The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border by Francisco Cantú
Weight: 9.6 oz
Method of Disposal: Giving to a Friend
I found this book on display at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, GA. For Better or for worse, I always justify buying a new book or two when I am around an independent bookstore. There are just so few bookstores left, and I love them! I made this trip to Little Shop to buy a gift for both my mom and dad. If you have not seen Cicada by Shaun Tan you should check it out. I thought it would be the perfect small gift for a retirement party. Tok tok tok.
This book was amazing. It was terrible, and it was hard to read, but the author is open and speaks with such sincerity and emotion that it is impossible to look away. It is a book that is "easy" to read in that I was hooked on every word but also challenging because of the darkness and desperation that will permeate you to your core. It was emotional and important. Cantú ensures that you will see the humanity of those crossing the border and those working for the United States Border Patrol, but you will also see people who do terrible things and you will read about deep suffering.
It is important that you read The Line Becomes a River right now and do not wait because people are dying every day, dreams are being dismantled every day, and the natures of people are changing with each death, drug bust, deportation, detainment. Our countries (the US and Mexico) are changing and the violence is increasing. No matter what you believe, this cannot be the way forward. This is not how we treat our neighbors or how we should be treating our own citizens. One thing that will come through clearly is that this is a complicated and deep-rooted issue but, for me, it really made me think about who I want to be and what I want to do with my life. It is challenging to go on each day, acting like there is not a major problem in this country and that our stance on immigration is actively obliterating people's lives. Of course, it is easy for me to say all of this and not offer a solution. I understand that, and I hate it. I wish I knew what we needed to do. I wish Francisco Cantú knew what to do but, just because we do not have all the answers, does not mean we should not search for them. It does not mean we cannot be better.
Weight: 9.6 oz
Method of Disposal: Giving to a Friend
I found this book on display at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, GA. For Better or for worse, I always justify buying a new book or two when I am around an independent bookstore. There are just so few bookstores left, and I love them! I made this trip to Little Shop to buy a gift for both my mom and dad. If you have not seen Cicada by Shaun Tan you should check it out. I thought it would be the perfect small gift for a retirement party. Tok tok tok.
This book was amazing. It was terrible, and it was hard to read, but the author is open and speaks with such sincerity and emotion that it is impossible to look away. It is a book that is "easy" to read in that I was hooked on every word but also challenging because of the darkness and desperation that will permeate you to your core. It was emotional and important. Cantú ensures that you will see the humanity of those crossing the border and those working for the United States Border Patrol, but you will also see people who do terrible things and you will read about deep suffering.
It is important that you read The Line Becomes a River right now and do not wait because people are dying every day, dreams are being dismantled every day, and the natures of people are changing with each death, drug bust, deportation, detainment. Our countries (the US and Mexico) are changing and the violence is increasing. No matter what you believe, this cannot be the way forward. This is not how we treat our neighbors or how we should be treating our own citizens. One thing that will come through clearly is that this is a complicated and deep-rooted issue but, for me, it really made me think about who I want to be and what I want to do with my life. It is challenging to go on each day, acting like there is not a major problem in this country and that our stance on immigration is actively obliterating people's lives. Of course, it is easy for me to say all of this and not offer a solution. I understand that, and I hate it. I wish I knew what we needed to do. I wish Francisco Cantú knew what to do but, just because we do not have all the answers, does not mean we should not search for them. It does not mean we cannot be better.
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