Dreamers: An Immigrant Generation's Fight for Their American Dream

by Eileen Truax Narrated by Kyla Garcia

Overview

This intimate, first-of-its-kind account of young undocumented immigrants fighting to live legally within the United States is a “must-read for anyone interested in the immigration debate” (Booklist)
*
Of the approximately twelve million undocumented immigrants living in the United States, as many as two million came as children. They grow up here, going to elementary, middle, and high school, and then the country they call home won't-in most states-offer financial aid for college and they're unable to be legally employed. In 2001, US senator Dick Durbin introduced the DREAM Act to Congress, an initiative that would allow these young people to become legal residents if they met certain requirements.
*
And now, more than ten years later, in the face of congressional inertia and furious opposition from some, the DREAM Act has yet to be passed. But recently, this young generation has begun organizing, and with their rallying cry “Undocumented, Unapologetic, and Unafraid” they are the newest face of the human rights movement. In Dreamers, Eileen Truax illuminates the stories of these men and women who are living proof of a complex and sometimes hidden political reality that calls into question what it truly means to be American.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

12/15/2014
“To let the Dreamers speak for themselves” is the goal veteran journalist Truax sets for herself in this account of 10 undocumented young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. She puts a human face on the debate around the proposed DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act. To this end, Truax recounts both the empowerment of activism and traumatic events, including a precipitous deportation and a suicide. Political figures whose actions or inactions affect the lives of the “Dreamers” appear as well: President Obama, often referred to as “Deporter in Chief”; Sheriff Joseph Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., known for draconian enforcement of immigration laws; Illinois Senator Richard Durbin, who’s introduced several versions of the DREAM Act since 2001; and Mohammad Abdollahi, who leads the DREAM Activist Undocumented Students Action and Resource Network. Truax succeeds in conveying how a shadow status permeates the lives of all the young people profiled here, with education, employment opportunities, and essential social services severely limited or unavailable. At its core, Truax’s book is a severe reproach to U.S. immigration law; the appendix, a précis of the 2011 DREAM Act, illustrates the succor it would bring to some but how problematic the policy is for many others. (Mar.)

From the Publisher

Compelling, honest, and personal, this is a must-read for anyone interested in the immigration debate.”
—Booklist

“A forthright, moving piece of advocacy journalism.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Truax succeeds in conveying how a shadow status permeates the lives of all the young people profiled here, with education, employment opportunities, and essential social services severely limited or unavailable.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Truax’s informative, engaging read provides a new perspective on this country’s ongoing immigration debate.”
—Library Journal

“Eileen Truax offers a gripping, close-up account of the lives of Dreamers—those young undocumented people who President Obama argued are American ‘in every single way but one: on paper.’ Through in-depth interviews and participation in their organizations and events, Truax captures the Dreamers’ passions and hopes, as well as the heartbreaking challenges that our country’s policies impose on them. She also paints a convincing portrait of the painstaking work and heady successes of one of the country’s most important movements for social change in the twenty-first century.”
—Aviva Chomsky, author of Undocumented: How Immigration Became Illegal

Library Journal

★ 02/15/2015
Mers, with the name referring to those who could benefit from the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. The author compiles ten stories of undocumented youth, informing the reader about the decisions these individuals make every day, including forming alliances with others like themselves and fighting for the American dream. The common thread is that all migrated to the United States as children with their parents, living almost their entire lives in this country, yet are not considered citizens. They have matured politically and are active in using social media to raise awareness of their plight, becoming the face of a policy that demands attention. Truax's book gives a voice to the diverse immigrant youth in the United States and illustrates the challenges and limitations of creating one policy to solve their dilemma. VERDICT Immigration buffs and ethnic studies aficionados will not be disappointed. Truax's informative, engaging read provides a new perspective on this country's ongoing immigration debate.—Susan E. Montgomery, Rollins Coll., Olin Lib., Winter Park, FL

Kirkus Reviews

2014-12-14
In this English-language edition of her first book, an immigrant, LA-based reporter tells the intimate stories of the young people who, by no choice of their own, live without legal status in the United States.With both political parties posturing on the issue of immigration reform and with the consequences of the president's controversial executive action still unfolding, Truax's subject could hardly be timelier. And it's impossible not to sympathize with the subgroup of the estimated 11 million illegals living in America she profiles here: young people boldly declaring their undocumented status, bringing dangerous attention to their precarious lives, and organizing to encourage passage of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. Truax showcases the personal histories of the Dreamers living under the constant threat of deportation and denied access to educational opportunities, housing, permits, licenses and career paths many take for granted. Here, they "speak for themselves," relating tales of fear, frustration, courage, achievement and assertiveness: the Vietnamese honor student; the Mexican high schooler teaching English to her neighbors; the Texas student leader setting up a Dream Alliance chapter. Having covered this story for years and earned their trust, Truax introduces us to the places Dreamers go for support—the Food Closet at UCLA, El Hormiguero in the San Fernando Valley—to the political actions and to training sessions held in various states, to activists and politicians sympathetic to the cause—Gov. Jerry Brown, California state representative Gil Cedillo, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin—and even to some immigration opponents such as Maricopa County's notorious Sheriff Joe Arpaio. There is, of course, a serious economic, legal, even moral argument against immigration on the Dreamers' terms. But Truax focuses solely on the struggle and challenges they face today, and she does so in a way that leaves a mark on any reader with a conscience. A forthright, moving piece of advocacy journalism.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170081721
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	12/26/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

From the Introduction: "We Are All Dreamers"
(Continues…)

---

Excerpted from "Dreamers"
by .
Copyright © 2015 Eileen Truax.
Excerpted by permission of Beacon Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---

Videos