Book-Reviews

Crossing the Wire, by Will Hobbs; HarperCollins Publishers: New York, 2006; $16.99 When his father died years ago trying to cross the Arizona border, fifteen-year-old Victor Flores dropped out of school and started to plant corn to support his mother and five younger siblings. After he gradually came out of the grief of his father’s death, more problems came up for Victor. Nobody bought Mexican corn anymore, because American corn planted with chemical fertilizers and pesticides was much more affordable. One day Victor realized, if he continued to plant corn his family would have to starve. He decided to risk his life and cross the Mexican border and go to the United States like the other men in his village. His journey was extremely precarious and deadly. Victor experienced a lot of things that he had never imagined before. First, he broke his scalp by jumping off a dashing train. Then he experienced starvation, running out of food in the middle of the desert. His guide that he met got caught by border patrol. Surprisingly, Victor met his best friend in a soup kitchen, Rico, who left for El Norte several weeks before him. Victor even carried drugs for the drug smugglers without knowing it. And worst of all, he experienced walking for hours and hours under the blazing sun— chapped lips, dried mouth, completely dehydrated, his throat felt like it was on fire when he had to swallow. After eleven weeks, everything was worth it, he finally crossed and found a job. This book completely reversed my opinion on illegal immigrants. Before I read this book, I thought that, while the legal immigrants, like my parents, came to the U.S. as college students and waited for ten years to get a green card, the illegal immigrants did not go through the process of naturalization and it was effortless for them to get to the United States. In my head, I imagined that all they had to do was to run for a couple of hours and BAM! they are in the U.S. After reading this book, I felt ashamed and apologetic for what I had thought before. Nobody wants to leave their family and go to a completely unfamiliar country that they have never been to before. Like Victor, he did not want to come to the United States, but there was a burden on his back, to support his family. Also, the journey was deadly. People cannot imagine how many people died on their journey trying to cross the border. People have died because of starvation, some ran out of water, some died because of the heat, and some were even shot by border patrol. Only a few of the determined and the fortunate people have succeeded. Although the journey was hard, that does not mean it is not the right thing to do. From this book, I learned to see the world with other people’s eyes. After reading this book, I also truly felt sympathetic for people like Victor in real life. At the same time, I also learned to be thankful and to treasure the smallest things beside me, like going to school legally, not worrying about being deported, and having the ability to communicate with others using English. Crossing the Wire is a breathtaking book. I loved the characters and the story. This book is full of exciting adventures. I finished the book in just two days. Crossing the Wire is one of my favorite books and I hope you can read it too! Sarah Gu, 13McLean, Virginia

One for the Murphys, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt; Nancy Paulsen Books: New York, 2012; $16.99 Growing up browsing through Salvation Army bins and snoozing in the basement, twelve-year-old Carley Connors is a born-and-bred Vegas girl who’s as tough as nails. Her dad is completely out of the picture, and it’s always been just her and her alcoholic mom. Carley’s mom smokes, makes her daughter eat from soup cans, and neglects sending Carley to school. This life is all Carley has ever known. But this zone of “normal” is torn apart after her mom’s heartbreaking betrayal that lands Carley in foster care. Do you ever doubt the people you love? That’s how Carley feels. Rejected from the one lifeline she knows, she chooses to shut herself off from everybody else. Her new foster family, the Murphys, are a lively household with three boys. They’re genuinely caring, but so… different. And so begins Carley’s struggle of opening herself up to the Murphys’ outpouring of love. The first couple chapters of One for the Murphys led me to wonder why Carley would even miss her mom. After all, she abused, neglected, and betrayed Carley. So how could she still ache for her mother? As the story progressed, I began to understand why. Carley’s mom is her closest family member. Memories of Mom singing The Little Mermaid and creating rhymes for her entertainment evoke a cozy childhood glow in Carley. My mom and I are very close. Sometimes I wonder if she knows me better than I know myself! She’s my number-one confidant. Whenever I have freak-out episodes or when I just need to calm down, she always knows exactly how to comfort me. Mom’s also pretty honest whenever I’ve done something that’s not quite right. I remember when I was enraged at my mom for a couple of days. We argued. I vaguely remember it was for a minor transgression that I probably deserved to be chastised for. There was some yelling involved. Mom wanted us to calm down and think it over, but that wasn’t the case. Afterwards came days of silence, with anger and depression boiling inside me. By day three, I was still keeping up my anger act, but I recall my mother standing in the doorway, late at night, whispering, “No matter what, I’ll always love you.” This is the same for Carley. Her toughness can’t mask the fact that she still yearns to be with her real mother, because she feels that nothing could ever compare to the warmth of a mother’s embrace. I agree that’s one of the best feelings in the world that we often overlook. The aspect I enjoyed most about One for the Murphys was how Lynda Mullaly Hunt let you explore Carley’s story. I laughed at her hilarious one-liners, rooted for Carley and the Murphys, and wept during the touching scene in which Carley describes the truth of her mother’s actions. The writing is so real. You can practically hear Michael Eric clomping down the stairs imitating his favorite superhero, Super Poopy Man, as Carley affectionately describes her foster brother’s antics. One for the Murphys is a thought-provoking novel that taught me not to take for granted and to always be prepared for the dramatic changes life brings. Anyone who wishes to read a tale with heart infused with humor and insight should consider One for the Murphys their next read. Catherine Chung, 12Theodore, Alabama