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Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant
Contributor(s): N, Jose Angel (Author)
ISBN: 0252038312     ISBN-13: 9780252038310
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
OUR PRICE:   $108.90  
Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats
Published: January 2014
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Personal Memoirs
- Biography & Autobiography | Cultural, Ethnic & Regional - General
- Biography & Autobiography | Literary Figures
Dewey: B
LCCN: 2013032194
Series: Latinos in Chicago and Midwest
Physical Information: 0.5" H x 6.2" W x 9.1" (0.70 lbs) 136 pages
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
A day after José Ángel N. first crossed the United States border from Mexico, he was caught and then released onto the streets of Tijuana. Undeterred, N. crawled back through a tunnel to San Diego, where he entered the United States to stay. Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant is his timely and compelling memoir of building a new life in America.

Arriving in the 1990s with a ninth grade education, N. traveled to Chicago where he found access to ESL and GED classes. He eventually attended college and graduate school and became a professional translator.

Despite having a well-paying job, N. was isolated by a lack of legal documentation. Travel concerns made promotions impossible. The simple act of purchasing his girlfriend a beer at a Cubs baseball game caused embarrassment and shame when N. couldn't produce a valid ID. A frustrating contradiction, N. lived in a luxury high-rise condo but couldn't fully live the American dream. He did, however, find solace in the one gift America gave him--his education. Ultimately, N.'s is the story of the triumph of education over adversity. In Illegal, he debunks the stereotype that undocumented immigrants are freeloaders without access to education or opportunity for advancement. With bravery and honesty, N. details the constraints, deceptions, and humiliations that characterize alien life "amid the shadows."