Illegal : reflections of an undocumented immigrant / José Angel Navejas ; F. González-Crussi, foreword.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Navejas, José Ángel.

Contributor:

González-Crussí, F.

Series:

Latinos in Chicago and the Midwest.

Latinos in Chicago and the Midwest

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Navejas, José Ángel.

Noncitizens--Illinois--Chicago--Biography.

Noncitizens.

Mexicans--Illinois--Chicago--Biography.

Mexicans.

Illegal immigration.

United States--Emigration and immigration--Social aspects.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (136 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Urbana, Illinois : University of Illinois Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"A day after N. first crossed the U.S. 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 forever. Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant is his timely and compelling memoir of building a new life in America. Authorial anonymity is required to protect this life. Arriving in the 1990's with a 9th grade education, N. traveled to Chicago where he found access to ESL classes 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 official legal documentation. Travel concerns made big promotions out of reach. Vacation time was spent hiding at home, pretending that he was on a long-planned trip. 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." "-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Foreword / F. González-Crussi

Amid the shadows

Of things lost

My adult education

The song of the cicadas

At work

The day I got counted

Postscript.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780252079863

0252079868

9780252096181

0252096185

OCLC:

870305104