Illegal

by Jose Angel N.

A day after N. first crossed the U.S. border from Mexico, he was caught and returned to the streets of Tijuana. Undeterred, N. crawled back through a tunnel to San Diego, where he entered the United States. Eventually traveling to Chicago, N. became a well-paid professorial translator who lived in a luxury high-rise apartment—but remained isolated by a lack of legal documentation. In his memoir Illegal, N. details the constraints, deceptions & humiliations that characterize alien life “amid the shadows.”

Un día después de que N. cruzo la frontera por primera vez fue detenido y retornado a las calles de Tijuana. Sin inmutarse N. regreso arrastrandose a través de un túnel hacía San Diego, por donde entro a los Estados Unidos. Eventualmente viajando para Chicago, N. se transform en un traductor profesoral viviendo en un apartamento lujoso—pero se mantuvo aislado por su estado migratorio. En su memoría, Illegal, N. detalla las restricciónes, decepciones y humillaciones que caracteriza la vida del extranjero.

The group will meet Wednesday, December 9, 7-8:30 pm, 3rd Floor, Seminar Room, Main Library. Attendees have the option to read in English and/or Spanish. Discussions may also be in English and Spanish. Attendees do not have to be bilingual. Copies of Jose Angel N.’s  Illegal (in English only) will be held at the 2nd floor Readers Services Desk one month before the discussion. Call to register at (847) 448-8620!