"Defectors" by Paola Ramos is absolutely essential reading for anyone interested in politics, demographics, and the changing face of America. As I was reading, I found myself thinking back to the book "The Latino Wave," written twenty years ago by her father, Univision anchor Jorge Ramos. Back then, in 2004, it seemed inconceivable that any (Republican) candidate for higher office would ever be successful without earning the trust of at least 40% of the Latino vote. Paola has done an amazing job of laying bare the reasons why and how the numbers have changed since then.

I was particularly taken by the story of Raul Rodriguez, the undocumented Border Patrol agent who lost both his job and his citizenship when, unbeknownst to him, his birth certificate was discovered as having been falsified by his family. It contrasts sharply with the story of Lance Cpl. Jose A. Gutierrez, an orphan from Guatemala who hopped railcars across Mexico and entered the US in 1997. He was declared a ward of the state, joined the Marines, and was among the first servicemen killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was posthumously granted US citizenship.

"Defectors" is a truly amazing work of journalism and social science.