Among The Hidden, By Margaret Peterson Haddix

Maya Angelou once said, “Freedom is never free.” This is true because a person always has to pay some sort of price in order to be free, whether in a literal sense or not. In the book Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, Luke Garner is an illegal third child in a place where overpopulation forces the government to make unfair laws. Each family is allowed to have two children, so Luke envies his older brothers and cannot live his life the way he wants to. This is similar to in “Two Sisters, Two Americas,” by Brooke Ross, which tells the reader about an illegal immigrant named Veronica Saravia. Veronica came to the United States with her parents illegally when she was 4 years old. Her sister, Diana, was born in the United States. Diana
For example, Luke’s parents made him sit on the bottom step during dinner. They didn’t want anyone to get suspicious of their family. When more people moved near the Garner’s home, his parents became more concerned than ever. Luke’s mother asks, “‘Luke, honey? Can you eat sitting on the bottom step?… Dad thinks – I mean, it’s not safe for you to eat in the kitchen.’” (Haddix 20-21) In the same way, Veronica had to move around often and changed schools often. This was so the government couldn’t track her family. If the government found out that the Saravias were in the United States illegally, they would be deported and sent back to the violence and gangs that they were escaping. In order to keep one step ahead of the government, “… the family had to move frequently (and the kids had to change schools) to avoid being discovered.” (Ross 3) Luke and Veronica were treated differently and forced to act differently because of a law made by their government. They had to take many precautions in order to avoid discovery. Therefore, in order to refrain from being found by the government, Luke and Veronica had to
Luke’s older brothers, Matthew and Mark, can go to school and meet other people. Luke is unable to do this because of his legal status with the government. Luke was more than disappointed when he realized that he would have to hide forever on his 6th birthday. In an effort to make himself feel better about hiding his entire life, 6-year-old Luke lamented, “Who wanted to meet strangers, anyway? Who wanted to go to school…” (Haddix 11) Likewise, Veronica’s younger sister, Diana can vote when she turns 18 and can apply for federal student aid when she goes to college. Veronica has no say in who our president is and cannot apply for federal student aid to go to college. Since Veronica is an illegal immigrant, she doesn’t have all the rights that her sister will eventually have. The author explains, “Veronica doesn’t get a say in this year’s presidential election, even though she’s old enough… she can’t ask the federal government for a loan.” (Ross 1) Both Luke and Veronica’s siblings have rights like suffrage and attending school because they are legal in their countries. Since Luke and Veronica are considered illegal, they don’t have any freedoms or rights. All in all, Luke and Veronica can’t do many of the things that their legal siblings can