There's No Jose Here: Following the Hidden Lives of Mexican Immigrants [Paperback]

Gabriel Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 21, 2006

Mexican immigration has become one of the most polarizing issues and will remain a central issue in the coming years. Once Mexicans had a sizable presence in a few select states like California, Texas, Arizona and New York; today the fastest growing populations are in places like North Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee.. What motivates people to risk their very lives, and why don't Mexicans just "play by the rules" and enter legally? How do they cope, living in a strange country among people that speak a language they can't understand? And after everything they have gone through, do they see immigration as a blessing, a curse, or something in between? There's No Jose Here allows Mexicans in the U.S. to speak in their own words. The central narrative follows Enrique, a 34-year-old livery cab driver who came to the US illegally at the age of 16 and has since seen his daughter lead poisoned, his mother abandoned in Mexico by his father, his cousin murdered on the streets of Brooklyn, and his best friend deployed to Iraq. This book gives readers a look into these stories as people struggle to survive in a new and often hostile land.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The pro-immigration rallies throughout the United States in March 2006 brought attention to a rarely heard voice in the debate: the immigrant. Journalist and former community organizer Thompson puts several of these unheard voices on record, writing an intimate and emotional portrait of a Mexican family he befriended in Brooklyn. The book follows the lives of Enrique, a 34-year-old livery cab driver, and his family, whom Thompson meets while working as a housing rights organizer. Thompson's authentic friendship with Enrique is evident, giving the book a more personal tone than most immigration writing by outsiders. In fact, the book is as much about Thompson's desire for understanding as it is about Enrique's struggles with his daughter's lead poisoning, his best friend's deployment to Iraq, his cousin's murder in Brooklyn and family drama in Mexico. Their engaging and affectionate story begins in the housing courts of New York City and ends in Mexico, where Enrique, now a legal U.S. citizen, confronts his conflicted feelings about his native land. While Thompson successfully engages the reader in a single immigrant's experience and psychology, he doesn't draw any larger societal conclusions. (Jan.)
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From Booklist

Thompson, a journalist who also works with a nonprofit organization assisting low-income renters in New York City, decided to delve into the immigrant experience, hoping to break through stereotypes. Thompson meets and befriends Enrique, a cabdriver who came to the U.S. illegally from Puebla, Mexico, in 1986. Thompson recounts his endless struggle to get Enrique's absent landlord to take care of the raw sewage in the basement of his building, the exposed electrical wiring, and the blocked fire escape, and his findings regarding the sad track record of the Housing Court, where Enrique repeatedly pleads his case. Thompson and Enrique then enter the "public health nightmare" of lead poisoning when Enrique's daughter is afflicted; together they help to organize fellow renters until the city finally addresses the problem. The last part of the book covers the author's road trip with Enrique to his birthplace in Mexico, where his mother still lives. Thompson's enlightening chronicle provides a realistic and unbiased look at many facets of the increasingly debated issues pertaining to immigrants' lives. Deborah Donovan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Nation Books (December 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560259906
• ISBN-13: 978-1560259909
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #878,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gabriel Thompson has contributed to New York, The Nation, New York Times, Brooklyn Rail, In These Times and others. He is the recipient of the Richard J. Margolis Award, the Studs Terkel Media Award, and a collective Sidney Hillman Award. His writings are collected at www.WhereTheSilenceIs.org. The author of There's No José Here and Calling All Radicals, he lives in Brooklyn.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best work of non-fiction narrative I have read in years., January 29, 2007

By 

A. Guerra "workingclasswarrior" (Queens, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: There's No Jose Here: Following the Hidden Lives of Mexican Immigrants (Paperback)

The best work of non-fiction narrative I have read in years. It reminds me of Jimmy Breslin's down-to-earth journalistic style. Sorry Lou Dobbs, there is no political spin here; you can get this book for your racist uncle or for your socialist aunt because this book speaks to the heart and helps you realize that Enrique could have been either an Irish, Norwegian, or German immigrant in a different time and a different place. Still, Enrique's journey is fascinating and knowing that people of his stature still come to our shores makes me feel optimistic about the future of this country.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!, January 17, 2007

By 

Daniella Ponet "hungry reader" (NYC NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: There's No Jose Here: Following the Hidden Lives of Mexican Immigrants (Paperback)

I loved this book, I literally could not put it down. Thompson writes with a clarity and empathy that makes the characters leap from the page and into your heart.

It's eye-opening, entertaining, sad and joyous all at once.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I could not put this book down, June 11, 2007

By 

madbee (Colorado) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: There's No Jose Here: Following the Hidden Lives of Mexican Immigrants (Paperback)

Thompson writes a fact filled account of the life of his friend Enrique, a Mexican immigrant living in Brooklyn, and the people around him. The author meets Enrique as a tenant struggling with housing issues. Later in the book Thompson travels to Mexico with Enrique and members of his family. The many experiences are described with conversations and impressions but little editorializing by the author. And that is not needed because the stories speak for themselves. This book fills an incredible gap.