Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. Okay, I understand this sort of a rhetorical trick

immigration activists are doing when they use the term undocumented immigrant versus illegal

immigrant. But, and I say this as someone who is the product of illegal immigration and spent a lot

of my childhood helping my non-English-speaking

family members navigate the immigration system. There's something about that move that

softens the severity of the action. That kind of takes away what people are willing to go through

to get to this country. The writer Jessica Godotow confronts this head-on with her book,

We Were Illegal.

It's an examination of her own family history,

and she talks to hear Nasdeba Fernandez about how the language we use

when talking about our family history can feed into the myth-making of America

and paper over the parts of history that make us uncomfortable.

That's after the break.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, Sources and Methods. NPR reporters

on the ground bring you stories of real people helping you understand why distant events matter

here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Austin author Jessica Godot was born in Texas and spent much of her childhood there.

Her roots go back generations.

Her ancestors were involved in the settling of Texas, its efforts at statehood,

and her great uncle was one of Texas legendary lawmen, the Texas Rangers.

But as Jessica writes in a new book, a deeper look at

...