D. Esperanza's "Detained" is not simply a memoir; it is a raw, unflinching, and profoundly moving testament to the human cost of immigration policies. To call it the Anne Frank's Diary of our time is not hyperbole, but a stark recognition of its power to illuminate the darkness of a specific historical moment through the intimate lens of a child's experience. Like Anne Frank's diary, "Detained" offers an unvarnished and deeply personal account of confinement, fear, and the enduring flicker of hope amidst dehumanizing circumstances.

We meet D. Esperanza as a resilient yet vulnerable thirteen-year-old, suddenly adrift after the loss of his anchors in Honduras. His decision to embark on the perilous journey north, driven by the fundamental need for survival and the longing for family, immediately humanizes the often-politicized narrative of migration. The harrowing account of his journey through Central America and Mexico, undertaken with his cousins, paints a vivid picture of the dangers and uncertainties faced by those seeking refuge and opportunity. The bonds forged in the face of such adversity only amplify the cruelty of their eventual separation at the US border.

The heart of "Detained" lies within the five months D spent in a detention facility, meticulously documented in his journal. These pages are a stark indictment of a system that offers no information, no solace, and seemingly little regard for the well-being of children. Through D's innocent yet perceptive eyes, we witness the pain, the cruelty, and the senseless inhumanity that permeate these spaces. The lack of updates, the constant uncertainty, and the emotional toll of confinement are laid bare with a heartbreaking honesty that cuts through political rhetoric.

Yet, amidst the despair, "Detained" also shines a light on the resilience of the human spirit. D's journal entries reveal the unexpected friendships forged within the walls of the detention center, offering glimmers of connection and shared humanity in the face of dehumanization. The unwavering support of his advocate, Gerardo Iván Morales, serves as a crucial beacon of hope, underscoring the vital role of compassion and advocacy in navigating such a brutal system.

Like Anne Frank's diary, "Detained" is a powerful coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of injustice. It forces us to confront the human consequences of policies that often reduce individuals to statistics. D's voice, clear and unwavering despite the trauma he endures, demands our attention and empathy. It compels us to look beyond the headlines and see the individual stories of courage, vulnerability, and the fundamental human desire for safety and belonging.

"Detained" is not an easy read, but it is an essential one. It is a vital document of our time, offering a firsthand account of the realities at the border that will undoubtedly resonate for years to come. D. Esperanza's journal is a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit to find connection and hope even in the darkest of circumstances, making "Detained" a crucial and unforgettable contribution to the literature of human rights and survival.

This book tore me to pieces.
The journey that D. Esperanza went on seems like it could have been so farfetched, but it is the sad reality of so many children brought here and who come on their own looking for a better life to escape so much violence and poverty. Along the way despite going through so much pain and suffering he meets a few good people who show him kindness in a situation that is anything but kind. I sobbed and my heart breaks for every single child who's had to endure this and will continue to endure it.

No matter what side of the immigrant argument you're on - no child deserves to be treated the way that they continue to be treated.
How will future generations look at the fact that children, babies were kept in cages for the simple act of wanting a better future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Primero Sueño Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Poignant. Via D, Detained gives voice to the many (children!!!) who have been forced to endure under similar circumstances. Inhumane doesn’t cover it. Hoping this book will help to spread greater awareness.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Detained follows the harrowing journey of D Esperanza, a thirteen-year-old boy from Honduras, who set out to reunite with his parents in the U.S. after losing his caregivers. The story unfolds as D and his cousins endure a dangerous trek through Central America and Mexico, only to be separated at the U.S. border. Through journal entries chronicling his time in detention, D's tale sheds light on the resilience, friendships, and inhumanity experienced by migrants caught in the web of U.S. immigration policy.

This deeply moving and timely book offers a rare insider's perspective on the horrors of detainment camps under Trump's administration and the hardships migrants face in pursuit of a better future. Heartbreaking yet infused with hope, Detained is an essential voice in the ongoing conversation around immigration reform.

Wow.. simply an incredible story. D. Esperanza's journey to the United States, through the perils of the wilderness to the perils of the immigration system, is unlike anything I've ever read. I can't imagine a more pertinent story to these times than this one - it's coming at the perfect moment in history. Sadly, what D went through is the reality for so many - more and more each day, now. But the fact that his story had a happy ending, that he was able to share the ups and downs of his migration is so powerful and so brave. He and his cousins are some of the strongest among us, and I applaud them for putting this story into the world.

I'd urge everyone to read this - but especially those who are hard on immigration. This is vital information and humanizing on a level not seen before.

I knew going into this book that it was going to shatter me, not only did it do that it also educated me on Trump’s family separation policy, something I always heard on the news, but never from someone who lived it to tell.

This is the first-ever memoir of a child’s experience in a detention on the US/Mexico border under President Trump family separation policy. This story of pain, survival, and resilience is a true raw testament to the reality of the border.

D Esperanza was only 13 years old when he lost both his caregivers, his beloved grandmother and uncle. With both of his parents working and living in in the US, D and his cousin were left to fend for themselves. The boys barely made ends meet in their small town of Honduras, by working various jobs. The boys made the difficult decision to venture to the US and hopefully reunite with D’s parents in el Norte for a better life, along with their two cousins from Guatemala.

D and his three cousins took on an enduring venture to the US with many hopes and dreams. This trek wasn’t an easy one, they had to endure a long and treacherous journey through Central America and Mexico from having to board La Bestia one of the world’s most dangerous trains, to many sleepless nights, sickness, danger and hunger.

Over the course of ten months D gives us a raw detailing of his experience throughout his journey via journal entries. D and his cousins form a deep bond, only to be separated at the border of the United States. D is captured and detained in a US detention center in Tornillo, Texas. The Tornillo facility will go down as a dark period in U.S. history when asylum-seeking, vulnerable children spent months living in a slapdash tent city in the desert, in the care of unqualified, negligent personnel.
During the senseless inhumanity of the immigration policy, D was able to find hope and friendships that advocated on his behalf.

This book will forever live in my heart.

This book will be on sale May 13, 2025, I highly recommend it. A big thank you to NetGalley and Atria/ Primero Sueño Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What can I say about this book? It was intense, devastating, mournful, enraging...and yet, still tinged with hope. I read this through the lens of a mother. My own child being just a few scant years younger than D when they embarked on their journey to El Norte from Honduras. It was challenging and painful to read at times, but felt incredibly necessary to bear witness to the heartbreak and trauma D experienced. Given the current political climate, increasing criminalization of migrants, unjust detention and carceral abuses, D's account of their experience at the Tornillo Detention Facility in 2018 is especially important.

Detained begins with the occasional journal entry by D, detailing aspects of his life in the small town of Naranjito, Honduras. Primarily raised by their grandmother, who they refer to as Tia (aunt), alongside their younger cousin Miguelito and uncle Felipe. Even before embarking on the journey north, circumstances force D into a caregiver role beyond their childhood years: an auto accident that kills his uncle Felipe, and his grandmother's death soon after. In the aftermath of the loss of the only adults in their lives, D's writing shifts from personal journal entries to letters to his "Querida Tia," a recounting of their daily experiences, fears, sorrow, and petitions for care, protection, and prayers. Unable to secure sufficient work and wages to sustain both himself and Miguelito, the boys decide to embark on the dangerous journey north together. Weeks of walking and hitchhiking finally bring them to Guatemala, where they are able to connect with a distant aunt and cousins, Elias and Damian. From Guatemala, the four cousins embark on the harrowing and dangerous trek to the US-Mexico border.

There are recurring themes of connection and separation, safety and danger, despair and hope. The four cousins form a powerful bond, emphasizing how integral each became to one another in order to survive. Together they look out for one another; buoy each other in the face of hunger, uncertainty, and violence from La Migra and cartels. Separated by the US Border Patrol immediately after crossing, D is alone during his detention at a number of processing facilities. D struggles to understand why he is being detained, why he is treated as a bed number and not a person, what happened to his cousins, why no one can give him answers, why no one cares. If ever there was a shadow of a doubt that carceral systems only perpetuate a system of violence, trauma, and harm, this book provides a firsthand account of how this impacted a child who had already endured so much loss and violence. There is, however, a glimmer of hope when D finds himself assigned to Alpha 13, a bunk at the Tornillo detention facility, where he meets Ivan, one of the adults assigned to oversee the children in this specific bunk. In Alpha 13 there is finally a semblance of consistency and genuine care for the wellbeing of it's inhabitants. And yet, the sense of safety D begins to feel there is challenged time and again when children cycle out of Tornillo in the middle of the night. No goodbye. No warning. An abrupt ending to tentative connections.

After 5 months of detention, D is finally reunited with his parents in Tenessee - parents he has only spoken to over the phone, who he has never met before, as they have been in the US since he was a baby. The epilogue provided some reassurance to the reader that D, now 20 years old, had managed to find joy and happiness, while also recognizing that they had endured more trauma than perhaps any child should ever have to experience.

This is a book that will stay with me forever.