Of course, a book is not worth a person's livelihood. However, if a DREAMer has to leave the U.S., they lose not only the potential for a career (should the DREAM Act pass soon), but their family - who would probably stay behind, their culture - since they have been here most of their life, and their friends.
In a symbolic sense, deporting a DREAMer is like burning a book, - because a book symbolizes knowledge and learning and work. Having written a couple of books myself, I can say they are heart wrenching things to produce; its like giving birth. The words in the books contain what the author has learned, what she thinks, and what is going on in the world around her (from her perspective and those she is trying to represent). In some countries it is against social rules to place a book on the floor.
Burning a book means many tragic things. It means the end of knowledge. For a DREAMer to be deported means the end of his/her road to an education.
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An Open Letter from a DREAMer who is in danger of being deported -My name is Rigoberto Padilla and I have been in this country since the age of 6. I started the first grade in this country and have been in school ever since. I was never aware of my undocumented status until I was a senior in high school. At the time, I could not understand what made me so different from the rest of my friends that I grew up with. In applying to colleges, the issue of being an undocumented student became a reality and it started to directly affect me. I realized that because of my status, I would never be granted the same resources that the rest of my class was entitled to. link to complete letter
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