Julissa Arce

Nationally bestselling author Julissa Arce interweaves her own experiences with cultural commentary in a powerful polemic against the myth that assimilation leads to happiness and belonging for immigrants in America. Instead, she calls for a celebration of our uniqueness, our origins, our heritage, and the beauty of the differences that actually make us Americans. “You sound like a white girl.” These were the words spoken to Julissa by a crush as she struggled to find her place in America. As a brown immigrant from Mexico, assimilation had been demanded of her since the moment she set foot in San Antonio, Texas, in 1994. She’d spent so much time getting rid of her accent so no one could tell English was her second language that in that moment she felt those words--you sound like a white girl--were a compliment. As a child, she didn’t yet understand that assimilating to “American” culture really meant imitating “white” America—that ‘sounding like a white girl’ was a racist idea meant to tame her, change her, and make her small. She ran the race, completing each stage, but never quite fit in, until she stopped running altogether. In this dual polemic and manifesto, Julissa dives into and tears apart the lie that assimilation leads to belonging. She combs through history and her own story to break down this myth, arguing that assimilation is a moving finish line designed to keep Black and brown Americans and immigrants chasing racist American ideals. She talks about the Lie of Success, the Lie of Legality, the Lie of Whiteness, and the Lie of English – each promising that if you obtain these things, you will reach acceptance--you won’t be an outsider anymore. Instead, Julissa deftly argues, these demands leave her and those like her in a purgatory – neither able to secure the power and belonging of whiteness nor find it in the community and cultures whiteness demands we leave behind. Here Julissa offers a bold new promise: Belonging only comes through celebrating yourself, your history, your culture, and everything that makes you uniquely you. Only in turning away from the white gaze can we truly make America beautiful. An America where difference is celebrated, heritage is shared and embraced, and belonging is for everyone. Through unearthing veiled history and reclaiming her own identity, Julissa shows us how to do this.

The Case for Rejecting Assimilation

You Sound Like a White Girl

A National Bestseller! What does an undocumented immigrant look like? What kind of family must she come from? How could she get into this country? What is the true price she must pay to remain in the United States? JULISSA ARCE knows firsthand that the most common, preconceived answers to those questions are sometimes far too simple-and often just plain wrong. On the surface, Arce's story reads like a how-to manual for achieving the American dream: growing up in an apartment on the outskirts of San Antonio, she worked tirelessly, achieved academic excellence, and landed a coveted job on Wall Street, complete with a six-figure salary. The level of professional and financial success that she achieved was the very definition of the American dream. But in this brave new memoir, Arce digs deep to reveal the physical, financial, and emotional costs of the stunning secret that she, like many other high-achieving, successful individuals in the United States, had been forced to keep not only from her bosses, but even from her closest friends. From the time she was brought to this country by her hardworking parents as a child, Arce-the scholarship winner, the honors college graduate, the young woman who climbed the ladder to become a vice president at Goldman Sachs-had secretly lived as an undocumented immigrant. In this surprising, at times heart-wrenching, but always inspirational personal story of struggle, grief, and ultimate redemption, Arce takes readers deep into the little-understood world of a generation of undocumented immigrants in the United States today- people who live next door, sit in your classrooms, work in the same office, and may very well be your boss. By opening up about the story of her successes, her heartbreaks, and her long-fought journey to emerge from the shadows and become an American citizen, Arce shows us the true cost of achieving the American dream-from the perspective of a woman who had to scale unseen and unimaginable walls to get there.

My True Story as an Undocumented Immigrant Who Became a Wall Street Executive

My (Underground) American Dream

A remarkable true story from social justice advocate and national bestselling author Julissa Arce about her journey to belong in America while growing up undocumented in Texas. Born in the picturesque town of Taxco, Mexico, Julissa Arce was left behind for months at a time with her two sisters, a nanny, and her grandma while her parents worked tirelessly in America in hopes of building a home and providing a better life for their children. That is, until her parents brought Julissa to Texas to live with them. From then on, Julissa secretly lived as an undocumented immigrant, went on to become a scholarship winner and an honors college graduate, and climbed the ladder to become a vice president at Goldman Sachs. This moving, at times heartbreaking, but always inspiring story will show young readers that anything is possible. Julissa's story provides a deep look into the little-understood world of a new generation of undocumented immigrants in the United States today--kids who live next door, sit next to you in class, or may even be one of your best friends.

How One Undocumented Girl Fought for Her American Dream

Someone Like Me

My True Story As an Undocumented Immigrant Who Became a Wall Street Executive

My  American Dream

Explores the author's days in Mexico separated from her parents, and her daily fears while growing up undocumented in Texas.

El diseñador y creador del universo dejó miles de promesas escritas para ti... ¡Conócelas y vístete de ellas! Julissa, la reconocida cantautora y líder de adoración, abre su corazón para compartir contigo cómo las promesas que Dios declara en su Palabra la han bendecido durante años, no solo en su carrera ministerial, sino en todods los aspectos de su vida como mujer, esposa y madre. Ella presenta el extraordinario amor de Dios vertido en las promesas del Salmo 91, que ella explica verso por verso, llena de convincente pasión por el Señor. En el libro aprenderás: Cómo reclamar y pararte en las promesas de Dios que bendecirán tu vida y la vida de tus seres queridos Que el amor de Dios es incondicional, pero sus promesas son condicionales A refugiarte en Dios, porque El es tu amparo seguro A vivir confiado en El sabiendo que te protegerá y te rescatará de toda adversidad Que te espera una larga vida viendo la mano de Dios moviéndose a tu favor Unete a Julissa a través de las páginas de este libro, no solamente para hablar de las promesas de Dios y creerlas para tu vida, sino para que aprendas a vivir en ellas, a vestirse con ellas y a convertirlas en "tu armadura y tu protección".

Sanidad, Poder, Prosperidad, Gracia, Vida Eterna, Alegría, Salvación, ProteccióN...

Me Vistió de Promesas

'Qué aspecto tiene una inmigrante indocumentada? 'De qué tipo de familia proviene? 'Cómo consigue entrar a este país? 'Cuál es el verdadero precio que debe pagar para quedarse en los Estados Unidos? Julissa Arce sabe por experiencia propia que las respuestas más comunes y preconcebidas a esas preguntas son con frecuencia demasiado sencillas, y a veces totalmente erróneas.A primera vista, Arce ha alcanzado el sueño americano: al conseguir finalmente un empleo muy codiciado en Wall Street después de años de esfuerzo académico. Pero en esta valiente autobiografía, Arce revela el costo físico, económico y emocional del asombroso secreto que ella, al igual que muchos otros individuos en los Estados Unidos que logran mucho a pesar de sus circunstancias, se había visto obligada a ocultar no solo de sus jefes sino también de sus amigos más cercanos. Desde el momento en que sus padres la trajeron a este país cuando era una niña, Arce, la ganadora de una beca, la graduada universitaria con honores, la joven que finalmente llegó a ser vicepresidenta en Goldman Sachs, había vivido en secreto como inmigrante indocumentada. En esta historia personal desgarradora e inspiracional de lucha, tristeza y redención final, Arce lleva a los lectores a las profundidades de un mundo poco entendido de una nueva generación de inmigrantes indocumentados que están actualmente en los Estados Unidos.Al sincerarse sobre la historia de su largo viaje de lucha para llegar a ser ciudadana estadounidense, Arce nos muestra el verdadero costo de alcanzar el sueño americano, desde la perspectiva de una mujer que tuvo que superar muros invisibles e inimaginables para llegar hasta ahí.

Julissa Arce

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