The valiant memoir of a man living the "good" life -- illegally
JosÉ Ángel N. is a writer and translator whose essays have appeared in cultural magazines in the United States and Mexico.
"With near-poetic language, this undocumented immigrant from
Mexico. . . . describes his years-long journey from harrowing
border crossing to proud husband, father and home owner."--Library
Journal "Because we speak of them in the collective--as 'illegal
immigrants' or 'the undocumented'--it is shocking to be addressed
by a singular voice. Nearly twenty years ago JosÉ Ángel N. entered
the United States under cover of darkness from his native Mexico.
Now he addresses us in elegant American English. He is the
cosmopolite in a country where he remains 'the illegal.' He works
as a translator; he reads German philosophy; he is married to an
American wife; they have a young daughter. The view from the
skyscraper window is of Lake Michigan; on his computer screen, the
face of his mother appears in her green house in Guadalajara,
Mexico. There are ironies aplenty in this book. Perhaps the
greatest irony is that he has been studying us and he knows us
better than we know him."--Richard Rodriguez, author of Darling: A
Spiritual Autobiography "A memoir from a decent man living in the
shadows, evading questions and telling lies, presented here
anonymously since to reveal his identity would mean to risk arrest
and deportation. . . . An utterly believable close-up picture of
one illegal immigrant's life in the United States." -- Kirkus
Reviews ”JosÉ Ángel is like the Sisyphus of Greek mythological
fame, stuck in an endless cycle of striving to push a boulder up a
hill, anticipating the boulder will roll down again […] Against the
odds, he overcomes major barrier after barrier.” --American Journal
of Education "With great eloquence and pathos, N. draws on his
daily life and references philosophers from Socrates to Kant to
describe the netherworld of the undocumented. He takes solace in
his education and his gift for reflection as he watches the slow
and frustrating process of immigration reform. N. gives voice to
the millions who, of necessity, live in the shadows."--Booklist "N.
is able to put a truly human face on the 'shadow' that he is in our
society and show us that he, along with the other eleven million
undocumented people who live and toil in our nation, deserve to
come out into the sun"--el Beisman "We do not have enough
courageous writers who take the risk of telling their stories while
undocumented. Illegal offers important testimony of the type of
life an undocumented immigrant can lead when they have
opportunities like N's. From the moment I began to read it I could
not put it down."--Rita E. Urquijo-Ruiz, author of Wild Tongues:
Transnational Mexican Popular Culture “Illegal is a memoir,
certainly, but also a chronicle and an unforgiving history of
American politics and culture. It is blunt, trenchant, and hard to
read for its determination not to sanitize. It’s writing that is
intoxicating, cathartic, and, perhaps, empowering.” --Antoinette
Burton, coeditor of World Histories from Below: Dissent and
Disruption, 1750-present
"N.’s narrative silences the contentious immigration debate that
proliferates amid political aspirants, policy pundits, and
think-tank wonks in Washington. N.’s sublime and philosophic
reflections transcend feckless fights about the contributions of
the undocumented. As long as immigration occurs, this book remains
required reading." --Paul Guajardo, University of Houston
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