Underground America: Narratives of Undocumented Lives

By Peter Orner and Luis Alberto Urrea

These remarkable oral histories of undocumented men and women struggling to carve a life for themselves in the U.S. “[fill] a gap in our understanding of [immigration] by humanizing the people at the center of an otherwise cold debate” (Huffington Post)

They arrive from around the world for countless reasons. Many come simply to make a living. Others are fleeing persecution in their native countries. Millions of immigrants risk deportation and imprisonment by living in the U.S. without legal status. They are living underground, with little protection from exploitation at the hands of human smugglers, employers, or law enforcement. Underground America presents the remarkable stories of U.S. immigrants. Among the narrators:
 
Farid, an Iranian-American business owner who employs a number of American citizens while he himself remains undocumented. A critic of the Iranian government, he fears for his safety if he is deported to his native country.

Diana, who along with thousands of other Latino workers helped rebuild the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. After completing her work, she and many others were detained and imprisoned for not having proper documentation.
 
Liso, who was enticed to come to the United States as a religious missionary, but on arrival was forced into unpaid domestic labor.
 
Underground America is part of the Voice of Witness book series—co-founded by acclaimed author Dave Eggers—which uses oral history to illuminate human rights crises around the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 25, 2017
• ISBN: 9781786632265

Luis Alberto Urrea

Luis Alberto Urrea is a prolific and acclaimed writer who uses his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss and triumph. The critically acclaimed and best-selling author of 13 books, Urrea has won numerous awards for his poetry, fiction and essays. The Devil's Highway, his 2004 non-fiction account of a group of Mexican immigrants lost in the Arizona desert, won the Lannan Literary Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Pacific Rim Kiriyama Prize.

Reviews for Underground America

[cinesnail88 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a brilliant first-hand account of illegal immigrants living in America and the human rights violations they have to endure. I constantly found myself appalled at each story - amazed at the abuses these people are forced to undergo.A must-read for ANY person currently living in the US, and a good read for those from other countries as well. Very eye-opening.

[wattsian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

People are talking a lot about immigrants. I've never been, so I saw this at the Book Shop in Covina, California, and it called to me as I think about the fights over the wall and Dreamers and the like.This is a beautiful, beautiful collection of people's sharing of experiences I have not had, but needed to hear.