Sonia Nazario, author of 'Enrique’s Journey'

Author Sonia Nazario will speak about the challenges of researching and writing “Enrique’s Journey” at a free public event as part of the California Lutheran University program that requires all freshmen to read the same book.
 
Nazario will discuss her 2006 book about a Honduran boy’s struggle to find his mother in the United States from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, in Soiland Recreation Center. She will also answer audience questions and sign copies of her book, which will be available for purchase.
 
“Enrique’s Journey” is the true story of a teenage boy who rode the trains on a dangerous journey north from Central America to the United States. A former newspaper reporter, Nazario wrote a series of articles on the migration of teenagers from Central America to the United States that appeared in the Los Angeles Times in 2003. She received more than a dozen awards for her work on the project, including a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing.
 
CLU freshmen have to read the book before arriving on campus for New Student Orientation on Aug. 27. As part of the First-Year Experience program, incoming students all read the same book and talk about it during orientation and Freshman Seminar classes. They also can submit their artistic responses to the book, which offers fresh perspective on the hot-button topics of immigration and borders. The program helps students socially and academically with the transition to college by engaging them in a common learning experience, fostering their understanding of academic inquiry and prompting them to think about questions that matter in the world.

Soiland Recreation Center is in the Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center on the north side of Olsen Road near Campus Drive. For more information, contact Jim Bond at jabond@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3244.