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nickscoby's review
4.0
I really enjoyed about the first two-thirds of the book. I didn't know too much about it beyond Latino Border Patrol Agent Has a Change of Heart After Personal Encounters. So I was pleasantly surprised at how lyrical the prose is. It is not a straightforward memoir or political essay. More like musings and reflections. I guess what bothers me is how it took a personal relationship with an undocumented worker for Cantu to arrive at his humanity. I may be over simplifying a bit but essentially that's what happens. Kind of like, I walked in the shoes of my one black friend and now I better understand racism.
Despite my skepticism, I still think it's a worthy read. I doubt that the average person understands the illegal entry process at the US/Mexico border and perhaps for them the book will be revelatory.
Despite my skepticism, I still think it's a worthy read. I doubt that the average person understands the illegal entry process at the US/Mexico border and perhaps for them the book will be revelatory.
sheilareads_'s review
I read this book for my literature course. Cantú blends history, anecdotes from the past and present, etc. throughout the book in a really lovely/edifying way. The book is heartbreaking and at times depressing, but it’s a reality for millions of migrants everyday.
By the end of the book I found that I knew very little about the U.S.-Mexico border and how far wide it affects everyone socially and politically.
Cantú reminds us that the migrants at the border are the same as you and me. We have to remember that even as politicians and the government constantly attempt to paint them as “other.”
By the end of the book I found that I knew very little about the U.S.-Mexico border and how far wide it affects everyone socially and politically.
Cantú reminds us that the migrants at the border are the same as you and me. We have to remember that even as politicians and the government constantly attempt to paint them as “other.”
book_concierge's review
4.0
Audiobook read by the author.
Cantú studied international relations in college. He was raised primarily by his mother, a Mexican immigrant and U.S. Park Ranger, in the Southwest U.S. He joined the border patrol because, “I spent four years in college … learning about the border through policy and history. I want to see the realities of the border day in and day out. I know it may be ugly. I know it might be dangerous, but I don’t see any better way to truly understand the place.” In this memoir he examines what he learned, what puzzled him, what distressed him, and what haunts him still.
Cantú writes with a stream-of-consciousness style. He uses no quotations marks and there is little exposition. At times the change in time/setting is quite abrupt and made this reader feel a little off-balance. He begins with a visit to Mexico with his mother, covers his training at the Academy, his time in the field and in the office, and ends after he’s left the Border Patrol and is working at a coffee shop where he befriends the maintenance man, an undocumented worker who has been in the USA for about 30 years.
Cantú explains the policies and procedures of the Border Patrol and Immigration. He writes with brutal honesty about the realities of hunting humans, the horrors of finding bodies in the desert, the heart-breaking stories of women and children left to fend for themselves by coyotes who have taken their money (and what little water they had), the callous destruction of “caches” found by the agents (they put holes in water jugs, urinate on extra clothing, break tools). And he explores the dreams that plague him.
It’s raw and emotional and thought provoking.
The audiobook is read by the author. He sets a good pace and has a smooth delivery. And his Spanish pronunciation is perfect.
NOTE: There is occasional Spanish in the book, and Cantú rarely translates it.
Cantú studied international relations in college. He was raised primarily by his mother, a Mexican immigrant and U.S. Park Ranger, in the Southwest U.S. He joined the border patrol because, “I spent four years in college … learning about the border through policy and history. I want to see the realities of the border day in and day out. I know it may be ugly. I know it might be dangerous, but I don’t see any better way to truly understand the place.” In this memoir he examines what he learned, what puzzled him, what distressed him, and what haunts him still.
Cantú writes with a stream-of-consciousness style. He uses no quotations marks and there is little exposition. At times the change in time/setting is quite abrupt and made this reader feel a little off-balance. He begins with a visit to Mexico with his mother, covers his training at the Academy, his time in the field and in the office, and ends after he’s left the Border Patrol and is working at a coffee shop where he befriends the maintenance man, an undocumented worker who has been in the USA for about 30 years.
Cantú explains the policies and procedures of the Border Patrol and Immigration. He writes with brutal honesty about the realities of hunting humans, the horrors of finding bodies in the desert, the heart-breaking stories of women and children left to fend for themselves by coyotes who have taken their money (and what little water they had), the callous destruction of “caches” found by the agents (they put holes in water jugs, urinate on extra clothing, break tools). And he explores the dreams that plague him.
It’s raw and emotional and thought provoking.
The audiobook is read by the author. He sets a good pace and has a smooth delivery. And his Spanish pronunciation is perfect.
NOTE: There is occasional Spanish in the book, and Cantú rarely translates it.
nderiley's review
3.0
Well written and a bit melancholy (appropriate for the subject), I liked the mix of small stories that ended with a deeper, personal involvement. Border work sounds soul sucking
aberdeenwaters's review
4.0
I'd give this 3.5 if I could. Cantu has an interesting story to tell, having worked on the border himself. It does provide insight that doesn't often make it to the headlines that we encounter. At times, the narrative and writing felt a little disjointed. But I was interested enough in his experience and perspective. If nothing else, it's a reminder that we have some work to do.