The Atrium

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nazario follows the desperate and dangerous plight of illegal aliens through the journey of Enrique, a 17 year old Honduran boy determined to re-unite with his mother in America.

Abandoned by her husband and without opportunity for employment or financial support when Enrique is five years old, Lourdes must make a decision. After agonizing over her choices, she determines that going to America is the only way to provide the money Enrique needs to survive. Leaving him with relatives, she promises to return soon. As the years of separation continue, Enrique grows into a troubled teen. In his dreams, his mother and America loom larger than life. He becomes obsessed with joining her.

To reach his goal, Enrique risks his life to ride the rails north on the notorious "death trains". Traveled by children from Central America every day, these trains are hotbeds for violence, injury, and intimidation imposed by gangs, police, and other riders. Those who survive the ordeal are never the same.

There are graphic descriptions of death, violence and drug use here. Enrique is no longer innocent. He has been forced to grow up fast and is well acquainted with the dark side of human nature. Not a light summer read, this book is a gritty, gripping, true adventure story.

In the best journalistic tradition, this book does not attempt to provide "the answer" to the illegal immigration issue. Well researched and written, it opens the reader's eyes to what people are willing to endure for a chance at the American dream. With immigration policy in this country on the cusp of enduring change, now is the time to read this book.