For their book In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention in the United States, Ana Raquel Minian interviewed more than 100 people over six years to craft an intricate narrative of the country's history of detaining migrants.
For their acceptance speech at the May 8 PEN America Literary Awards, where the work received the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction, they had about three seconds.
"I genuinely did not think I was going to win," said Minian, associate professor of history in the School of Humanities and Sciences. "I actually had prepared myself for that outcome by practicing with my friends the sort of things that I would tell myself when my name was not called. When I heard my name, I went completely blank for a moment. Then, as I started walking, I thought, 'What on earth am I going to say?'"
Minian ultimately ended up thanking their partner, their agent, and their editor. They then delivered an encouraging message with a historical perspective to those troubled by the country's policy of detaining migrants: The government has stopped the practice of immigrant detention before due to pressure from citizens. "We did it in the past. And we can do it again," they said.
In the Shadow of Liberty (Penguin Random House, 2024) weaves together the stories of four migrants from different eras in U.S. history, including our own. In doing so, Minian created "a book-length plea against dehumanization, at least for those who are willing to listen," wrote a New York Times book critic. In the citation for the PEN America award, the judges praised the book's "comprehensive reporting and novelistic prose," adding that "Minian illuminates how harsh detention policies at the border betray American liberal ideals - a powerful message, particularly now."
The book is Minian's second, preceded by Undocumented Lives: The Untold Story of Mexican Migration (Harvard University Press, 2018), but it is the first aimed at a popular audience. "My first book was more traditionally academic; with this one, I hoped to pair intellectual rigor with writing that could reach a broad audience," they said.
More specifically, Minian hopes that telling these tales - which range from a person affected by the Chinese Exclusion Act in the late 19th century to a father separated from his daughter at the border by the policies of the first Trump administration - inspires action from readers. "Right now, many are feeling defeated, and that sense of defeat is turning into apathy," Minian said. "One of the key lessons in the book is that between 1954 and 1980, the U.S. moved away from immigrant detention because people spoke out. I hope this story helps us see that change is possible and inspires us to raise our voices again."
Toward that end, Minian already knows what they'll do with the $10,000 in prize money: Donate it to nonprofit organizations.