Let me begin by admitting that I am not the world's most tolerant or
compassionate person. While I do have a soft spot for the underdog, not
all underdogs are created equal. Yes, I can be very harsh and judgmental
towards groups who in my mind claim victim status frivolously. At the
same time, I don't believe in limiting my dialogue to only those people
who share my point of view. Reading Journey Through an Arid Land and
interviewing the author Gayle Davies Jandrey whose political views are
drastically different from mine was an interesting experience. As a
first-generation American, who came to this country in the early 1990s
and had to jump through all the hoops, I cannot help but resent those
who attempt to bypass the traditional channels. Whenever I see illegal
immigrants portrayed in a quasi-sympathetic light, something inside me
snaps, and my blood starts boiling. I confess, was a challenge reading
this book on the emotional level. Several times I had to subdue waves of
anger. I'm sorry, but my heart doesn't swell with compassion when I
hear about "people seeking a better life". Well, gosh, aren't we all?
If you're looking for a better life, go to your nearest US Embassy and
apply for a refugee visa. That's what my family did. But, I'm going to
put my own indignation aside for a moment, because Gayle Davies Jandrey
clearly has written a compelling novel.
MJN: I realize
you've worked in a school in Tucson where you had many "undocumented"
children. How did this word "undocumented" arise? Was that supposed
to be a euphemism? I would also be curious to see if the
"undocumented" children mingled with the "documented"
children of the same ethnic background. I imagine, some children whose families
came to the US legally would not want to mingle with those children whose
families ... bypassed the traditional channels.
GJ:
From my point of view, the term undocumented migrant is not a euphemism,
but a description. These men, women and children mostly from Mexico and
Central America, migrate to the United States without documents, i.e. visas,
therefore they are undocumented migrants.
After 28 years, I retired from teaching in 1999 because my mother became
ill and I needed to spend more time with her. That said, back in the day,
many of the kids newly arrived to the U.S., whom we called Mexican Nationals at
the time, documented or undocumented, did tend to stick together. Partly
this was the self-defensiveness of teens, I believe, and partly it was
language. First generation migrants speak mostly their native language.
The second generation is bi-lingual. Unless there is a
conscientious effort on the part of parents and grandparents, the third
generation knows only the names for their ethnic foods and now to swear in
their native language. At least, this is my observation.
MJN: Are your students aware of your
literary track? Many authors prefer to keep their teaching and writing track
separate.
GJ:
If they were paying attention, my students did know that I was a writer as well
as a teacher. They found it astonishing that someone who spelled so
poorly could be a writer. I used to give them extra credit if they found
one of my spelling errors on the chalk board.
MJN: What
fascinates me is that some immigrants - not all - want to take full advantage
of the privileges and opportunities life in the US has to offer while retaining
their prejudices and even certain hostility against the mainstream American
values. Regardless of how you entered the country, legally or illegally, you
are going to encounter some misunderstanding and rejection from the people who
have lived here for generations. So do you think it's the initial rejection
that makes an immigrant hostile, or is the hostile attitude of the immigrant
that makes the native-born Americans more guarded? I imagine, it's hard to warm
up to someone whose first words are "This is NOT how we do it in my home
country."
GJ:
I really don't know how to respond to this question. I've not seen the
kind of hostility to mainstream American values that you mention. Perhaps
there is some hostility from U.S. citizens, but certainly not from recent
immigrants.
MJN: Your female
protagonist's name is Wiona. A bit unusual. At first I kept reading Winona. Then
I wondered if it was a variation of Fiona. What's in the name?
GJ:
You're not the first person to mistake Wiona for Winona, the famous
country singer. The name Wiona is something of a hybrid.
My great grandfather and great uncle were rancher/doctors in California
from the mid 19th century, into the 20th century. They came up with some
pretty interesting names for their children, among them Ione and Aruna.
My middle name is Aruna, after my grandmother, but I always liked Ione.
I put Ione and Aruna together, scrapped the R and slapped a W on it.
MJN: You were
lucky to go to the Tucson book fair. I am on the East Coast, and couldn't
attend. Around here, book fairs are not always very well attended, because
there are so many other alternatives for entertainment. What does an
author/publisher do to get noticed in the ocean of books at an event like that?
GJ:
I was lucky to be invited to the Tucson Festival of Books. Over 100,000
people attend our two day festival and there is so much to see and do, it's
hard for a mostly unknown writer to draw attention. When I attended the
first festival as an author back in 2008, it was just a matter of sending in my
book, A Garden of Aloes, and they put me on a panel with other writers whose setting
was Tucson. In the case of the 2015 festival, I had a friend who
introduced me to someone who was already on a panel, Women Who Broke the Mold,
which she had proposed. As it turned out, one of her authors backed out
and she needed a third woman. Wiona, fit the bill, and I was invited to join
that panel. All of the panelists used social media to get the word out.
The venue held 100 people and all seats were filled. Bear in mind
that the big guns draw hundreds. People have to get a free advanced ticket
to get in to those venues.
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