Blog Tour: Illegal by Bettina Restrepo Blogger Interview + Giveaway!

I am very honored to have debut author Bettina Restrepo on our blog today, and be one of the stops for Illegal's blog tour! This is a one of a kind blog tour post for me because instead of me interviewing Bettina, I was the one interviewed. I wanted to read Illegal because I can relate to the book in a lot of ways, and you'll find out in this interview more or less the reason why I do.

Don't worry, the questions and my answers are all related to Illegal's theme! Join me in welcoming Bettina here at Amaterasu Reads!

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Bettina: Kai approached me with her unique story and why she wanted to read and review Illegal. Her story is like so many, and very similar to Nora’s. I was deeply touched and I thought by interviewing her, people could see, no matter where they come from, that Illegal can relate to them.

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Bettina: Illegal deals with immigration from a Mexican to USA perspective. Does Japan have similar issues with people who want to immigrate?

Kai: Japan has really strict laws when it comes to people who want to immigrate. Unlike in other countries, you can't become a Japanese citizen even if you want to. You need to have all the papers just to travel and work there.

In the Philippines, where I’m from, many people think the only way to give their families a more decent life is to work overseas. Japan is one of the countries most people want to work for. It's a first world country, so naturally people from a third world country would want to try their luck there.

Bettina: How do some Japanese view Philippine immigrants?

Kai: It's hard to live as TNT, a slang term in my language. It means "Tago ng Tago.” It's what we call people/workers who are living undocumented in another country, which is similar to illegal. "Tago" in our language means "hide,” so TNT refers to people who always hide from the authorities. I saw Japanese policemen approach Filipinas to ask for their IDs, proof that they are living there legally.

Bettina: You stated that your parents have worked abroad since you were a child. Could you talk about some of the emotions that you felt then and now about having your parents far away?

Kai: Growing up, it was hard. I would wake up at night crying for my mother. My dad consoled me, but soon, he too left for overseas work. I felt so alone. I have an older brother, a sister and a twin brother and even though we were better off then, I wouldn't trade a single day of being with my family for the money we're getting.

Bettina: How did you feel when you went to Japan to work by yourself?

Kai: I understood that I wasn’t the only one feeling lonely. I came to understand their reasons why they have to work out of the country. My mom used to tell me, “You have to be tough to be able to live and work overseas.” She was right, and I was home within a year.

Bettina: Why did you become a book blogger and what role do books play in your life.

Kai: I've been reading books since I was ten from my mother’s romance collection. We would go to book sales every weekend, and I would bring books to school to share with my classmates. I want to share my thoughts and feelings about what I read to many people, and book blogging is a really effective way to do it. Books are my life. I can hardly imagine how I'll be spending all those years if I wasn't reading.

Bettina: Kai, thank you so much for sharing your reaction to Illegal!

Thank you, Bettina!

Illegal Book trailer:

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GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

Win 1 of 5 SIGNED copies of ILLEGAL!

To enter the contest, all you need to do is to answer this question: Would you break the law to find your family across a foreign border?

If you ask me? I would. My family means the world to me, and crossing a border is nothing if it means I can be with them again.

Please include your city, state or country in your answers. THIS IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY! Contest runs until March 1st! The winner will be announced on April 1st! Make sure to check Bettina's Facebook and Twitter to know if you've won. The winner must contact Bettina with their mailing address.

I cannot wait to read everyone's answers!