Into the Beautiful North

L. A. Urrea (2009) wrote a descriptive novel with so many quirky characters that is instructive to a person still learning about immigration issues pertinent to the U.S. and Mexico.  His work begins in an empty town called Tres Camarones in Mexico where people left behind have interesting lives, but feel the impact of people gone missing to the North (U.S.) in search of work. For example, some of the characters in the book cannot remember the last time someone they knew was pregnant. Community members hatch a plan to go North to bring seven men back.  The book turns into a road trip of sorts by bus, by foot, and then by car as Nayeli (a young woman in search of her father) and Tacho (a gay café owner who accompanies the traveling group) head to Illinois to a sanctuary city. In between the book is a critique of the U.S. through the eyes of nearby neighbors from various class backgrounds.  The book emphasizes the idea that networks back in Mexico, on the border for crossing and survival in the U.S. (that include people from various backgrounds) play vital roles. A memorable line of conversation in the book communicates much, “It’s the USA…They do whatever they want” (p. 288).

Urrea, L. A. (2009). Into the beautiful North. NY: Little, Brown, and Company.