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Undocumented: A Worker's Fight

Duncan Tonatiuh author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Abrams

Published:7th Aug '18

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Undocumented: A Worker's Fight cover

Undocumented is the story of immigrant workers who have come to the United States without papers. Every day, these men and women join the work force and contribute positively to society. The story is told via the ancient Mixtec codex—accordion fold—format. Juan grew up in Mexico working in the fields to help provide for his family. Struggling for money, Juan crosses over into the United States and becomes an undocumented worker, living in a poor neighborhood, working hard to survive. Though he is able to get a job as a busboy at a restaurant, he is severely undercompensated—he receives less than half of the minimum wage! Risking his boss reporting him to the authorities for not having proper resident papers, Juan risks everything and stands up for himself and the rest of the community.  

“Remarkable…The artwork is deliberately evocative of Mesoamerican logography, with figures and perspectives that feel at once bizarre and totally familiar.” -- Vulture
“Undocumented, featuring multi-award winning author/illustrator Tonatiuh's (The Princess and the Warrior) vibrant, stylized illustrations, is an all-too-real discussion about fair pay and the hostility U.S. citizens often display toward undocumented immigrants.” -- Shelf Awareness
“By focusing on the narrative of one immigrant worker, Tonatiuh breaks the mammoth issues of immigration and workers rights into an easy-to-swallow bite, allowing the reader to easily engage with an often intimidating topic. The personal is again political. Highly recommended.” -- Kirkus
"Multiple Pura Belpré Medal and Honor–awarded Tonatiuh (Diego Rivera​, 2011) channels his interest in the Mixtec codex format to create a superb modern odyssey, stupendously illustrated in his signature contemporary adaptation of pre-Columbian art forms, presented on accordion pages in a handsome slip-case." -- Booklist online
“Although Juan is a fictional character, the story is a very real one: many undocumented workers are mistreated by employers, but are too afraid to speak up.“ -- GeekDad
“The book gives eloquent voice to the millions of undocumented people who come here with dreams of helping their families and work hard, contributing so much to this country.” -- Booklist online

ISBN: 9781419728549

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

26 pages