La Linea

La Linea

Ann Jaramillo

Square Fish 2006

Summary

Fifteen-year-old Miguel is finally going north--north to California. There is nothing for him in Mexico, and he wants to reunite with his Papa, Mama and twin sisters whom he's never met before. So he starts his journey north, with the money that Papa sent him. He's not even a day into his journey when he meets complications. First his younger sister, Elena shows up and wants to come with him, then they're almost deported to Guatemala, then robbed, and nearly suffer death multiple times. Miguel realizes that it's his strength that must pull them through--that will get them to California safely.

Personal Review

I believe that this book was printed to make us sympathetic to illegal aliens. I personally do not believe that they should be permitted to stay in America, and this could be one discussion the book arouses. This in itself is a tricky subject, because we are all God's children, so should be helping each other, so should we allow aliens to stay in America because of this? Or is there other ways to help them? By letting them stay here are we giving them a fish, or teaching them how to fish?

However, despite this argument this was a well written book, and opened my eyes to some of the things that people have to go through in order to come to America. I did feel at the end that it kind of lost me in the message it was trying to get across.

Cautionary Notes

There is some violence, and Miguel and Elena do fight some--brother and sister fights.