Customer Reviews

Enrique's Journey

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a fascinating book concerning the flood of young Central Americans coming to America and the treacherous journey they must undertake. But it looks at the influx of illegal aliens into America in a new light. These youths who travel by train up to 1,600 miles north through Mexico are coming to find their Mother's who have left them years ago to have money to support their kids back in Nicaragua, Honduras or Guatemala. Years before these mothers faced raising kids as a single mother as the tight Catholic families in these countries are pulling apart. With limited jobs, these women smuggle to America and send money back. But the emotional toll on these kids is traumatic and many choose to journey to America, many at an age much too young.

The Pulitzer Prize winning author rode the trains and researched completely the significant danger in the first state of Chiapas where the risk of being robbed, raped or killed is the greatest. The next state shows the true spirit of the Mexican people as many bring food and clothing to this rag-tag group of refugees. Great detail is spent describing areas to avoid and relationships with smugglers, police and "la migra", the immigration police.

The final part of the journey across the river to America is also traumatic and great detail is spent on different ways of crossing, many involving paying "coyotes" significant money to cross with no guarantees they will not be robbed.

But this book does not end there as finally Enrique finds his mother in North Carolina. But is she really a "Mother" since she hasn't seen her son in about 10 years? Obviously their relationship is unique and the book delves in to the difficulty.

You will be educated on a significant human rights issue effecting America. On so many levels this is a book that needs to be read and whatever your current thoughts on immigration on our southern border, this will "humanize" the issue, give you greater insight and probably change or soften your position. Is there an answer? Probably not. We are blessed in America and these people want just a small piece of this dream and are willing to risk everything to change the future of their family.

I do have one complaint about the book. The ending. I would have liked a better or more complete resolution. But this isn't fiction, it's real life. Read this book to learn. It is a fast read as it is so engrossing.

As I continue discussing this book with my freshman composition students, I realize the story needs more context. My freshman are too quick to see ENRIQUE'S journey as THE IMMIGRANT journey--I remind them again and again that this is the story of ONE boy and his family. It's misleading to discuss our US immigration "problem" without putting it into the context of globalization. Nazario is clearly critical of the choices her subjects make, but what are the alternatives? It's fair to open this question for conversation, but if you read this story, realize that this is not the end of the discussion--it's barely the beginning. This should be used as an introduction to a discussion on immigration--not the basis for that discussion. A good teaching tool--but keep the discussion going and use other sources as well. A colleague in social science plans to use it in class: it's interesting how Nazario's characterization of Enrique is extremely sympathetic UNTIL he reaches the US border--once across it, he becomes, quite simply, a social problem.

In an excellent book based on the famous news feature series by the same journalist, the trials and tribulations of immigrant populations in economic, social, cultural, and emotional contexts is well highlighted. It is sheer coincidence that I happen to read this book the same day the US Senate reached a "compromise" on immigration reform. Lost in political debates of immigration, is the sheer human facets of the people involved. This book (just as the series did a few years ago) provides a human side to relate to when politicians/"experts" debate about immigration. The author is very careful not to condone illegal immigration by focusing on the human tolls of the people trying to get to the U.S. in any form, irrespective how miserably the previous several attempts have failed. Using the story of one teenager's quest for finding his mother as the central theme, the book explores the motivation of those who make such seemingly improbable decisions, the dangers of the travel itself, the role (or lack thereof) of governments, religious/charity organizations, communities along the travel route, and the misery from which these 'optimists' are trying to escape from. Any amount of objective analysis will not take away the immense emotional impact the book will have on a reader - the strains of motherhood and the pensive childhood of those left behind are exposed without any sensationalism. The sheer gravity of the story is compelling enough.

Written in a simple, yet powerful, narrative style, the author clearly enables the reader to imagine the journey described in the book. An absolute must-read, and perhaps one of the best non-fiction books. You will never view immigration as a political issue again (whether thats good or bad, is upto you)..guaranteed.

Every year, thousands of Central American children journey up through Mexico on "the train of death" to join their mothers in the U.S. Along the way, they are robbed, raped, and murdered by gangs, maimed by the trains, and generously aided by many who are very poor themselves. Nazario, a pulitzer prize winning reporter for the LA Times, spent months traveling with these children at great personal risk. She tells their compelling and deeply moving story with a clear and simple style.

Nazario's LA Times stories on Enrique's journey have been hugely successful with undergraduates in my Latin American History courses. Enrique's journey (as told by Nazario) is a gripping, intimate account that reveals the many structural and personal factors that motivate the desperate northward migration of Central American children every year. Like the now-abundant testimonial literature that we profs use to bring Latin American experiences into the classroom, Nazario's text has both troubled and inspired my students. Unike many testimonials, however, Nazario's account skillfully weaves context (and nuance) into the extensive interview materials. One finds here the results of her exhaustive research into US, Central American, and Mexican migration policies and practices; the work of NGO and government agencies with migrant children; the transnational labor market in female domestic service that leaves Central American children in the care of family members; and the train-top world of migrants, gangs, and police in relation to the communities they pass through from Honduras to northern Mexico. After a long semester of powerful but often distant historical study, Nazario's account brings home (literally, across the border) many pressing issues in contemporary US-Latin American relations. I highly recommend this work, both for classroom and personal use.

What is more universal than the love between mother and child? Enrique's Journey is a heart-wrenching account of the power of that love -- a force so strong that it sends 48,000 Latin American children a year north to brave beatings, robbings, rape and worse in search of their mothers. With powerful prose and masterful detail, Nazario paints vivid portraits of the dire circumstances that push so many people north, the childrens' unbelievable resiliency and both the cruelty and compassion they encounter along the way. Satisfyingly, the book also answers critical questions her Pulitzer-Prize winning newspaper series did not: What ultimately happened to Enrique and his mother? What kind of public policies can reduce this tragic cycle of family upheaval and separation? Nazario humanizes the immigrant, making Enrique's travails our own, but also offers a clear-eyed analysis of the problems immigration can cause. Enrique's Journey is a stellar contribution to our understanding of the immigrant journey.

I read this story when it was in the LA Times and couldn't wait for the book.

I read the story cover to cover in a weekend and thought it was the best non-fiction work I have read in years. Obviously, Ms. Nazario's story shows that our immigration problem isn't as simple as it seems. I was very moved by this story and urge everyone to read it.

The needs of children know no borders, and Sonia Nazario's book is a compelling narrative that graphically illustrates that truth. Her ability to capture the powerful bonds between children and parents, even when threatened by poverty and geopolitical forces, makes this story essential reading for anyone who cares about children, families, and social justice. Nazario's poignant portrait is a stark reminder to all of us that Enrique's story could be our own, except for the privilege of nationality and economics. A fantastic feat of reporting.

The U.S. is experiencing the largest wave of immigration in its history, transforming it in the process. Each year an estimated 700,000 enter illegally and another million legally. A growing number are single mothers, leaving their children with relatives or neighbors.

Women in Honduras earn $40-120 per month in factories, cleaning houses, or providing child care. A hut with no bathroom or kitchen rents for almost $30/month. Many of their children are so malnourished they can't stand for long, and often they are taken out of school at a very early age to care for siblings or sell tortillas.

Every woman Nazario interviewed in the U.S. who had left children behind thought the separation would be brief. Reality is it takes years and years to reunite, and by the time it happens the children are usually very angry - feeling abandoned. Too often the boys seek out gangs to try and find the love they sought from their mothers; too often the girls get pregnant and form their own families. Most children who set out to rejoining their mothers don't make it.

Nazario spent over six months traveling in Honduras, Mexico, and the U.S. tracing and re-tracing Enrique's steps; in addition, she spent time with Enrique and interviewed him and his family.

Enrique's mother left him (with her estranged husband - his father) and his sister (with her own sister) when he was five. Unfortunately, Enrique is soon kicked out of his father's home by a new potential step-mother, and an uncle's after his new father-figure is murdered in a robbery. After about eleven years without her and an increasing glue-sniffing habit, he decides to join his mother in America.

Seven times Enrique is caught and returned to Honduras. Despite these initial failures and being robbed by gangs and Mexican police, Enrique tries again. (Being robbed meant that Enrique had to stop and earn money from time to time for food, or beg for food - an activity that risked being reported to the police.) After about two months he makes it to the Rio Grande (at one point estimating that about 200 other illegals were riding the same train in Mexico; many lose limbs or lives from falls), phones his mother, and she arranges to pay $1,700 for him to be smuggled to Orlando, Fl. (Many coyotes are dishonest and simply take the money and disappear. Similarly, many U.S. "immigration counselors" are also bogus - Enrique's mother lost almost $4,000 to them.)

Once reunited, things do not go smoothly, partly because Enrique resents her having left him. The good news is that he quickly gets a painter's job paying $9.50/hour - the bad news is that he gets his Honduran girlfriend to come to the U.S. - leaving their new daughter.

American employers like illegal workers - they don't have to pay taxes and overtime, and the workers are less likely to look for another job. In 1993 L.A.'s largely African-American janitors won pay increases and benefits - the cleaning companies then broke the union and brought in illegals at half their wages and without benefits. Similarly, news is currently reporting illegals being exploited in Katrina repairs - not being paid overtime, being paid less than legals, and not provided safety gear. This helps explain their attraction.

Some say Latin American immigration to the U.S. is blowback for having supported repressive regimes who resisted reforms and fueled poverty. Regardless, it is interesting to also read that one-third of L.A. Latinos voted FOR Prop 187 to bar illegals from schools and other public assistance. Their concern was the lower wages and reduced quality of life brought by the illegals.

"Enrique's Journey" also provides interesting comparisons between Mexico and the U.S. Illegals in Mexico mostly travel by train (averaging 7 - 30 different rides), are aggressively pursued and often abused by law enforcement throughout the country, frequently are taken advantage of by employers, and are feared and resented by locals (theft, violence). In the U.S. illegals mostly travel by vehicle, are aggressively pursued primarily only at the border, are treated humanely by law enforcement, frequently are taken advantage of by employers, and also are feared and resented by many locals. So where does Presidente Fox get his high and mighty attitude towards the U.S.?

Well documented, and objective.

Enrique's Journey is a powerful story of the human cost of economic disparity in the Americas and our failure to find a humane way to accommodate the many workers who come to the U.S. to take jobs most Americans will not accept. Nazario's writing is superb and well-paced, gripping the reader and introducing a world that is unknown to most of us, yet whose effects are all around us.