Across the Wire

Wow!  What a powerful book.  I’m really glad that Professor Urrea wasn’t too modest to put this on the reading list for the semester.  I’ve been interested in border issues ever since I started studying Spanish in high school, but this book exposes a side to things that are completely out of my scope, living in what can only be described as opulent luxury in comparison to the residents of the Tijuana garbage dump.  I liked the comments about Pastor Von slyly showing someone that thinks they’re not rich how wealthy they actually are in comparison to the people that he tries to help.  Where I grew up you weren’t wealthy if your parents didn’t drive a $40,000 car and you didn’t go on expensive vacations multiple times throughout the year.  As I didn’t fit into that particular group, I can remember feeling bad about my family’s financial situation.  The stories in Across the Wire, rightfully, put me in my place and make me ashamed for ever having such feelings, even if they were a product of my environment.

I have always understood that poverty exists and that I was lucky to live in America, but the chilling descriptions of poverty in this book make me want to rekindle a relationship with God or whatever force has blessed me and allowed me to live the type of life that I lead.  Simple necessities like food, shelter, medical care, hygiene and the means to go to school seem much larger after reading about the lives of people in the garbage dump. 

I was also very impressed with the way the stories were told.  While Professor Urrea is obviously there and recounting real stories and events he does an incredible job of making the people of Tijuana the subject as opposed to his experience in  Tijuana.  It was an effective choice to leave the story about his father until the end of the book, because I think the focus might have changed for the reader if the book led off with that sad tale.