The Bookshelf: Aug. 20, 2015

Trib+Edu is joining with respected books authority Kirkus Reviews to bring you select reviews of books of note in the field of education. For more book reviews and recommendations, visit Kirkus.com.

UNDOCUMENTED: A Dominican Boy’s Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League

by Dan-el Padilla Peralta

This story of the personal struggle of an undocumented alien underscores the need for comprehensive immigration reform. ... Peralta’s parents first brought him to America when he was 4, in 1989. ... Peralta’s father moved back, but his mother stayed ... Still, the author was an avid reader, and he excelled in the New York public schools, catching the attention of an art teacher who became the boy’s “big brother” and helped navigate Peralta’s admission to an elite Upper West Side private school, Collegiate, where he mixed with mostly rich white kids and never let on to his true undocumented status. … Occasionally uneven, but an impassioned and honest memoir from an author determined to prove himself worthy.

For the full review, visit kirkus.com.