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micaelabrody's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.75
this was an incredible read/listen. as someone from the US, and specifically from the northeast, i have very little personal experience with The Border, and not a lot of awareness of the nuances behind immigration and migrant experience. not only was this enlightening on an “academic” level for lack of a better word, but martínez really tackles the personal experience of migrants as well. as always with an audiobook, there is a part of me that wishes i’d read it on paper; it takes me so long to get through audio that i can lose the thread a little (not a knock on the narrator, who read it with as much empathy as martínez wrote). on paper i really do think this would have read as energetically as a novel with multiple perspectives; not that these migrants should be treated as characters but their stories are personal, engaging, sympathetic, unique… basically, really fucking human. it’s easy with a Hot Button Issue to lose track of that even if you have abundant personal connection to the area and the issue, but martínez never, never does - he manages to straddle some fine lines here; he's matter-of-fact without being distant, empathetic without being sappy, and thrilling without feeling sensational.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault
xeno_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
5.0
It's a tough read subject matter wise but very much needed for immigration discourse within the U.S. Even as someone with Central American background, there was new information in the book. Very well written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
the_wendybirb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
3.0
Informative, but it read like the narration of one of those gritty exploitative documentaries that I try to avoid. Also, it was very repetitive, and I feel that it could have been written differently or been 75 pages shorter.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment
sextance's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
fast-paced
5.0
This is one of the most important books I’ve read in a long time. The entire afterword should be required reading for all Americans.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Police brutality