The Poverty of Across the Wire

"Across the Wire" touched me deeply, I think because of my socio-economic status and the never-ending debates about immigration. I am impressed and awed by how Urrea could write the story without, as he said, "shouting at the readers". The descriptions of living conditions infuriated me and I kept thinking that this just shouldn't be possible, this shouldn't happen to human beings ever, anywhere. Where I live is a solidly middle to upper middleclass area and if you asked anyone, they would say that they're just getting by and they're certainly not rich. I want to make each of them work for a week in Tijuana and then come home and re-evaluate their lives. I also want them to re-evaluate their stance on immigration. How can we not welcome people into our country when the misery there is so abject?

I've done some missionary work on Native American reservations, in the Appalachians, and in Puerto Rico, but have not seen the level of suffering or hardship described in this work. I know people who have spent their lives in missionary work and I deeply respect their dedication and willingness to immerse themselves in that environment.

The book also touched me because the author worked so hard to connect us with real people, flawed and beautiful and going on with life in the worst of conditions. Because Urrea showed us individuals, not generalizations, we can feel and suffer along with them, and I hope, carry their stories with us always to make changes in the world.