Saturday, February 27, 2010

The human side of immigration

With controversy over immigrants and immigration escalating, and the debate surrounding both the ability of undocumented immigrants to pursue the American dream of going to college and to access health care in this country, two recent books compassionate and intelligently tackle both of these issues.

First, Dr. Danielle Ofri, in her book Medicine in Translation: Journeys with My Patients tells us riveting stories about her immigrant patients at Bellevue. Living and dying in the foreign country we call home, they have much to teach us about the American way, in sickness and in health. Additionally, journalist Helen Thorpe in her book Just Like Us: The True Story of Four Mexican Girls Coming of Age in America gives us a powerful account of our young Mexican woman coming of age in Denver - two of whom have legal documents, and two whom do not.

My conversation with Danielle Ofri

My conversation with Helen Thorpe

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