I found this book through an article about what to read instead of American Dirt if you wanted to know more about the immigrant experience, the culture and the motivation of those who cross the border. This book, written by a woman described as a creative non-fiction writer, is an exploration of the effect of borders on cultures that they separate. She is a self-described Tejana, someone whose family has lived for centuries on both sides of the Mexico-Texas border, who freely crossed it on a weekly if not a daily basis. When the metal wall started being erected it separated people on either side of, it made transiting it more difficult and therefore less common for those who did so for family and friends, but no less transited by those who cross to leave what they had behind. She does explore the dangerousness of the situation, both to stay in Central America and to leave.
The other culture that she explores is that of a people who live on either side of the northern border, the Mohawk Nation's Akwesasne territory. She lived amongst them, interviewing them to tell their story of being neither recognized nor respected as a nation, and the continual assaults on their territory, their sovereignty, and their way of life. It is eye opening and a wonderful read.
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