Cuentos Para Dormir: Bedtime Stories by Deported Parents

Abstract

This article examines the issues of deportation and family separation and how a book series published by deported parents living in Tijuana, Mexico examined these topics. Deportation is an everyday threat for the millions of children in the U.S. who live with at least one undocumented parent. Cuentos para Dormir are a unique set of books that speak to heartfelt issues of family pain and separation written by parents whose families have been directly affected by deportation. In addition to being important social and cultural artifacts, the books also serve as important empowerment tools for parents hoping their stories of deportation will sensitize audiences who may not have been directly affected by this phenomenon.