Summary

The forward, “All Stories are Refugees from Dangerous Lands,” is by author and journalist Luis Alberto Urrea. Urrea begins the forward with a story of a pancake house busboy named Alex. One day, Alex discovered a lump in his throat that turned out to be cancer. The American, and conservative Republican, businessman who ran the pancake house decided to raise the money for the medical costs through a collection from the restaurant’s patrons. While Urrea knows that many readers will ask themselves, “Why is Alex our problem?” (3), he suggests that, “Maybe it’s a human story” (3).

He writes that, “In listening lies wisdom” (3) and that he has been “trying to pay attention” (3). He laments the fact that anyone who seeks information on the issues of undocumented immigrants is lambasted for “America-hating” (3). In response, Urrea notes that, “Real patriots are not afraid...