Revenge of the "Illegal Alien", by Cesar A. Preciado-Cruz

Preciado-Cruz, Cesar A. (2008). Revenge of the “illegal alien: A Mexican takes on the Empire. Oakland: Making Changes Press.

ISBN 9780615152998

Summary:  Human rights activist Cesar Preciado-Cruz (teolol) releases revolutionary rage in his Revenge of the “illegal alien: A Mexican takes on the Empire, a collection of poems and short stories that condemn the United States for the repression of people of color, for the wealthy corporate elite, for the political lies about Iraq, for the general contempt of undocumented workers by Americans who benefit from their services, and for historical atrocities. Cruz’s radical poems in English and Spanish lend themselves to spoken word to fully realize the emotional intensity of his writing. 

Additional Comments: Some readers will undoubtedly squirm with discomfort from his calls for insurgency in poems like “license this” and “the terrorist” and from his vilification of the American government in poems like “on the 4th u lie (4th of july)” and “things taken”. However, his voice represents the vital perspective of the underrepresented and marginalized.

The Other Side of Truth by Beverly Naidoo

Naidoo, Beverley (2000.)  The Other side of truth.  New York: HarperCollins Publisher.  

Summary:  12-year-old Sade and her younger brother, Femi, escape from Nigeria where her father is a journalist whose political writing results in Sade's mother's murder.  The children are sent to London with fake passports, but they are abandoned by their escort upon arrival. They end up in the hands of social services and put in a foster home and a school while waiting for temporary asylum as refugees, but they worry about their father's safety.  They face bullies at school and must face difficult decisions about telling the truth and how to stand up to aggressors and injustice.

Additional Comments:  A suspenseful story that explores ethical decisions and personal values on different levels.  On one hand, the father is standing up to censorship by writing about the corrupt government, but the government persecutes him by killing his wife.  Sade faces aggression at school and must decide if she will succumb to the pressure.  Also explores the complications of right and wrong when it comes to telling the truth.  Is it okay to lie when your safety depends on it?