Summary
Summary
**FIRST PLACE for the Best Political/Current Affairs Book, International Latino Book Awards 2017**
**One of Southern Living 's Best Books of 2016**
**OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2017 Social Justice Book List published by The National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY) * Boston Public Library Latino Life Booklist * Chicago Public Library Hispanic Heritage Month Booklist * Books for Welcoming Week by King County Library System (Washington State)**
A fast-paced nonfiction narrative that will help you understand today's immigration battles
18-year-old high school senior Isaias Ramos plays in a punk rock group called Los Psychosis and likes to sing along to songs by Björk and her old band, the Sugarcubes. He's so bright that when his school's quiz bowl goes on local TV, he acts as captain.
The counselors at school want him to apply to Harvard. But Isaias isn't so sure. He's thinking about going to work painting houses with his parents, who crossed the Arizona desert illegally from Mexico.
Despite the obstacles and his own doubts, Isaias sets out on the journey to become the first in his family to go to college. He faces make-or-break standardized testing, immigration bureaucracy and absurdly high college costs. And most importantly, the siren song of doubt.
This simple story reflects broader truths. Mexican immigration has brought the proportion of Hispanics in the nation's youth population to roughly one in four. Every day, children of immigrants make decisions about their lives that will shape our society and economy for generations.
In the tradition of Friday Night Lights and A Hope in the Unseen , this deeply human narrative offers a powerful antidote to the heated political rhetoric about immigrants and their children.
Author Notes
DANIEL CONNOLLY speaks fluent Spanish, and, for more than a decade, has reported on Mexican immigration to the U.S. South for news organizations including The Associated Press in Little Rock, and The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal . The winner of numerous journalism prizes, he has received grants and fellowships from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, the International Center for Journalists and the Fulbright program. He lives in his hometown of Memphis, TN.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
A product of over five years of investigative journalism, Connolly's narrative immerses readers in the world of Isaias Ramos, a high-achieving Memphis teen who's an undocumented immigrant, as he navigates the college admissions process. Connolly's in-depth reporting weaves Isaias's narrative through the lives of his friends and family as they struggle with the emotional and administrative complexities of unauthorized immigration and the laws that obstruct immigrant residents' access to higher education. In this delicate, comprehensive, and empathetic portrait, Connolly follows Isaias as he straddles the experiences of the American teenager-a garage band, high school romance-and the responsibilities of a young immigrant who's contributing to the economic wellbeing of his family. Connolly traces the origins of the U.S.'s current stance on immigration, examining policy such as the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 as well as the story of the Ramos family's journey from a small town in Hidalgo, Mexico, as they cross deserts equipped only with "a backpack with a few items for survival: water, Gatorade, and the sweets known as alegrías." Connolly unearths the human element behind one of today's most debated issues, asking expert and everyday readers alike to consider how the immigrant experience is affecting one of the fastest-growing youth populations in the nation. Agent: Michelle Tessler, Tessler Literary. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
In the last 50 years, immigration from Mexico has dwarfed all previous waves: 16.2 million people make up the huge new generation of immigrants. Combining a historical overview with a focus on teenage Isaias and his family, as well as on many other personal stories of Mexican immigrants, this account shows the diversity of Mexican immigration along with, in close-up, the individual struggles of immigrant children. Without heavy messaging, the text humanizes the cross-generational conflict: while a father talks about growing up so poor that he did not have shoes, his teenage son plays with his iPhone. Isaias has a romantic relationship with Magaly: both are children of Mexican immigrants, and both teens speak to one another in English. Isaias scores in the top 7 percent in the U.S. on the ACT; his counselors want him to apply to Harvard, but what about his responsibilities with his younger siblings if his parents have to return to Mexico? Caught up in today's news images, readers will appreciate the intense daily drama behind the offensive illegal alien stereotypes.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2016 Booklist
Library Journal Review
What is often lost in the national debates about immigration policies are the stories of children of immigrants. Journalist Connolly offers a small glimpse into their world in this compelling study. Connolly took time off from his job with the Memphis Commercial Appeal to become an "embedded" reporter, not in a far-flung battlefield, but in the halls of a Memphis high school. In particular, he follows the life of Isaias Ramos, the child of undocumented Mexican immigrants, and his friends as they navigate the challenges of high school, deciding on attending college (or not), and what their futures might hold. The author's unprecedented access to and acceptance in the daily lives of these teenagers allows him to share a very intimate look at their situations and trials. Connolly's touching story about the challenges that children of immigrants, both documented and undocumented, face in making their way in the United States provides readers with a deeper understanding of the immigration debate. VERDICT Recommended for those interested in learning more about the ramifications of current immigration policies on youth and families. [See Prepub Alert, 4/25/16.]-Michael C. Miller, Austin P.L. & Austin History Ctr., TX © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.