Bøger af Harold Fernandez

Against all odds as a new undocumented immigrant in America, I had one monumental advantage. And at that time, I didn't even know it. As a young boy, even before taking my first steps inside a school building, my mama had introduced me to books and to the magic of reading. Yes, my Mama and my abuelitas had drilled in my mind the idea that through an education, everything is possible. This was in fact what I discovered when I had lost all hope and did not believe in myself as I faced many obstacles, including not knowing the new language, having to start all over again in a new country, and facing the daily hurt of other kids making fun of my accent, calling me a refugee, and yelling at me to go back to my own country. Books provided me an escape into another world, and it was through the magic of reading that I began to feel that I belonged in America. My life was transformed when I decided that my only path to succeed was through an education. This is what A Boy and a Book is about. It is a story of hope, imagination, and courage that will show you how through the magic of books you can overcome all obstacles and make your dreams a reality.Through my story, I will show you how you can do it as well. I will describe my own technique for studying. It consists of three steps that will make anyone a better student. It worked for me at Princeton University, Harvard medical school and MIT, and it will work for any young person who dreams of success in academic institutions. This is the book that I wish I would have read when I was feeling overwhelmed, and this is the book that I am confident can help any student do better in school.Many young boys and girls often look at athletes and famous personalities for inspiration and motivation. In reality, the vast majority of us do not have the athletic powers or talents to attain an exceptional level of performance that would make us successful in careers as professional athletes or Hollywood stars. But every young person has the talent, intelligence, and desire to succeed in school. All they need is the confidence and a guide to help them take that first step and believe in themselves. A Boy and a Book is the story that will guide you through the important path of falling in love with reading, books, and the idea that this is the only way to succeed in life. This is a book that I hope every young person has the opportunity to read, because I know that it can transform their lives.

America is still the land of immigrants. Not all of them arrive with a visa. Undocumented tells a story of an immigrant in America. From the hazardous environment that inspired his family's desire to come, to the fear of deportation and the struggle of assimilation in the United States, to opportunities for naturalization and success in America. Undocumented portrays a beautiful story with truth and poignancy. In the process it causes the reader to reflect on what it means that millions of immigrants are streaming into America every year. The story begins in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Medellín, Colombia--a city that was devastated by the wars between the government and the drug traffickers. It further provides a vivid description of daily life and violence in a town held hostage by the ruthless gangs, hired assassins, and other criminals associated with the drug cartels. The author played soccer on the same streets where children around his own age were killing each other. When Fernandez was thirteen, his parents initiated a secret plan to smuggle him and his brother into the United States, where the parents had already settled without documents. He traveled to the Bahamas with other undocumented immigrants pretending to be tourists, with the intention of crossing the water in a small boat to the coast of Florida. A trip that usually took three days was extended into a two-week ordeal on the small island of Bimini before Fernandez could embark on a dramatic seven-hour journey in the waters of the Bermuda Triangle during the hurricane month of October 1978. As an undocumented immigrant, Fernandez experienced many struggles and conflicts. While living an underground existence, the young man found inspiration and motivation to improve his life. Living with his family in New Jersey, he learned English, excelled in school, athletics, and the Boy Scouts, and graduated as the valedictorian in his high school class. When applying for admission to college, he needed to use a forged Social Security card and green card, but his deception worked: he was accepted into Princeton University. While at Princeton, the dean of foreign students discovered that the student was an undocumented immigrant. The school's administration met to discuss the fate of this student who had broken Princeton's honor code by lying about his legal status on his admission application. In the end, the university granted him a pardon and decided to keep him in the student body. The process of gaining legal residency involved support from President Ronald Reagan, New Jersey's governor Thomas Kean, and Senator Bill Bradley. After all the turmoil was over, Fernandez's university career was capped by Princeton's awarding him the highest distinction given to a graduating senior. Next, Fernandez decided to pursue a career in medicine. The motivation for this decision came from his experiences in Colombia and from the values and advice he received from his grandmothers. After studying at Harvard Medical School, he completed his training to become a surgeon in one of the most intense medical environments in the world: New York's Bellevue Hospital. For several years, he spent nearly every waking hour in the wards and operating rooms of the hospital, treating patients ranging from the famous to the indigent. Today Fernandez is one of the most respected heart surgeons in New York. He also participates in numerous volunteer activities to improve the cardiovascular health of people in his community. And so this man who has received so much from his new homeland now gives back in equal measure. In Undocumented, he argues through his own example why America should take a more compassionate attitude toward immigrants even as he expresses a fierce patriotism for the land of freedom that has welcomed him in.

As a young boy, the odds were never in his favor. He was stranded on a tiny island in the Bahamas waiting for a boat to pick him up. He risked his life as this small boat snuck into America through a corner of the Bermuda Triangle. Feeling like a wimpy kid in his new country and overwhelmed with many challenges, he did not believe in himself and wa