The Book of Isaias

July 4, 2016
A product of over five years of investigative journalism, Connolly’s narrative immerses readers in the world of Isaias Ramos, a high-achieving Memphis teen who’s an undocumented immigrant, as he navigates the college admissions process. Connolly’s in-depth reporting weaves Isaias’s narrative through the lives of his friends and family as they struggle with the emotional and administrative complexities of unauthorized immigration and the laws that obstruct immigrant residents’ access to higher education. In this delicate, comprehensive, and empathetic portrait, Connolly follows Isaias as he straddles the experiences of the American teenager—a garage band, high school romance—and the responsibilities of a young immigrant who’s contributing to the economic wellbeing of his family. Connolly traces the origins of the U.S.’s current stance on immigration, examining policy such as the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 as well as the story of the Ramos family’s journey from a small town in Hidalgo, Mexico, as they cross deserts equipped only with “a backpack with a few items for survival: water, Gatorade, and the sweets known as alegrías.” Connolly unearths the human element behind one of today’s most debated issues, asking expert and everyday readers alike to consider how the immigrant experience is affecting one of the fastest-growing youth populations in the nation. Agent: Michelle Tessler, Tessler Literary.

September 15, 2016
Being a child of Hispanic immigrants in modern America.The American views on immigration took center stage during the 2016 presidential primaries, with Democrat and Republican candidates offering up multiple solutions to the immigration "problem," which this book makes clear is not so easily simplified. Connolly, who has reported on the subject for more than 10 years, puts to rest the idea of a single problem, whether it be the Republican or the Democratic framing of an issue that seems to require more than any one political outlook can address. Living deep in the Midwest with his parents--illegal immigrants from Mexico, years before--Isaias Ramos is a teenager, first and foremost, seeking his way in the world. He wrestles with the questions of postsecondary education versus immediately entering the workplace, following in his parents' footsteps doing manual work. His school recognizes his potential as he handily dispatches various educational assessment exams, ranking sixth in his class and scoring a 29 on the ACT--better than 93 percent of students in the United States. At the same time, the school struggles to provide the resources needed to support the aspirations they have for him. Student aid for children of immigrants proves a bureaucratic mess that ultimately seems to be a dead end. As with nearly any teenager, Isaias' story pulls other teens into its orbit intermittently, as they learn the ways of moving from childhood into adulthood. Isaias undoubtedly grew over the years when Connolly got to know him, blending the transition of teenager-into-adulthood with the transition of a Mexican family into America. There is a wide, almost universal air to the author's writing, as he alternately tells a narrowly focused story and a broad-based one, making clear that this tale of one family's immigration cannot be told without laying bare the complex context in which it is situated. A story of one child of illegal immigrants that has much wider, timely resonance.

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September 1, 2016
In the last 50 years, immigration from Mexico has dwarfed all previous waves: 16.2 million people make up the huge new generation of immigrants. Combining a historical overview with a focus on teenage Isaias and his family, as well as on many other personal stories of Mexican immigrants, this account shows the diversity of Mexican immigration along with, in close-up, the individual struggles of immigrant children. Without heavy messaging, the text humanizes the cross-generational conflict: while a father talks about growing up so poor that he did not have shoes, his teenage son plays with his iPhone. Isaias has a romantic relationship with Magaly: both are children of Mexican immigrants, and both teens speak to one another in English. Isaias scores in the top 7 percent in the U.S. on the ACT; his counselors want him to apply to Harvard, but what about his responsibilities with his younger siblings if his parents have to return to Mexico? Caught up in today's news images, readers will appreciate the intense daily drama behind the offensive illegal alien stereotypes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

May 15, 2016

An award-winning journalist who's been covering Mexican immigration to the U.S. South for over a decade, Connolly introduces us to 18-year-old Isaias Ramos, a capable student who aces a national calculus exam. His school counselors urge him to apply to Harvard, but he thinks he might join his parents, unauthorized immigrants from Mexico, in the house-painting business.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2016

What is often lost in the national debates about immigration policies are the stories of children of immigrants. Journalist Connolly offers a small glimpse into their world in this compelling study. Connolly took time off from his job with the Memphis Commercial Appeal to become an "embedded" reporter, not in a far-flung battlefield, but in the halls of a Memphis high school. In particular, he follows the life of Isaias Ramos, the child of undocumented Mexican immigrants, and his friends as they navigate the challenges of high school, deciding on attending college (or not), and what their futures might hold. The author's unprecedented access to and acceptance in the daily lives of these teenagers allows him to share a very intimate look at their situations and trials. Connolly's touching story about the challenges that children of immigrants, both documented and undocumented, face in making their way in the United States provides readers with a deeper understanding of the immigration debate. VERDICT Recommended for those interested in learning more about the ramifications of current immigration policies on youth and families. [See Prepub Alert, 4/25/16.]--Michael C. Miller, Austin P.L. & Austin History Ctr., TX

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.