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ericaoswald's review against another edition
5.0
Martinez is a journalist who walked, ate, slept, and rode alongside migrants making the long and dangerous journey from Central America, through Mexico, to attempt entry to the United States. It really helped me understand the situation many migrants are in -- and very worth reading. If interested, you may want to search for Martinez's videos online. I found this one particularly interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnuuXAq_MGU
lornadoone14's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I saw a review that said "Read this instead of American Dirt" and thought it was very funny and very true.
This book is a compilation of articles written by Martinez between 2009 and 2010 where the author and his crew travel with (and face the same dangers as) migrants from the southern to the northern Mexican borders. Fourteen years later and there is now the added militarization of the southern Mexican border and the additional waves of migrants from Haiti and Venezuela. I can only imagine that the narco violence and physical dangers of riding the beast have increased.
I would recommend this book to people who want a testimony of what migrants face as they travel through Mexico to the United States. While the political landscape in the United States and Mexico has changed drastically in the last 14 years, including the "Remain in Mexico" policy that has trapped migrants on the Mexican side of the border, I don't think the average person has any idea the horrors and danger migrants face when they travel through Mexico. The book is engaging, well- written and relevant to understanding the immigration crisis of the last 20 years. It is definitely a niche subject however, and would require you to do more research, especially as the migration crisis continues to rapidly evolve.
This book is a compilation of articles written by Martinez between 2009 and 2010 where the author and his crew travel with (and face the same dangers as) migrants from the southern to the northern Mexican borders. Fourteen years later and there is now the added militarization of the southern Mexican border and the additional waves of migrants from Haiti and Venezuela. I can only imagine that the narco violence and physical dangers of riding the beast have increased.
I would recommend this book to people who want a testimony of what migrants face as they travel through Mexico to the United States. While the political landscape in the United States and Mexico has changed drastically in the last 14 years, including the "Remain in Mexico" policy that has trapped migrants on the Mexican side of the border, I don't think the average person has any idea the horrors and danger migrants face when they travel through Mexico. The book is engaging, well- written and relevant to understanding the immigration crisis of the last 20 years. It is definitely a niche subject however, and would require you to do more research, especially as the migration crisis continues to rapidly evolve.
immoralmak's review against another edition
5.0
A gripping and devastating account of the atrocities faced by people on the migrant trail — a necessary but incredibly tough, heartbreaking read. Do it anyway.
larryerick's review against another edition
4.0
This book presents itself with a cover photo of a migrant on a freight car and says it's about "riding the rails". True enough, the book starts out in Guatemala and Honduras with the migrants working themselves into southern Mexico to start the migration up to the U.S. Like the non-documentary film, Sin Nombre, it does an excellent job of explaining why so many people feel compelled to flee their homelands and confront so many serious obstacles to reach America. The first part of the book could have been the basis for the film's screenplay. It's that similar. Both the book and the movie state very clearly that it's as much, if not more, of a factor of how untenable the existence is in Central America for migrants as it is how much America offers. Yet, about midway through the book, the author shifts focus to the vast Mexican border and the million and one obstacles that migrants face in crossing over into America. The U.S. Border Patrol is, in many respects, the least of those obstacles. This book covers the migrant experience is great depth. The feature that most distinguishes this book, however, is that this is almost entirely first person reporting. The author and a companion photographer place themselves throughout, in the midst of the migrants, their families, and those supporting or conflicting or merely observing those same migrants. This is not an historians perspective, nor that of a reporter showing up at an event and then rushing off to write a story. This is journalistic immersion. The reader will respect and admire what the author has done to tell this story. I very much look forward to reading his next work.
dontpanic42's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of those books that is Important, with a capital I. It presents stories of Central American immigrants traveling through Mexico to the United States, and all of the challenges and horrors that journey presents. For those of us in the US, where this migration is a steady and inevitable stream, and where many of these migrants become part of our machinery that makes our country run, these stories provide context for understanding the world we're living in.
Still, while the stories are important, I was disappointed by their delivery in this book. This is really not one narrative but a collection of related pieces of medium-form journalism. Each chapter could have been a magazine article. As a result, we're left to view the migrant journey through a slideshow of snapshots, rather than being taken on the full journey ourselves. I think that lessened the overall impact of the book. There are some good pieces in here, certainly, but the overall collection was uneven.
Also, I have not read this in Spanish, but I do speak Spanish, and I could see awkward portions of the translation where I could guess at the original meaning and also see that it hadn't been conveyed. Translation is undoubtedly a challenging art, and I don't pretend that I could have done it better. But I did leave with the feeling that someone else likely could have.
So, all in all, an Important book that could nevertheless have been done better.
Still, while the stories are important, I was disappointed by their delivery in this book. This is really not one narrative but a collection of related pieces of medium-form journalism. Each chapter could have been a magazine article. As a result, we're left to view the migrant journey through a slideshow of snapshots, rather than being taken on the full journey ourselves. I think that lessened the overall impact of the book. There are some good pieces in here, certainly, but the overall collection was uneven.
Also, I have not read this in Spanish, but I do speak Spanish, and I could see awkward portions of the translation where I could guess at the original meaning and also see that it hadn't been conveyed. Translation is undoubtedly a challenging art, and I don't pretend that I could have done it better. But I did leave with the feeling that someone else likely could have.
So, all in all, an Important book that could nevertheless have been done better.
arianatee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
fast-paced
5.0
I listened to the audiobook for this as a part of a class on migration and my God was this an incredibly well-researched and moving book. It felt real and raw, with stories from people of all sorts of different backgrounds recounting their journeys. In the course of the past semester, this was probably my favorite work that we read/watched. Listening to interview's with Martínez also give wonderful insight into his inspiration and decision to write this book. I highly recommend to everyone wanting to know more about a migrant's journey.
dave_daines's review against another edition
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.
teresavh's review against another edition
4.0
Se me hace un libro necesario para todos los latinos. Es horrible algunas partes por lo gráfico de la violencia y gore, pero son cosas que pasan. Hace reflexionar, y da perspectiva.
saladbar's review against another edition
5.0
Another (nonfiction book) about migrants written by a Latin American author who traveled amongst them. Read this instead of "American Dirt".