Paola Mendoza Depicts the Sacrifices Immigrant Women Make in New Novel Nina Terrero - NBC Latino
go to original November 22, 2013

Actress, writer and director Paola Mendoza. (Rola Press)
 

The Ones Who Don’t Stay by Paola Mendoza Check it out on Amazon.com

Immigration is dominating the political conversation these days – but in a new book “The Ones Who Don’t Stay,” actress and filmmaker Paola Mendoza makes it personal, striving to paint a portrait of the extraordinary women who have left their homeland in search of better opportunities in the United States.

“I wanted to create something about immigrants that was a contrast to polarizing headlines. We should be able to think of immigrants as human beings, as opposed to nameless people who break laws, complicate policy and shouldn’t be here,” says Mendoza, who was born in Bogota, Colombia and is now based in Brooklyn, New York. “I wanted to show that immigrants are not here to be a drain on this country or society. I am a proud immigrant and I think what I’ve been able to contribute is characteristic of the majority of immigrants.”

In her debut novel, Mendoza – who wrote, directed and starred in the celebrated 2009 indie drama “Entre Nos” – weaves a multi-generational story about women, touching on themes of war, romantic relationships, family ties, parenthood and struggle. “The Ones Who Don’t Stay” do have characters based on Mendoza’s family – “this book is definitely semi-autobiographical,” confesses the 33-year-old – but there’s a sense of understanding woven within them that makes them at once familiar to even the most casual of readers.

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