A review by lmurray74
The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail by Óscar Martínez

5.0

An incredible book that tells the stories of people too often forgotten. When reading I thought of the ad campaign against ocean pollution where someone is 'lifting up' the ocean at the seaside to show the rubbish that is in it. We hear so often about undocumented workers and while I never imagined it was easy, I didn't realize how difficult it is. Martínez spent three years living and traveling with Central American migrants on their way hacía el Norte. As well as being eloquently written, Martínez is respectful and admiring of the people he writes about. I saw him speak here in San Francisco and he embodies investigative journalism in a way little seen in our world. His courage and will to expose life on the edge of violence, to tell the stories of people caught up in the maelstrom, is unparalleled in recent experience. He richly deserves all the accolades coming his way and he is someone I will follow closely to read about what really is going on in Central American people's lives and hearts