazingly intelligent examination of one of the most vexing questions facing the United States today: Who is, and should be, a citizen?

“[A] fascinating, urgently needed new book.”—Chicago Tribune

“How did ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free’ turn upside down to where we are today? Everyone needs to read this book, citizens and non-citizens alike. Brilliant!”—Sandra Cisneros

“The most comprehensive book on citizenship/immigration I’ve ever read. A must-read!”—Javier Zamora

“The book I have always wanted to read.”—Jose Antonio Vargas

“Personal, profound, engaging, and comprehensive . . . this is an essential book for these contentious times.”—Booklist (starred review)

In this one-of-a-kind book, Daisy Hernández fiercely interrogates one of the most complicated subjects of contemporary life and politics: citizenship. Braiding memoir, history, and cultural criticism, she exposes the truths and lies of how we define ourselves as a country and a people. Turning to her own family’s stories—her mother arrived from Colombia, while her father was a political refugee from Castro’s Cuba—Hernández shows how the very idea of citizenship is a myth, one of the stories we tell ourselves about the American soul and psyche.

Reframing our understanding of what it means to be an American, Citizenship is an urgent and necessary account of the laws, customs, and language we use to include and exclude, especially those who come from Latin America. With her scholar’s mind and memoirist’s gift for narrative, Hernández weaves a story both personal and national, while reckoning with our country’s ongoing debate about who belongs and providing fresh ways of thinking about citizenship. At once bracing, fearless, and tender, Citizenship is a powerful portrait of one family’s experiences in the borderlands of citizenship and an honest illumination of the country we live in.

My Thoughts

If you are lucky enough, you come across books like Citizenship, and I feel so fortunate right now.

I didn't want it to end. I was so immersed in the story, and I also felt validated about many things I had been thinking about regarding immigration and citizenship in general. Sometimes we question ourselves, and what we believe or how we see the things going on around us, and when you have is a book like Citizenship, when another person puts into words a well-researched, well-told story, it can be a pretty powerful tool for the rest of us who are trying to educate ourselves and understand. I loved how the author goes into the story putting her personal touch in a memoir sense, but also adding all the references, facts, and dates, without making it too technical, boring, or difficult to understand.

Thank you, Hogarth and NetGalley, for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Wendy

Book Review: When I Kill You: A Novel by B.A. Paris- Domestic Thriller

Hello, dear Readers,

My book review of: When I Kill You: A Novel by B.A. Paris.

Title: When I Kill You: A Novel

Rating:  4/5 Stars

Genre: Domestic Thriller

Author: B.A. Paris

Publisher: St.Martin's Press

Publication Date: February 17, 2026

Language: English

Hardcover: 304 pages
Meet the Author: B.A. Paris
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

The multimillion-copy and New York Times bestseller B. A. Paris returns with a triumphant, unsettling next suspense novel, When I Kill You.

Who is watching Nell Masters?

Nell Masters is certain someone is following her. The hairs on the back of her neck rise when she travels to and from work, there are silent calls to her office, and a huge bouquet of flowers arrives without a card. And Nell has a reason to be looking over her shoulder, because she has a secret that she’s hiding from everyone in her life, including her new partner, Alex. But Alex also has secrets of his own.

Fourteen years earlier, when Nell went by the name Elle Nugent, she witnessed a student, Bryony Sanders, getting into a stranger’s car. When Bryony was found murdered, Elle became obsessed with finding the person responsible. She was convinced she knew who it was, and her fixation with Brett Parker, the man she accused, led her down a dangerous path . . .

Now, Nell tries to convince herself that this unnerving feeling of being watched is all in her mind. Has someone from her past discovered her new identity? Has the stalker become the stalked? Or is there something even more deadly at play?

My Thoughts

Every time B.A. Paris comes up with a new book I get so excited. She is one of my favorite authors ever, and once again, she didn't disappoint. 

When I kill you was such a roller coaster, suspenseful pack, and the ending was completely unexpected but very satisfying. I always appreciate her stories just because they have all the elements of a great thriller, and also characters that bring everything to the story. 

Thank you, St. Martin's and Netgalley, for the free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wendy