The Line Becomes A River
-
-
3.0 • 5 Ratings
-
-
- £5.49
-
- £5.49
Publisher Description
Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2019, an electrifying memoir from a Mexican-American US Border Patrol guard
‘Stunningly good… The best thing I’ve read for ages’
James Rebanks, author of The Shepherd’s Life
Francisco Cantú was a US Border Patrol agent from 2008 to 2012.
In this extraordinary account, he describes his work in the desert along the Mexican border. He tracks humans through blistering days and frigid nights. He detains the exhausted and hauls in the dead. The line he is sworn to defend, however, begins to dissolve. Haunted by nightmares, Cantú abandons the Patrol for civilian life – but he soon faces a final confrontation with the world he believed he had escaped.
‘A raw, compelling memoir… An eloquent rebuke to all those who look to build walls rather than bridges between people’
Sunday Times
‘A must-read… A page-turning personal story that holds until the final page and wrenches long after’
GQ
‘Remarkable… Lyrical and moving’
Guardian
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The political conflict and human drama engulfing the U.S.-Mexico border are familiar to anyone who follows the news, but this extraordinary book explores the issues in a way that’s entirely fresh. Francisco Cantú studied the history of relations between the two countries before joining the Border Control to gain on-the-ground perspective on immigration policy and law enforcement. In gorgeously written vignettes, Cantú shares the startling, terrifying and heartbreaking realities of the job and reflects on his own Mexican-American heritage and his passion for the harsh border landscapes. It’s hard to imagine anyone else being able to tell this story.
Customer Reviews
Vacuous
The vacuous diary of a sensitive drifter.