Samantha Grace Baldwin was doomed from the moment she stepped foot on American soil. After being smuggled into the United States from Mexico as a toddler, Samantha is left to endure a tortuous home life until an anonymous call lands her in foster care, where she falls through America's cracks. As a homeless teenager on the run, Samantha seeks safety from men who get away with heinous crimes against her because she does not exist on paper in the only country she has ever known. Despite her cruel existence, Samantha presses forward in search of happiness and normalcy for herself and her children. However, just as things start looking up, Samantha is diagnosed with cancer and denied lifesaving surgery unless she is able to obtain U.S. citizenship.Mexican American is a moving and thought-provoking account of one young woman's uncommon courage and strength, and the capacity of the human spirit to overcome impossible odds.