The Illegal is a novel by Canadian author Lawrence Hill. It’s about a man named Keita Ali. Keita is a runner. That’s all he ever wanted to do. His dream was to bring his family out of poverty by becoming a world class athlete. He does achieve part of his dream, but also ends up being literally on the run after he winds up in a country with a zeal for deporting refugees. He and his family all end up running for their lives.
He talks about his novel with author and journalist Waubgeshig Rice at an event held on November 24, 2015 at Octopus Books in Ottawa.
As described by Octopus Books, “The Illegal casts a satirical eye on people who have turned their backs on undocumented refugees struggling to survive in a nation that does not want them. Hill’s depiction of life on the borderlands of society urges us to consider the plight of the unseen and the forgotten who live among us.”
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Thanks to Octopus Books for making this interview available to rabble. Octopus has a great series of fall readings, and we’ll be bringing some more of them to you on Needs No Introduction. If you’re in Ottawa, it’s a good night out, full of interesting ideas, people and books. You can find more details about the authors in this fall’s roster by going to www.octopusbooks.ca
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