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Book Summary and Reviews of America, Let Me In by Felipe Torres Medina

America, Let Me In by Felipe Torres Medina

America, Let Me In

A Choose Your Immigration Story

by Felipe Torres Medina

  • Critics' Consensus (2):
  • Published:
  • Mar 2025, 208 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

A hilarious and satirically accurate introduction to the United States immigration system from comedian and writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Felipe Torres Medina.

Born in Colombia, Felipe Torres Medina moved to the US at the age of 21 and has spent over ten years of his life both navigating the chaos and confusion of the immigration system and explaining that craziness to the clueless Americans around him. There are few subjects that Americans have stronger opinions on. And there are few subjects that they know less about.

So, like many immigrants before him, Torres Medina sets out to do the job American-born citizens won't: make the US immigration process accessible, relatable, and, hey, a little bit funny. With an outsider's eye, an insider's affection, and a biting, humorous flair, Torres Medina invites readers from all passport lines to explore the multiple paths and potholes of moving to America, and experience just how many choices it takes to choose a new home.

In this laugh-out-loud book, you will be taken down a multitude of possible immigration stories that range from the kafkaesquely silly to an uproarious good time. Some of them are real things that happened to Felipe—like discovering in an immigration interview that he shares a name with several criminals—and some of them are totally invented and will make you question your sanity.

By the end of this handy guide, you'll learn all you need to know about visas like the H-1B work visa, the infamous 90-day fiancé visa, the so-called Einstein visa, and many more. Remember, the fate of each character's journey is all in your hands. So choose at your own risk.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"[A] darkly hilarious and cleverly constructed explainer on American immigration... . Eye-opening and entertaining, this is a gem." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This hilarious and heartfelt book is a compassionate ode to those who risk it all to live in America. A funny, empathetic, and formally inventive guide to the U.S. immigration system." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

This information about America, Let Me In was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Felipe Torres Medina

Felipe Torres Medina is a Peabody and Writers Guild of America Award–winning writer from Bogotá, Colombia. His writing for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has earned him five Emmy nominations. His humor has appeared in The New Yorker, McSweeney's, and others. He lives in New York City with his wife and is totally chill when you misspell his birth country's name. (He is not.)

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