“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

This February the UIP has published Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant by José Ángel N.

The book is a firsthand account of one man’s experiences with the contradictions of seeking the “good life” of opportunity in America.  José Ángel writes of the triumph of education he was unable to attain until he came across the border, but also the constraints, deceptions, and humiliations that come with a life living as an undocumented immigrant.

My life in the shadows began some seventeen years ago. It was a hot April night in Tijuana, that border siren that lures both migrant and tourist with promises of boundless prosperity and unchecked lust. That night I joined a numerous army, an anonymous army. Under the infinite depth of night and guided by a sneaky coyote, we moved, slowly descending the slopes flattened nightly by the illicit weight of millions of other shadows who preceded us. Denied a legitimate chance at the American Dream, what better way to attain it than by penetrating America by night?

This excerpt continues on the author’s blog: joseangeln.wordpress.com