Illegal: A True Story of Love, Revolution and Crossing Borders

By: John Dennehy

Narrated by: Joe Passaro

A raw account of a young American abroad grasping for meaning, this pulsating story of violent protests, illegal border crossings, and loss of innocence raises questions about the futility of borders and the irresistible power of nationalism.

Illegal tells the true story of love, deception, revolutions, and deportations as it chronicles the trials of John Dennehy. A naïve New Yorker, Dennehy refuses to be part of the feverish nationalism of post 9/11 America. His search for hope takes him to Ecuador, where he falls in love with firebrand Lucia, who perfects his broken Spanish while they find solidarity in the brewing social upheaval. Amid the unrest, Dennehy is arrested and deported to the United States but he has found something worth fighting for.

©2017 John Dennehy (P)2018 John Dennehy

Timely, Compelling---Loved This

In Illegal, journalist John Dennehy takes readers on a guided tour of the precarious border crossings he took shortly after the reelection of George W. Bush. One such crossing ended with his deportation back to the United States from Ecuador. And yet he was driven to sneak back into that country by a blinding love, and a life that often seemed--and would often prove--too good to be entirely true. His decision to live outside the US was the result of his many brushes with an uptick in nationalism there, including getting beaten up by a mob in the streets of New York because he dared protest the lead-up to the Iraq War.

Illegal is narrative journalism and autobiography that goes by quickly at about 200 pages. But Dennehy uses his own story as a lens through which to address issues much larger than himself. It's not just self-indulgent travel porn. In a very self-aware, earnest way, he asks big questions. Is it possible to maintain your most deeply held beliefs and goals in the face of bruising reality? If goods are allowed to cross borders freely, why can't people (with the minimum amount of necessary security in place)? Are people who they are or are they who we perceive them to be and who they present themselves as? At the outset of Illegal, Dennehy is a recent college graduate with a robust set of ideals. As the story progresses he doesn't lose them but they are tempered. One gets the sense that were the story to begin with an older, more mature Dennehy, he might have been able to get close to anticipating the very mess his country is in now

Fascinating story

This is a riveting story about an American living as an Illegal in South America. Very descriptive dialogue that keeps you on edge of your seat. The narrator did a great job telling the story too.

It's the Journey, Not the Destination!

In this captivating autobiography, John Dennehy transforms from an idealistic recent college graduate into a veteran of traversing seedy borders in South America. Through the author's eyes we experience the maturation of man in a foreign land, which like himself, is changing rapidly. Throughout the story we are granted privy access to the development of his geopolitical beliefs and the ramifications of putting ideologies into action. Propelled by love and an affection for his new homeland, John fights relentlessly to bring the dream into a reality. At times the adventurer is dispirited by his surrounding circumstances, but the hope remains. The gripping account is genuine at its core and will leave you wanting more. From beginning to end, Joe Passaro's narration brings this fantastic tale to life!

very liberal

I'm a conservative, with some libertarian views. I chose to listen to this book to maybe see a different side and find some common ground. some of the thoughts and actions in this book make me angry and some make me sad. I don't agree with much of his opinions, but I do have sympathy for many immigrants. I just feel they should be here legally, without borders we have no country. I am proud of my country and glad that I was born here. when it comes to open borders, we will have to agree to disagree. thanks for showing me the other side. but I will happily stay on my side. I hope that one day you will learn to love your country and take pride in it.
I thought the book was well written and told a great story that held my interest the same way a fiction story would. I also thought the narrating was great!

Enjoyable, sometimes hard to believe story...

Illegal by John Dennehy was a pleasant surprise. I kind of felt like I was listening to an extended episode of A&E's Locked Up Abroad, except Mr. Dennehy wasn't getting locked up (for the most part). You almost expected him to throughout the entire then though! This was a fun listen that takes the reader through the almost unbelievable story of how a disillusioned Mr. Dennehy ended up in Ecuador after school with basically no qualification to teach and no knowledge of the Spanish language and somehow ends up teaching English and living in Ecuador for a number of years and meeting and falling in love with his long term girlfriend, all in the midst of major social upheavals in the country. He was deported and crossing borders back and forth to make his way back to Ecuador and a whole bunch of other crazy stuff. I enjoyed listening to this one and got through it in one day. There were a few slow parts, but with it being a true story, I was happy to see that Mr. Dennehy got little periodic breaks in his crazy life! In all seriousness, it was fast paced, so those few times where things moved a bit slower weren't really a bother to me at all.

Joe Passaro did a great job narrating this story and I strongly believe that it was his narration that made the story that much more enjoyable to listen to and easy to fall into. He brought the characters to life and I would happily listen to more of his narrations in the future. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher for an honest review.

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