26. Dying to Cross

Dying to Cross
By Jorge Ramos
HarperCollins Publishers, 2006
Narrated by Jonathan Davis

Genre
Non-fiction

Awards
None Known

Review
Written by Jorge Ramos, a celebrated and popular Mexican journalist, this book tells the tragic story of over 70 immigrants from Mexico and various Central American countries who attempted to cross the Mexican-American border illegally on May 13, 2003.  These desperate people traveled a variety of ways and paid a few thousand dollars each to get from their homes to safe houses in Harlingen, TX, from which they were told they would be delivered to Huston, TX.  Based on the accounts of various immigrants, it seems the travelers were told different things by their coyotes (the people paid to bring them across the border) about what their accommodations and traveling methods would be, but in reality, they all ended up in a truck trailer for the last leg of their journey from Harlingen to Huston.  Although this truck had a refrigeration unit, the driver never turned it on, causing 17 people to die in the truck and 2 more later in the hospital.  Ramos' story tells about some of the lives of the immigrants before the tragedy and covers part of the trials after many coyotes, including the suspected ring-leader, were arrested.

Opinion
This was an extremely repetitive book and the author covered almost the entire story in the first chapter.  He reiterates facts like the temperature or that a young boy died in the truck and harps on "if only" ideas.  He briefly touches on the idea that both the countries Mexico and America are partially responsible for this tragedy due to poor immigration policy despite stating at the beginning of his book that he was simply trying to give the accounts of some of the surviving immigrants and some of those who died, not trying to make a political statement or legal overview.  This is a poorly written book, though the story it tells is heartbreaking and deserves to be told in a better way.

Ideas
I am not familiar with techniques used in journalism, but I feel like this may be an example of a journalist outreaching the bounds of what he is used to.   This could be used in a journalism or literature class to show how not to write an account of events.  It could also be used to discuss with tweens the problems that illegal immigration create for those attempting to travel in such a fashion, because although it is a poorly written book, it is a book that, in terms of reading level, would be appropriate for tweens to read.

5. The Notorious Benedict Arnold

The Notorious Benedict Arnold

By Steve Sheinkin
Roaring Brook Press, 2010
Narrated by Mark Bramhall

Genere
Non-fiction

Honors

• Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Non-Fiction (2011)
• YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction (2011)

Review
An excellent telling of Benedict Arnold's involvement with the US's war for independence from Brittan.  Sheinkin does a masterful job of weaving quoted historical accounts into the text and writing as if this were a fictional novel.  The introduction is captivating and puts the reader on the edge of his/her seat, especially if they know little to nothing about Arnold.  Since the topic is historical, and some readers may find it boring if they already know the outcome, Sheinkin paid close attention to details, bringing in other characters that played large rolls, and adding novelty information that was likely not taught in school social studies.  Sheinkin organized the book by dates, making chapters short and including many maps to allow the reader to follow the action across the East Coast and Canada as battles were fought.  These diagrams will involve reluctant readers in the action of the battles.  The audio book narrated by Mark Bramhall was wonderfully captivating, bringing Sheinkin's description of Arnold and everything he did to life.  Bramhall had wonderful voices to differentiate all the historical quotations from the rest of the narration.

Opinion
I thought this was a great book, especially since I knew absolutely nothing about Benedict Arnold going into the book.  I now feel that I could give an account of who he is and what he did during the time of the American Revolution, though the book did not cover much of his life after he left America for Europe.  I was constantly wondering what was going on with his sons, who he seemed to have simply deserted and left with his sister most of their lives.  I don't know if this is because there is no information on what they were doing while Arnold was off fighting, marrying another woman and having another child with her, and betraying his country, or if the author simply didn't want to focus on them anymore than he already had.  I think this is a fantastic book that is easy for middle-grade and early high schoolers to enjoy while still learning about part the country's history.  Additionally, I feel that Sheinkin did a wonderful job listing his sources in a way that the reader understands which resources were used for what research and where every quote in the book came from.  It allows for easy access to resource suggestions for anyone interested in studying further on any particular part of Arnold's story.

Ideas
This book would be great in a few places: an exhibit or project on the American Revolution, anything focusing on Benedict Arnold, and possibly even something focusing on George Washington or John Andre who were both mentioned frequently throughout the book.