The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border


In this book, Francisco Cantú tells the story of his experience as a man of Mexican heritage who grew up in the Southwest, studied international relations,  became a Border Patrol agent for four years, then worked on behalf of an undocumented friend who was refused readmission to the US when he went to visit his dying mother in Mexico. It is a moving book about personal transformation amidst the truly searing social and political realities of the borderlands. Cantú is a very good reporter and first-person storyteller and doesn't hesitate to reveal his own emotions and dreams. I was riveted.

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