Pulitzer Prize winner, renowned author Sonia Nazario to speak at Pecan Campus Feb. 2
South Texas College welcomes Pulitzer Prize winning author and journalist Sonia Nazario to its Pecan Campus Building D Auditorium in McAllen on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Part of the college’s Distinguished Speaker Series, Nazario’s talk will examine issues related to immigration through the eyes of her latest book, Enrique’s Journey, the story of a young child’s trials to reach his mother in the United States. Based on the true story of one Honduras family, the book talks about the consequences of leaving one’s homeland, the struggle to remain close when separated and the tribulations of trying to reunite and bond again.
“I was inspired to write this book by what I learned and found it unbelievably moving - the story of children wanting, at all costs, to be with their mothers and going through dangerous and terrifying worlds to reach them,” said Nazario. “To prepare to write the book I retraced the journey of Enrique for myself and I saw the dangers and misery of it through his eyes. The level of poverty and deprivation that these immigrants face is appalling and I want to give their voices an outlet.”
“The theme of this book is love and triumph over adversity, a message that resonates strongly with our Valley community,” said Jennifer Bryson Clark, chair of STC’s Distinguished Speakers Committee. “We felt it was important to highlight this book and Sonia’s experiences in writing it to emphasize the struggles that we all face, especially those who deal with immigration to the United States.”
Nazario has enjoyed a two-decade career as a journalist for the Los Angeles Times. Her newspaper series, upon which her book is based, won more than a dozen awards, including a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, the George Polk Award for International Reporting, the Grand Prize of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Guillermo Martinez-Marquez Award for Overall Excellence.
During her tenure, she has covered a range of social issues impacting American society including immigration, hunger and drug abuse to name a few. Nazario grew up in Kansas and in Argentina and has written extensively from Latin America and about Latinos in the United States. She began her career at the Wall Street Journal and joined the Los Angeles Times in 1993.
For additional information the event, contact Jennifer Bryson Clark at 872-3510.
For additional information, contact Brown at 973-7606.
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