Product Information
A day after Jose Angel 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.Product Identifiers
PublisherUniversity of Illinois Press
ISBN-139780252038310
eBay Product ID (ePID)177131505
Product Key Features
Subject AreaBiographies & True Stories
Publication NameIllegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant
SubjectSocial Sciences
Publication Year2014
SeriesLatinos in Chicago and Midwest
TypeTextbook
FormatHardcover
LanguageEnglish
AuthorJose Angel N.
Number of Pages136 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height229 mm
Item Width152 mm
Additional Product Features
Country/Region of ManufactureUnited States
Title_AuthorJose Angel N.