Prologue: the death of aida hernandez -- No country for young women -- Girl in a labyrinth -- English without barriers -- A sudden storm -- Miles of wall and no time to sleep -- The new millennium, her own quiet war -- Better living through border security -- Dance steps -- American dreaming -- No country for young women -- Trauma red -- Hunger is worse -- Madera -- Exile and belonging -- La roca -- The railroad yard -- The black palace -- Trauma red -- Slipknot -- Lucky ema -- All the monsters at once -- The healer -- Leaving the world and fighting to rejoin it -- The "Show me your papers" state -- What care can do -- Slipknot -- Going away to come back -- Ema's journey -- The underworld -- Aida¿s voice -- Aida and Ema -- Going away to come back -- To Battery Park -- Epilogue: the life of Aida Hernandez -- About this book -- Notes -- Glossary of Spanish terms used in the text -- Explanation of terminology -- Acknowledgments.