Illegal [electronic resource] : reflections of an undocumented immigrant / José Ángel Navejas ; F. González-Crussi, foreword.
2014
F548.9.M5 .N3 2014eb
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Title
Illegal [electronic resource] : reflections of an undocumented immigrant / José Ángel Navejas ; F. González-Crussi, foreword.
Author
Navejas, José Ángel author.
ISBN
9780252096181 electronic book
9780252038310
9780252038310
Published
Urbana, Illinois : University of Illinois Press, 2014.
Copyright
©2014
Language
English
Description
1 online resource (137 pages).
Call Number
F548.9.M5 .N3 2014eb
Dewey Decimal Classification
305.868/720787311
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 1990s 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.
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Source of Description
Description based on print version record.
Added Author
Gonzalez-Crussi, F.
Series
Latinos in Chicago and the Midwest.
Available in Other Form
Illegal : reflections of an undocumented immigrant.
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Table of Contents
Amid the shadows
Of things lost
My adult education - The song of the cicadas
At work
The day I got counted.
Of things lost
My adult education - The song of the cicadas
At work
The day I got counted.