Discussion Questions

1. What did you learn about immigration from reading Enrique’s Journey?

2. Did your opinion/understanding of illegal immigrants change after you read the book?

3. Did you like the author’s style of writing? By telling the story of one boy and his quest to reunite with his mother, the author makes the story very personal. Was this an effective tool for educating her audience on the immigration issue? Why or why not?

4. Was Lourdes a good mother? Why did she leave her children? Did her decision to leave end up the way she thought it would?

5. Describe Enrique’s relationship with his mother. Why was it so important for him to reunite with her? Why do you think he decided to try to find her while his sister did not?

6. Recount some of the hardships Enrique encountered on his journey. Why, after so many hardships and roadblocks, did Enrique persevere?

7. Discuss the differences in attitudes/actions towards illegal immigration in Honduras, Mexico and the United States.

8. In what ways did Enrique’s journey change him, both during his journey and upon his arrival in the United States?

9. Was Enrique’s reunion with his mother everything he thought it would be? What problems arose after they were reunited? Did those problems surprise you?

10. Sonia Nazario claims that immigration is “a powerful stream, one that can only be addressed at its source.” What does she mean by this statement?