The Pulitzer Prize winning author of one of the most read and acclaimed non-fiction stories of the past six years, Sonia Nazario, recently visited our campus to share her experiences in the Laredos in 2000 and 2003 working visits.
Nazario expressed her thrill to be here and to meet once again with some of the people she met in her journalistic journey from Central America. The result of her adventure is the book “Enrique’s Journey.” The two border cities were a stopping place for both her and Enrique, the main character of her book. Her story follows young Enrique, a boy from Honduras who was left behind by his mother at age 5. Enrique’s mother, like many others, believed the only way her children would survive in her poverty stricken country would be if she illegally crossed to the United States to find a job and send them money.
But Nazario’s story is not one of triumph; Enrique’s mother must work as a housekeeper making it difficult to ever send her children enough money. Enrique grows up feeling unwanted and unloved, like many other children in his situation, he begins to idolize his mother and is certain he will find love and happiness only when he is with her. It is this dream that drives Enrique to venture into one of the most dangerous journeys of our time.
Nazario makes it difficult to imagine her riding on top of dangerous trains along with dozens of Central American people willing to face hunger, gangs, rapists, and death in their journey to the U.S. But, she rode trains; all with the intention of re-living the danger thousands of people face each year as they cross some of Mexico’s most dangerous states to get to the Mexican-American border, and finally the U.S. Every immigrant has a different purpose, a different drive to arrive to the U.S.
Some say they pursue the American Dream, others are running away from the poverty and injustices in their country, but Nazario is mainly focusing on one face of the immigrant: the dozens of children who embark on this treacherous odyssey with the hope of finding the mother who left them behind. Nazario gave this type of immigrant a name and a face: Enrique. “I believe it is important for Latinos to read the book “Enrique’s Journey” because some of us know of the great advantages of living in the United States, but it is important to understand the circumstances and outcomes many immigrants face by leaving their country” she said.
The author is fully aware that her subject is a dangerous one. Many Americans feel strongly about rebuking illegal immigrants while others are eager to see them in a peaceful environment. Nazario said she is not promoting illegal immigration. “I want people to understand that there are many shades of grey concerning this subject. My book portrays immigrants as winners and losers; it is a very complex theme. My goal is to make people understand their side of the story and perhaps this will make them shout less at each other.” said the former Los Angeles Times reporter.
Nazario feels “Enrique’s Journey” seeks empathy. “Like in any work of literature, I want readers to put themselves in some of the character’s shoes,” she said. “For example, If I lived in a country like Honduras, and I had very little to offer to my children and I could only feed them once a week, would I head north? Think about that. I also hope that readers will better understand the dire circumstances of these women who leave their countries.”
One of her main purposes of writing the book is to heighten awareness about those mothers who leave their children behind in order to come to the United states to work. “By coming here, the immigrant’s children will have the advantage of having more than one meal a day and the opportunity to go to school past the 3rd grade, but many times there exists a greater price to pay for these mothers; many say they will leave home for one or two years before returning home, but this rarely happens,” Nazario said. “Their children will grow up motherless, which may lead them to feel unwanted, and in return, many will grow up resentful and some may even grow to hate their mothers. Others, like Enrique, will embark on an odyssey of great danger to find their mother. It is important to take all these outcomes into consideration before making the decision of leaving a child behind.”
The book is based on a Los Angeles Times newspaper series published in 2003. The series won Nazario a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, the George Polk Award for International Reporting, and the Grand Prize of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism awards.
The daughter of an immigrant Polish mother, Nazario grew up in Kansas and Argentina where she developed an interest in journalism and social issues. She has a master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of California, Berkley. Nazario also holds the distinction of being the youngest writer hired by the Wall Street Journal at the age of 21. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband.
For more information, visit www.enriquesjourney.com