Illegal

the long version

This volume investigates the invisible immigrants of Arizona who persevere despite kidnappings and drug wars, an ongoing economic recession, and laws barring them from working, learning, and driving. The author interviews these undocumented people, and those -- like notorious Sheriff Joe Arpaio -- who persecute them; she reveals the changing face of immigration in America and provides insight into a divisive national crisis. Her presentation of the immigrant's personal stories shed light on what could spur someone to leave their family to travel thousands of miles, through territory dominated by dangerous narco-gangs, to come live as an outcast in a foreign city as unwelcoming as Phoenix with laws barring them from working, learning, and driving. The book gives context to what it means to be illegal.