Prologue

It took almost a month for Eli Ramirez to make it to this country. A native of Guatemala, he was smuggled through Mexico in the transport tank of a fuel truck, he was stranded in the desert, and forced to drink his own urine to survive. But just 24 hours after he made it to Chicago, he found himself at Charlie Trotters—one of the most exclusive, expensive, and fanciest restaurants in the country—a place unlike anything he'd ever seen before (4 minutes).

If you'd like to read more about Eli, his story is featured in the new book An Immigrant Class: Oral Histories from Chicago's Newest Immigrants, by Jeff Libman.