# Illegally Yours: A Memoir - Hardcover

by **Rafael Agustin** (Author)

**A funny and poignant memoir about how as a teenager, TV writer Rafael Agustin (_Jane The Virgin_) accidentally discovered he was undocumented and how that revelation turned everything he thought he knew about himself and his family upside down.**

Growing up, Rafa's parents didn't want him to feel different because, as his mom told him: "Dreams should not have borders." But when he tried to get his driver's license during his junior year of high school, his parents were forced to reveal his immigration status. Suddenly, the kid who modeled his entire high school career after American TV shows had no idea what to do -- there was no episode of _Saved by the Bell_ where Zack gets deported! While his parents were relieved to no longer live a lie in front of their son, Rafa found himself completely unraveling in the face of his uncertain future.

_Illegally Yours_ is a heartwarming, comical look at how this struggling Ecuadorian immigrant family bonded together to navigate Rafa's school life, his parents' work lives, and their shared secret life as undocumented Americans, determined to make the best of their always turbulent and sometimes dangerous American existence. From using the Ricky Martin/Jennifer Lopez "Latin Explosion" to his social advantage in the '90s to how his parents--doctors in their home country of Ecuador--were reduced to working menial jobs in the US, the family's secret became their struggle, and their struggle became their hustle. An alternatingly hilarious and touching exploration of belonging and identity, _Illegally Yours_ revolves around one very simple question: What does it mean to be American?

### Author Biography

**Rafael Agustin** was a writer on the award-winning The CW show _Jane The Virgin._ He is a Sundance Fellow for his TV family comedy _Illegal,_ based on his life as a formerly undocumented American. Agustin co-created and co-starred in the national touring, award-winning autobiographical comedy _N\*gger Wetb\*ck Ch\*nk_, which received acclaim from the _LA Times, New York Times_, and _Denver Post,_ and won awards for its advancement of social justice in the arts. He serves as CEO of the Latino Film Institute (LFI), where he oversees the Youth Cinema Project, the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF), and LatinX in Animation. In 2018, _LA Weekly_ named Agustin one of the fifty most essential people in Los Angeles. In 2021, Agustin was appointed to the National Film Preservation Board at the Library of Congress. Agustin received his BA and MA from UCLA's School of Theater, Film & Television and is an alumnus of the CBS Diversity Comedy Showcase.

**Number of Pages:** 304

**Dimensions:** 1.03 x 9.11 x 6.31 IN

**Publication Date:** July 12, 2022

## Details

- **Price:** 37.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 37.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Illegally Yours: A Memoir - Hardcover

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