This novel was a lot better than expected. The way that Urrea portrays the struggles of the immigrants really pulled me into the novel. Knowing that it was a non-fiction piece made the story ten times better than the other two novels read. The true accounts of the immigrants made me gain a better understanding of the problems of crossing the border. It felt so real to me. I could imagine everything that Urrea was saying and it made me quite sad.
These people did not know where they were being lead and that is what makes me irritated with the coyote Mendez. He said it wasn't his intention to lead them astray but the fact that he didn't let them know that they were lost just makes me mad. He should understand, as a fellow Latino, that these people want a better life. However, I understand that he is a coyote. A coyote who is a part of an organized crime to smuggle people into this country. I do not feel any empathy for Mendez when he is sent to prison. He was responsible for 26 people and he lead them to their death. The Reymundo scene had a powerful effect on me. Reymundo Jr. died and his father's reaction was terribly depressing. If I was a father who lost a son, I would have acted like Reymundo Sr. did. It made me think about my father as well. Me and my father aren't really close but this scene made me think that I should be close to him.
It is crazy to see these people go into a desert. That place is a death trap. Urrea painst a good picture of what happens to people when they go through different stages on how heat takes control of the body. I imagined several characters die because of the heat and dehydration. What a painful, ugly way to die.
Urrea talks about the novel through this interview. Also, he talks about how he considers himself as a writer of his novels. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PeWvCrCkag&feature=related
Overall, I though this book was an important book to read. The other two novels were good but this nonfiction piece gave me a great look into the border and immigration issues. It had made an impact on me and I'm sure it has on several of my classmates.
I also enjoyed this book more than the other two. I really liked how Urrea used facts in the work; it really made me think when I could see the statistics associated with border crossings and immigration into the U.S. I found his use of fictional elaboration in the book helped me understand and really grasp the facts he was stating. I was able to put myself in their shoes for a bit and understand why they were doing what they were doing and to feel their desperation grow and their hope slip away as they moved farther in to the desert.
ReplyDeleteAmen to this book being more interesting that the other two. That was a really interesting interview that you included--thanks for that!
ReplyDeleteI was really surprised at how much of an emotional effect this book had on me. It wasn't written in a particularly emotional way, but it definitely had strong emotional undertones that touched me and will stick with me for quite a while.
If I go on to teach literature, this is definitely a book that I will have my students read... I think it's an important US story that doesn't get told enough.
I initially struggled getting into the book because it was nonfiction. However, I quickly came around and ended up loving the book for that. As you say, knowing in my mind that this was a real event made the book that much more powerful, and made the issues of border-crossing that much more real.
ReplyDeleteLike you point out, it is extremely difficult to feel empathy for the coyotes. Leading all of those men into desert is an awful thing, and he is directly responsible for their deaths. Yet as Urrea points out, Mendez was also trying to make a better life, one day marry his girlfriend and build a better house for his mother. It just happened that he was on the other side of the line.
It is an extremely difficult subject, and as we learn again and again, there are no easy or black-and-white answers at the border.
Tavo I liked your comparison to the desert as a death trap. Before this book I really didn’t know much about crossing the border and the dangers other than the fact that it is dangerous. Not too long ago I found out that my neighbor was forced to cross the desert to come back into the states. After reading this book, then learning about that, it gave me a whole other look at this trip through hell. And I agree with you as well that I really appreciated and found it very important to read.
ReplyDeleteTavo, I really like the way you pull yourself into the reading. Putting yourself into the role of a father losing his son while reading a book--I think--makes your engaged in reading on a whole different level.
ReplyDeleteI also found your comments interesting about preferring this book because it was nonficiton. Why do you think this made it more compelling to you? Did the other two books we read seem significantly less "real" than this one?
I definitely think that non-fiction and fiction books are both important in relating real experiences. I think both modes of writing have something to offer. Nonfiction books allow us to catch a glimpse of the lives of living, breathing people. They offer no solace to those who would like to believe the struggles of Latinos are "just fiction."
Thanks for posting that great interview with Luis Urrea! I appreciate your personal connections with the book--especially the part about your Dad and the father/son relationship in this novel. That story is heart-breaking. I was also surprised by the power of this work of creative non-fiction to draw me into experiencing the events. Not sure if this is because it's a true story, or if it's because Urrea is such a passionate and skillful writer.
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