Learning by Doing

I think that it's remarkable that Nazario, the author of our text of focus, put herself in the shoes of Enrique (and boys like Enrique) who made the perilous journey to America. Though the reliability of her journey seems to be of debate (how could she possibly have gone through the same experiences and come out in one piece?), the fact that she gained knowledge behind the story by attempting to take a first hand look at the truth of Enrique's journey is quite astounding. Here is a link to an online article ("The Train of Death"), including an interview with the author, that provides more insight into her research as a writer. By learning through doing, in this case, Nazario was better able to capture the emotions and hardships commonly faced during such feats.

http://www.motherjones.com/interview/2006/03/sonia_nazario.html

Immigration

An obvious theme that is presented in this text is that of immigration, primarily of the illegal nature. Enrique is certainly not alone in his journey. Below is a link that provides real-life statistics and facts on the issue of illegal immigration, some of which are really astounding. Take a look!


http://www.cis.org/topics/illegalimmigration.html

Learning through Questioning

While reading this text, keep these overarching questions in mind as you encounter various scenes or topics that strike you. Further, think about how YOU would answer these questions. By doing so, you can place yourself in a mind-frame similar to that of Enrique. Sometimes, simply reading about the actions, deeds taken on by the characters in the works that we read is not enough. As a reader, I personally like to think about what it is like to be in their shoes. I feel that in a way, it brings one closer to the characters by broadening one's understanding and appreciation of certan actions, invokes empathy and compassion for our characters who encounter hardship, and finally, it allows one to go beyond reading the text-- it involves application of one's set of beliefs and values into the reading. So, as you read, keep some of these questions in mind. Feel free, also, to formulate your own lists of questions. What would you like to ask the author, or any of the characters in the reading? What have you learned about this journey, or immigration in general? etc.

Here are some overarching questions to guide you:

1. How important is family loyalty?
2. How far would you go to reconnect to a distant loved one?
3. What causes a seemingly ordinary person to do heroic/extraordinary things?
4. How easy is it to overcome fears, or other obstacles, in order to reach your goals?
5. Thinking of the characteristics of an "odyssey", how does Enrique's Journey fit into this category?
6. What does it mean to be courageous?
7. How much of who we are is shaped by forces outside our control?
8. How does where we come from decide what we do with our lives?

Some Cool Poems...

Upon reading the riveting tale of Enrique and his quest to be reunited with his mother, I recalled several poems in Unsettling America, an anthology of multicultural poetry, that touch upon similar themes, emotions, concepts, etc that can be found in Nazario's text. An obvious theme in particular is that of immigration and the (at times) dangerous voyages to America. Below are a few of the poems that really supplement the themes found in this story. Feel free to explore some or all of the following poems, and think of ways that the topics in the poems relate to Enrique's Journey.

1. "We Never Stopped Crossing Borders", by Luis J. Rodriquez
2. "Where is My Country", by Nellie Wong
3. "What Do I Know of Journey", by David Meltzer
4. "Dream Poem", by Mary Jo Bona
5. "Today We Will Not Invisible Nor Silent", by Victoria Lena Manyarrows
6. "La Migra", by Pat Mora
7. "An Anthem", by Sonia Sanchez

HBO MiniSeries

Hey guys, I knew I read this somewhere so I thought I would copy and paste it here.

"HBO has purchased Enrique's Journey and is making it into a six-part mini-series. The executive producers of the mini-series are Anne Thomopoulos, previously senior vice president, original programming for HBO, and Nely Galán, founder and CEO of Galán Entertainment."

I think this is coming out within a year. It will be interesting to see if it turns out to be a narrative story, a documentary, or told like a traditional story.

Website to Check Out

Hey Guys! Here is the official website. I like it; it's pretty cool. Check out the pics!

http://www.enriquesjourney.com/

Initial Reactions

So, first I can’t get over how much information is provided in the prologue. The first few pages made me wonder if all of the events are really true or are there exaggerations. To be complete honest, it seems more of a mockery to take a white, presumably upper class women and recreate a Guatemalan, adolescent boy’s journey. However, the author admits to her luxuries before her story begins, so as a reader I am going to try and keep an open mind.
I am really glad that Nazario provides the alarming statistic about other children who take Enrique’s same journey. The number is humbling and scary. Humbling because there is a large number of individuals who never make it to America, but they still endure the hardships for hope of a better future with their mothers. The large amount of illegal immigrants from Central America is startling because the United States is considering changing our official language or at least adding Spanish as a second official language. I don’t know, I guess this story is already raising a lot of issues and questions. One thing I do know is that I totally sympathize more with Enrique than his mother. Already, I kind of have resentment towards Lourdes for leaving her son. I just feel as though she could have had other options. I guess we will see. But, I know that I already feel strongly about this and I wonder if there are other people, young and old, who feel strongly in favor of Lourdes and her initial decision???

When first reading the book, I was amazed at the description of the poverty. Reading further, and discovering the dangers in such a long journey as Enrique's- from Honduras to America- I realized that the poverty experienced by many in this country was reason enough to risk such a journey as Enrique did. It seems that the poverty experienced in our own country does not even compare to that of Honduras. I decided to look further into Honduras, and a description of its economy, so that I may get a better picture of the context in which the book takes place. I've included a link to the Library of Congress' website on Honduras. Feel free to explore, it may paint a better picture of where Enrique is coming from (and where he's going).