Books in the Working and Writing for Change series

Dreams and Nightmares appears in full color in both English and Spanish.DescriptionAt 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 SayingWhile 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 perse-verancia en medio de mucha incertidumbre. Ella es una mujer fuerte y extraordinaria.--María Sotomayor, DACA recipient, Youth Organizer, Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship CoalitionStories 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 des-humanizantes en las que se equipara a los inmigran-tes y refugiados con "narcotraficantes y violadores." La historia de Liliana ofrece al público estadounidense una perspectiva imbuida de una experiencia migratoria genuina-mente humana.--Aja Y. Martinez, PhD, Syracuse UniversityLiliana'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 adver-sidades a manos del gobierno de los E. U. que los trata como si fueran una amenaza y no como a niños sobre-vivientes de un trauma.--Jonathan Blazer, Advocacy and Policy Counsel for Immigrants' Rights, American Civil Liberties Union

This collection of flash nonfiction chronicles the experiences of international students as they leave home, cross borders, and begin their studies in the United States. Sometimes humorous, often profound, their writings illustrate the peculiar process of becoming international.All of the authors in this book are international students. This collection aims to not only illuminate their experiences but also celebrate the distinct beauty of writing produced by students learning a second language.A timely mediation on arriving in America, Becoming International: Musings on Studying Abroad in America is a perfect companion for those planning to study abroad or anyone interested in creating international spaces on college campuses."In exploring the notion of "home," the authors in this collection . . . evoke familiar themes of homesickness, childhood memories, and the exciting yet daunting prospect of change. Additionally, they inform and connect us, because, not in spite, of the unfamiliarities in their experiences from our own. And where there are disparities, they have created sites for cross-cultural learning, compassion, and acknowledgment of our own privileges. Their writing demonstrates that minority students finding themselves in the contact zone of their "home" and new "host" cultures can wield their stories to cope with change and negotiate their self-identities in generative, community-building ways." - Charissa Che, University of Utah

AUTHORS: Vershawn Ashanti Young, Rusty Barrett, Y'Shanda Young-Rivera, and Kim Brian Lovejoy. SERIES: Working and Writing for Change edited by Steve Parks. With a new Foreword by April Baker-Bell and a new Preface by Vershawn Ashanti Young and Y'Shanda Young-Rivera, Other People's English: Code-Meshing, Code-Switching, and African American Literacy presents an empirically grounded argument for a new approach to teaching writing to diverse students in the English language arts classroom. Responding to advocates of the "code-switching" approach, four uniquely qualified authors make the case for "code-meshing"-allowing students to use standard English, African American English, and other Englishes in formal academic writing and classroom discussions. This practical resource translates theory into a concrete road map for pre- and inservice teachers who wish to use code-meshing in the classroom to extend students' abilities as writers and thinkers and to foster inclusiveness and creativity. The text provides activities and examples from middle and high school as well as college and addresses the question of how to advocate for code-meshing with skeptical administrators, parents, and students. Other People's English provides a rationale for the social and educational value of code-meshing, including answers to frequently asked questions about language variation. It also includes teaching tips and action plans for professional development workshops that address cultural prejudices.