The Death of Josseline - Margaret Regan

Wow.  WOW.  I just finished this book and am almost at a loss for words.

I bought this book through my church a few weeks ago; they are encouraging everyone to read it, and there will be two discussions groups after the new year.  I hesitated - don't I already have too many books to read? - but decided to go for it.  And boy...am I glad I did.

I think of myself as a reasonably intelligent man, but I will freely admit that when it comes to politics, I'm pretty dumb.  It's not that I don't want to or try to understand, it's just that, for whatever reason, politics just doesn't "stick" in my brain.  I don't get it a lot of the time, and when I do, it usually doesn't last.  This puts me at a strong disadvantage when it comes to political discussions, which tend to be discussions that can get heated.

So - what does this have to do with this book?  A lot.  In this book, the author spent time on the US/Mexican border and gathered all sorts of stories of what's really happening there.  Not sweeping political propaganda, but real stories.  From real people.  From migrants to ranchers to medical examiners to Minutemen to Border Patrol agents to - well, to almost anyone you can think of.  And she gets their stories, gets the facts, and tells those stories.  And it is SO POWERFUL.

Why do people want to come to this country so badly?  Why can't they just stay home?  What's the big deal if they do sneak in?  Why should anyone help them?  All of these questions, and so many more, have been swirling through my mind as I've read this.  Some get answered clearly, some are open to moral and philosophical discussion.  It's staggering though to read about the number of people who die.  And the US citizens who live in the area and who have lost their privacy to Border Patrol agents.  And the environmental impacts that building a big wall across a desert have had.  And the inaccuracy of what politicians have said publicly.  It's just mind blowing.

What is the answer, then?  I don't know.  If I knew, I'd share it with the world!  And the author doesn't claim to know either.  And that's part of why I respect her and this book so much.  There's no slant to it that I picked up on.  There's no "And here's why you should believe this or that" throughout the book.  She presents facts and stories from all different parties and points of view, and lets the reader make up his mind.  I wish there were more of this out there, or that I knew where to find it...It's so frustrating to have "news" be nothing more than 10% fact, 60% opinion and 30% propaganda.  Regardless of which "side" it's for.

I am very much looking forward to the discussion group in January.  In the meantime, read this book.  Go get it, read it and share it with others.  Learn some of the stories of what is actually happening, and how our country is (and isn't) responding.