A day after N. first crossed the U.S. border from Mexico, he was caught and then released onto the streets of Tijuana. Undeterred, N. crawled back through a tunnel to San Diego, where he entered the United States forever. Illegal: Reflections of an Undocumented Immigrant is his timely and compelling memoir of building a new life in America. Authorial anonymity is required to protect this life. Arriving in the 1990s with a 9th grade education, N. traveled to Chicago where he found access to ESL classes and GED classes. He eventually attended college and graduate school and became a professional translator. Despite having a well-paying job, N. was isolated by a lack of official legal documentation. Travel concerns made big promotions out of reach. Vacation time was spent hiding at home, pretending that he was on a long-planned trip. The simple act of purchasing his girlfriend a beer at a Cubs baseball game caused embarrassment and shame when N. couldn't produce a valid ID. A frustrating contradiction, N. lived in a luxury high-rise condo but couldn't fully live the American dream. He did, however, find solace in the one gift America gave him--his education. Ultimately, N.'s is the story of the triumph of education over adversity. In Illegal he debunks the stereotype that undocumented immigrants are freeloaders without access to education or opportunity for advancement. With bravery and honesty, N. details the constraints, deceptions, and humiliations that characterize alien life "amid the shadows. "Por fin disponible en espan?ol, Ilegal es el aclamado libro de memorias de Jose? Angel N., un inmigrante indocumentado que se construyo? una vida nueva en Estados Unidos, a donde llego? habiendo cursado tan solo la secundaria. N. se refugio? la educacio?n y de ahi? ascendio?, de ser aprendiz del ingle?s como segunda lengua a realizar estudios de posgrado, antes de convertirse en traductor profesional. A pesar de tener un buen trabajo, hubo barreras que lo confinaron a las sombras. La falta de documentacio?n legal le impedi?a viajar con libertad e incluso comprar una cerveza en un juego de be?isbol. A pesar de vivir en un lujoso rascacielos, le fue imposible alcanzar completamente el suen?o americano. Sin embargo, N. persistio?. Esta conmovedora historia de e?xito contradice los estereotipos de los inmigrantes indocumentados a la vez que evidencia co?mo la educacio?n puede convertirse en un triunfo ante la adversidad."--Back cover.