Dreams and Nightmares: I Fled Alone to the United States When I Was Fourteen

by Liliana Velásquez

Dreams and Nightmares appears in full color in both English and Spanish.

Description

At fourteen, Liliana Velásquez walked out of her village in Guatemala and headed for the U.S. border, alone. On her two-thousand-mile voyage, she was robbed by narcos, rode the boxcars of La Bestia, and encountered death in the Sonoran Desert. When she was caught by Immigration in Arizona, she thought her journey was over. But it had just begun.

A los catorce años, Liliana abandonó su pueblo en Guatemala y se dirigió hacia la frontera de los Estados Unidos, sola. En su viaje de dos mil millas fue asaltada por los narcos, viajó en los vagones de La Bestia y se enfrentó a la muerte en el desierto de Sonora. Cuando fue capturada por Inmigración en Arizona, ella pensó que su viaje había terminado. Pero solo acababa de empezar.

What People Are Saying

While Immigrants’ stories are often told by others, Liliana shares her personal experience of vulnerability, resilience and perseverance in the face of uncertainty. She is a strong and remarkable woman.

Mientras que las historias de los inmigrantes son generalmente contadas por terceros, Liliana comparte su propia historia personal, su capacidad recuperativa y su perse­verancia en medio de mucha incertidumbre. Ella es una mujer fuerte y extraordinaria.

—María Sotomayor, DACA recipient, Youth Organizer, Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition

Stories like Liliana’s counter the inhumane narratives that cast migrants and refugees as “drug dealers and rapists,” and instead offer US audiences a perspective infused with the genuine human experience of migration.

Historias como la de Liliana contradicen a las historias des­humanizantes en las que se equipara a los inmigran­tes y refugiados con “narcotraficantes y violadores”. La historia de Liliana ofrece al público estadounidense una perspectiva imbuida de una experiencia migratoria genuina­mente humana.

—Aja Y. Martinez, PhD, Syracuse University

Liliana’s story is heartbreakingly ordinary, similar to tens of thousands of children who have fled violence, abuse, and extreme poverty, only to suffer further hardship at the hands of a US government that treats them as threats rather than child survivors of trauma.

La historia de Liliana es dolorosamente común, similar a la de decenas de miles de niños que han huido de la violencia, el abuso y la pobreza extrema, sólo para sufrir más adver­sidades a manos del gobierno de los E. U. que los trata como si fueran una amenaza y no como a niños sobre­vivientes de un trauma.

—Jonathan Blazer, Advocacy and Policy Counsel for Immigrants’ Rights, American Civil Liberties Union

(from Amazon)

212 pages, Paperback

Published April 14, 2017

Reviews

[Susan Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an inspiring story of a girl from Guatemala. Liliana is one of thousands of unaccompanied minors that have come to the U.S. from Central America in recent years. Liliana did not come to escape gang violence as some from Central America have recently, but instead to escape domestic violence and the threat of sexual violence in her tiny village. Interestingly, she hoped to make money in the U.S., and didn't even know that she would not be allowed to work full-time, but rather would have to attend school, because of her age. Initially, school was very hard for her because she only had the equivalent of a second-grade education. She has been living in Philadelphia for a few years and is now in college. Translator/editor Mark Lyons worked with Liliana for several sessions to help her organize the narrative. The entire book is written in Spanish and English, with Liliana's Spanish words on the left pages, and the English translation on the right. It was nice to be able to check Liliana's exact words in Spanish when I had a question about the English translation. Read this one for content, not style. It appears that Lyons did not attempt to make Liliana sound more sophisticated than she really is--it's just a straightforward account.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liliana's story smacks you in the face, reminding you how entitled we are even to be reading books. Hers is the story of an incredibly brave and determined child who fled living conditions unimaginable to us, through a journey equally devastating, to end up in a loving family in a suburban community with a highly-regarded school district. As the counselor in her tech school, I will tell you that her narrative only begins to explain her determination, bravery, and compassion. This book should be required reading for everyone, especially the anti-immigrant crowd. Oh, and maybe president.

[Michelle S.J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about a girl who crosses the border to the United States at a young age. She faces many challenges along the way, (police officers, thiefs, and transportation.) She leaves behind her siblings including her mother, just for a better education and life. It tells us her troubles while being in her hometown, Guatemala. I found out about this book through ELA which helped us learn a lot about other countries.

[Cailin Leithead · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn’t that good. It was kind of redundant and the end really bothered me when she talked about how Americans don’t struggle because their immigrants. It felt like she felt entitled just by being in the us and just because she got there and had a long journey and was then annoyed that everything didn’t just fall into place. Like I know it was hard but she seemed really naive. And the writing style didn’t really flow that well. It was inspiring but not that great of a read. 2/5 stars

[Andi M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enlightening read for my students and myself. This is not published by a major publisher, so don't expect a polished account, but since my students are studying community writing, this was perfect.

[Katie]

truly an inspiring story. It's a quick and important read to understand the journies of immigrants and everything that they face. I loved that it was in both English and Spanish so I could look over and see what certain words were in Spanish.

[Julia Chestaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very inspiring story of a brave girl! Liliana story is one that everyone should read to understand the lives of many immigrants and why they leave their countries looking for better opportunities.

[Liz Bahati · Rating 3 out of 5]

liliana’s story is inspiring & reminds me of how hard it is to be an immigrant.