ILLEGAL ALIENS: The words are a brutal suggestion that immigrants are criminals instead of ordinary people like Rosa and Manuel-workers forced by poverty and violence to migrate to the United States. From the volcanic slopes of Central America and the dusty plains of Mexico to the sweltering streets of East Los Angeles, they make an astonishing journey, only to face the sweatshops of L.A., and conditions that in many ways are as oppressive as those they attempted to escape. Yet they never give up the struggle and prove that where there is a will there is a way, and that no human should be called "illegal."
"J. P. Bone's novel Illegals is a rarity in contemporary literature - a story which boldly and vividly presents a piece of contemporary history, told through characters who cannot fail to move you with their anguish and their courage. I am reminded of Upton Sinclair and John Steinbeck, who did not hesitate to confront the most urgent issues of their day through their fiction. Illegals is a novel that touches the heart. I hope it is widely read." Howard Zinn, Historian, author of A People's History of the United States
." . . a rare uplifting literary work . . . cites chapter and verse the details of the exploitation of working people from Latin America by the corporate colossus up north. It paints a bleak picture of immigrants' plight, yet offers inspiring hope for those who dare to work together in solidarity." Studs Terkel, Pulitzer Prize Winning author, historian
"J. P. Bone has not only produced a novel worthy of reading on its literary merits, but his Illegals is also an extraordinary story which captures the human drama of the everyday struggles experienced by Latino immigrants in their quest for survival and social justice." Carlos Munoz, Jr. Professor Emeritus, U. C. Berkeley
." . . I encourage you to read Illegals not just for its powerful commentary, but because it's a damn good read " Michael Moore, Academy award winning director, author
" . . . J. P. Bone proves that where there is a will there is a way and that in the midst of pain, struggle, and sacrifice, no human should be 'illegal.'" Jesse "Chuy" Varela
"This moving and intimate story drawn from personal accounts takes you to the heart of the struggles of people fleeing Latin America. By following them with powerful empathy through burning sun, terror and courageous battles to survive, this novel should change forever the way we look at immigrants from south of the border..." Bob Schildgen, Author of Hey Mr. Green and Toyohiko Kagawa, a bigraphy of a Japanese reformer.
The first edition of Illegals by J. P. Bone, was published in 1996. The author made many important revisions to Illegals in 2012, and again in 2014. The new edition includes those revisions."