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A review by dave_daines
The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail by Óscar Martínez
5.0
This was a highly topical selection for book club considering the "border crisis" that's facing our country. The author is on the ground, traveling with migrants from Central America, through the dangerous ranches just north of the border, where migrants are lucky not to be assaulted or raped, on to the frightful ride on top of The Beast, the train that migrants hitch a ride on, trying to hang on for dear life and avoid the various gangs along the way. He joins migrants as they reach the US border, and describes several potential crossing points, from jumping the wall, to trekking through the desert, to swimming across the treacherous Rio Grande.
This was written in 2010, so doesn't get into the caravans that have been coming from central america in recent years. I definitely understand now why caravans make sense, there is strength in numbers, and individual migrants have been abused to the point that it's hard to comprehend that they are still willing to make this trek.
The courage of the author to confront the dangers of the trail is amazing. I can't imagine being in those situations.
Definitely recommend this to anyone that is interested in what is driving migrants north, and what they are willing to go through to get here. I can't imagine the MAGA crowd would get past the first few pages, as the author concedes that migrants are, in fact, people.
This was written in 2010, so doesn't get into the caravans that have been coming from central america in recent years. I definitely understand now why caravans make sense, there is strength in numbers, and individual migrants have been abused to the point that it's hard to comprehend that they are still willing to make this trek.
The courage of the author to confront the dangers of the trail is amazing. I can't imagine being in those situations.
Definitely recommend this to anyone that is interested in what is driving migrants north, and what they are willing to go through to get here. I can't imagine the MAGA crowd would get past the first few pages, as the author concedes that migrants are, in fact, people.