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Underground America : narratives of undocumented lives / edited by Peter Orner ; associate editors, Annie Holmes, Jaykumar Menon ; assistant editors, Tom Andes ... [et al.] ; interviews by Tom Andes ... [et al.] ; [foreword by Luis Alberto Urrea]

Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextSeries: Voice of witnessPublication details: San Francisco : McSweeney's Books, c2008.Description: 379 p. ; 22 cmISBN:
  • 1934781150
  • 1934781169 (pbk.)
  • 9781934781159
  • 9781934781166 (pbk.)
Subject(s):
Contents:
Diana -- Mr. Lai -- Saleem -- Roberto -- Liso -- Hector -- Olga -- Abel -- Polo -- Dixie -- El Curita -- Julio -- Lorena -- El Mojado -- Yogesh -- Jose Garcia -- Elizabeth -- Nsombo -- Desiree -- Farid -- Rose -- Adela -- Estrella -- Enrique.
Summary: Underground America presents the remarkable oral histories of men and women living without legal status and struggling to carve a life for themselves in the U.S.--[Book jacket]
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Holdings
Item type Home library Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Books Books Edsel Ford Memorial Library First Floor 323.6 Or6 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 35120001715288
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Underground America tells the stories of men and women who have come to the United States seeking a better life for their families, only to be subjected to dehumanizing working conditions. Supporting myriad industries, these workers form an essential part of our economy -- often by working the least desirable jobs without the most basic legal protections. Underground America allows this largely ignored part of our country to finally share its experiences.

Diana -- Mr. Lai -- Saleem -- Roberto -- Liso -- Hector -- Olga -- Abel -- Polo -- Dixie -- El Curita -- Julio -- Lorena -- El Mojado -- Yogesh -- Jose Garcia -- Elizabeth -- Nsombo -- Desiree -- Farid -- Rose -- Adela -- Estrella -- Enrique.

Underground America presents the remarkable oral histories of men and women living without legal status and struggling to carve a life for themselves in the U.S.--[Book jacket]

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

McSweeney's Voices of Witness series continues (following Voices of the Storm and Surviving Justice) with this collection of oral histories from undocumented immigrants, aka "illegal aliens": "We hear a lot about these people in the media... [how] they are responsible for crime... take our jobs... [and] refuse to speak English. But how often do we hear from them?" Culled from new interviews, the book's 24 subjects come from around the world (Mexico, China, South Africa, Colombia, Cameroon and others), each offering a vivid, personal, often wrenching and occasionally enraging first-person look into the immigrant experience, what editor and novelist Orner calls a "state of permanent anxiety." Roberto, for instance, details narrow brushes with government agents as well as the everyday dangers inherent to unregulated work: "Nectarines are covered in this dust that makes your skin itch... You wear gloves when you're [picking them] but, because of the sweat, your skin absorbs everything, right into the pores." Diana, from Peru, worked on Hurricane Katrina cleanup and reconstruction crews while living 20 or more to a house: "I still have spots on my legs... from the chemicals and insulation that came off the walls at those jobsites." Average news-watchers who think they have a grasp on the immigration debate may well find these stories, speaking for millions of invisible American residents, no less than revelatory. (June) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

CHOICE Review

This book based on extensive face-to-face interviews includes life stories of struggle and hardship experienced by undocumented people. The large majority of these immigrants from Latin America, Asia, and Africa seem to be honest people working hard on farms and in factories, restaurants, and construction for less than minimum wage and under unsafe working conditions. Separated from their families, they are subject to prejudice and discrimination, forced labor, and exploitation by employers. Without legal status, they live in constant fear of detention and deportation by the government. Moreover, gross human rights violations by human smugglers, employers, and the government are not uncommon. These undocumented people recount their daily lives of suffering, misery, and despair, their transnational family ties, and the remittance of hard-earned money to support wives and children, or aged parents. The poignant, soul-stirring narratives reflect the dehumanizing lack of dignity and abuse of basic human rights experienced by migrants. The editor and his associates, a group of volunteer lawyers and writers, deserve praise for compiling this excellent book of oral histories of undocumented immigrants' experiences. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. D. A. Chekki emeritus, University of Winnipeg
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