The story of a childhood spent torn between two parents and two countries. As her parents cross the Mexican border in pursuit of the American dream, Reyna and her siblings are left behind with their grandmother. Her mother returns to bring Reyna and her siblings to America and a new life in a new country.

"A themed collection of stories of refugees from around the world who have converged on Minneapolis, collected and told by the award-winning author of The Latehomecomer and The Song Poet"--

Not since the Civil War has America been so divided over such a seemingly unsolvable issue as U.S. immigration policy. The president and congress are at an impasse, while vigilante groups patrol our nation's borders looking for one of the million yearly invaders. Why are 20 million people disregarding America's sovereign borders and laws to come to this country? Popular radio host Darrell Ankarlo follows the lives of several Mexican citizens as they...

From the stony streets of Boston to the rail lines of California, from General Relativity to Google, one of the surest truths of our history is the fact that America has been built by immigrants. The phrase itself has become a steadfast campaign line, a motto of optimism and good will, and indeed it is the rallying cry for progressives today who fight against tightening our borders. This is all well and good, Philip Cafaro thinks, for the America...

When Alfredo Corchado moved to Philadelphia in 1987, he felt as if he was the only Mexican in the city. But in a restaurant called Tequilas, he connected with two other Mexican men and one Mexican American, all feeling similarly isolated. Over the next three decades, the four friends continued to meet, coming together over their shared Mexican roots and their love of tequila. One was a radical activist, another a restaurant/tequila entrepreneur, the...

Laz Ayala escaped war-torn El Salvador as a 14-year-old in 1981. He smuggled over the Mexican border into the United States curled up in the trunk of an old Cadillac. A new life waited in San Bernardino, California, with his sister, father and brother. Laz had to succeed in school while learning English, with the threat of deportation looming. This.

Illegal immigration is among the most challenging and divisive issues facing America. With few changes in immigration laws since 1986, the undocumented population has swelled to an estimated 11 million. Deconstructed unravels these economic issues and their human toll through the eyes of Houston businessman Stan Marek, who's watched the immigration crisis unfold over 40 years. A descendant of Czech immigrants himself, Marek runs one of the largest...

"A timely argument for why the United States and the West would benefit from accepting more immigrants. There are few subjects in American life that prompt more discussion and controversy than immigration. But do we really understand it? In This Land Is Our Land, the renowned author Suketu Mehta attacks the issue head-on. Drawing on his own experience as an Indian-born teenager growing up in New York City and on years of reporting around the world,...

"Gena Thomas tells the story of five-year-old Julia, whose harrowing journey with her mother from Honduras to the United States took her from cargo trailer to detention center to foster care. Weaving together the stories of birth mother and foster mother, this book shows the human face of the immigrant and refugee, the challenges of the immigration and foster care systems, and the tenacious power of motherly love"--

Widening global inequalities make it difficult for parents in developing nations to provide for their children, and both mothers and fathers often find that migration in search of higher wages is their only hope. Their dreams are straightforward: with more money, they can improve their children's lives. But the reality of their experiences is often harsh, and structural barriers-particularly those rooted in immigration policies and gender inequities-prevent...