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The Transplant by Alexandra Ulysses
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The Transplant (edition 2013)

by Alexandra Ulysses

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11987227,791 (2.61)4
An insightful account of two young people living in United States illegally. Witty and tragic, it portrays their endless and fruitless pursuit of legalization. Agata, a young Polish au-pair who arrives in the United States in the late 1990⿿s, strives to maintain her legal status through hard work but, due to a fateful event, finds herself unable to do so. Faced with dangerous circumstances and few if any options, she flees from her host family only to find herself living and working illegally. Eventually she meets Mario. His single minded devotion to his ailing mother led him to risk his life and cross the border so that he could earn enough money to pay for the kidney transplant that would save her life. With the birth of their daughter Adriana and the need to ensure that their family stay intact, Agata and Mario become painfully aware of the need for legalization.… (more)
Member:grammygeek
Title:The Transplant
Authors:Alexandra Ulysses
Info:United Arts Media (2013), Kindle Edition, 590 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:***1/2
Tags:None

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The Transplant by Alexandra Ulysses

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Showing 1-5 of 91 (next | show all)
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
A disjointed narrative, rife with American sterotypes that border on the offensive at times, that pounds you over the head with a maudlin immigrant plight. The whole things felt more like thinly veiled political allegory than actual people working through actual situations. Please, don't waste your time. There are so many excellent authors out there who treat the immigrant experience with aplomb and grace (Jhumpa Lahiri comes to mind)--not with weird strike-throughs and paper doll characters. ( )
  mermaidatheart | Dec 1, 2015 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Great book, but I did not like the ending at all. It was a shocker of an ending. This book is about the immigration process and the trials and tribulations of a particular young woman through the years and what happens to her and her family. Very interesting. The story dealt with the Polish immigration. It could be different for other parts of the world. I could not put it down as I had to find out what happens to the girl and her daughter. But like I said......The ending was not a good one. But is one book I will not soon forget.
  LindaJTay | Aug 12, 2014 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
I received this book through Early Reviewers and forced myself to get through it. It is one of the worst written books I have ever read. It is important that Americans understand the difficulties faced by immigrants to America, particularly illegal ones. But most people won't be able to finish this book. The website for the publishing company, United Arts Media, llc,. shows that the only book the company has published is The Transplant. Although I could not verify it, this book may be self-published which explains alot; No reputable publishing company would allow a book to be released with so many editing flaws, such poor conceptualization of characters and plot, and so many inaccuracies, well documented by other reader's reviews. . ( )
2 vote joyceBl | May 25, 2014 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
This was an interesting story with some really sad circumstances. With immigration and a person's legal status a huge issue today, it was an interesting concept that brings the current situation of immigration and what one would do to survive to a wider audience. The concept was great, the execution could use some work. Interesting, nonetheless. ( )
  dizdwi | May 6, 2014 |
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
I understand what the author was trying to do with the superfluous punctuation, lined out sections, etc.- The reader is supposed to feel as if they are inside the minds of Agata and Mario. Unfortunately, Agata's mind is not a nice place to be. Most readers will be unable to connect and empathize with Agata, and this will hamper their ability to get through the book. The unusual style adds another hurdle, so it is my opinion that most readers will not finish the book, making it unsuitable for most collections. ( )
  AshtonAnne | Apr 1, 2014 |
Showing 1-5 of 91 (next | show all)
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An insightful account of two young people living in United States illegally. Witty and tragic, it portrays their endless and fruitless pursuit of legalization. Agata, a young Polish au-pair who arrives in the United States in the late 1990⿿s, strives to maintain her legal status through hard work but, due to a fateful event, finds herself unable to do so. Faced with dangerous circumstances and few if any options, she flees from her host family only to find herself living and working illegally. Eventually she meets Mario. His single minded devotion to his ailing mother led him to risk his life and cross the border so that he could earn enough money to pay for the kidney transplant that would save her life. With the birth of their daughter Adriana and the need to ensure that their family stay intact, Agata and Mario become painfully aware of the need for legalization.

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Description: Taking place in contemporary Chicago The Transplant is a story of young Polish au-pair Agata Chrupczak and Mario Sanchez, a Mexican citizen. Both are without proper credentials that would allow them to reside and work in the United States legally.

Agata’s au-pair visas expired when her employment with the Kochs was suddenly terminated. Mario, who crossed the US border illegally, lacks any paperwork whatsoever.

While Agata’s year and half that she worked as a documented nanny for the German family comes with certain benefits in form of a social security number and experience crucial to establish herself in the United States, Mario is driven by his will alone to make enough money to cover the medical expenses for the kidney transplant that is needed to save his mother’s life.

Their vibrant relationship comes to a crippling halt when Agata has a daughter. Met with inflexibility from the US government, which refuses to pass an immigration reform that would allow the couple to live in the United States legally; Mario and Agata decide to gain legal status through a fake marriage to a United States citizen, to free themselves from the ever imminent threat of deportation.

Within this tale of romance and tragedy lie the underground immigration scene’s tools of the trade, at once cleverly disguised and boldly “in your face”. A must read for anybody even remotely interested in the politics of illegal immigration.
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