Rating: 
Summary: Understanding Cherán
Review: Reuben Martinez tells a important tale in his novel Crossing Over that is valuable for anyone desirous of understanding the life and issues surround illegal migrant workers. This book has the potential to alter how America understands the problems facing Mexican immigrants. Not only the consciousness of the country, but, anyone who comes in contact with Mexican immigrants (from fast food workers to teachers and politicians) would benefit enormously from the understanding this book teaches of culture in Cherán.
As a reader of Crossing Over I have learned so many things about life in Mexico (and specifically Michóacan, about what it means to be a Purépecha) and the values that permeate the life of the migrant existence. What was once a faceless void of the "migrant workers" is now filled with real people who, though they think different, have their own dreams. Martinez not only tells the story of the Chavez's, he tells the story of their world so that we can understand the thoughts, minds and motivations of people that risk their lives and leave their families behind to try and make it home with enough money to make their house larger. He shows us what life in Cherán is for the people who live there, both those who live there all year round and the many migrants that come back every year for fiesta.
There were many powerful lessons that one can take from this book, but, I think the most important is understanding. Understanding that the people of Cherán are like people everywhere, they have their own culture, ideals and values but they are human beings who are learning about the U.S. culture, and at least in their story, if not in society overall are teaching about their own culture. If in reading this book anyone gains a little bit of understanding of what it means to be a migrant worker and try to make a home that is the best of both worlds (U.S. and Cherán, Mexico) then they have gained enormous insight.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent perspective
Review: As the number of Hispanics grows in our society, so does the prejudice and intolerance against them. As the white, "established" citizens of our communities, it is easy to develop a distrust and annoyance with a culture so drastically different from our own. They are seen as a nuisance in the work force where they accept low pay and work jobs no one else wants to work. They are considered obnoxious in the neighborhoods where 15 people occupy a 4-bedroom house. And generally the machismo culture challenges our idea of appropriateness. Unfortunately, this is the extent to which many of us get to know this culture that is a growing force in our country. Ruben Martinez,however, allows us to travel into the homeland of our new neighbors and learn to value and at least have a little empathy for their situations in life. He shows how Mexican life and values have drastically changed through contact with the United States over the past years of migrant workers making a living in the US. Martinez shows an inside look of the toll this took on a small rural town and the families there. Families are being torn apart and left on two sides of the border. Those in the US are being underpaid and overworked, forced to live in cramped quarters to survive and send money home to the family. Those who do make it here are disdained by both Americans and Mexicans. They live in a limbo between the two vultures, quickly losing their language and some of the things they value most. Within a few generations, some families are almost completely accultured for better or for worse. This book is compiled of almost all first hand accounts of this strange battle going on in Mexico today. Go to America or stay home? Through these accounts one quickly sees that behind the wall of first impressions, these new additions to our society come from very hard places with very real stories and life that is more real in its pain and heartache than we may ever experience. This book is an easy read and valuable to anyone in daily contact with the Hispanic community, or even those who just hope to develop a different perspective to interject when people start making noise about those illegal Mexicans.
Rating: 
Summary: Crossing Over
Review: Ruben Martinez's book Crossing Over (2001) is interesting on many levels. From the book I discovered that jobs are available to many Mexicans in Mexico (I had previously assumed that there were few or no jobs to be found). However, since these jobs in Mexico do not hold the prestige or income that jobs up "North" do, many Mexicans are hesitant to take these jobs, preferring instead to break the laws of the United States and enter the country illegally in search of better paying positions. Of course, there is no denying that the U.S. needs (solicits?) these workers, who are underpaid and overworked in detestable conditions that most American citizens would not tolerate. What exacerbates this situation is how the U.S. government often turns a blind eye to the illegal employment of undocumented Mexicans in various professions as well as the unsafe/unsanitary working environments these people are forced to work in. Never before have I seen so clearly how it is greed, from all sides, that perpetually drives this phenomenon. I enjoyed how America was portrayed as a country lacking in freedoms. "Here [in Mexico] Santiago Sr. says there is more freedom. He can play his Mexican music as loud as he wants, whenever he wants. He can drink a beer on the sidewalk in front of his house or-why not?-carouse about the plaza at three in the morning. The cops won't stop you. They'll probably join you" (p.116). I would like to take a moment here to advise readers that this book needs to be approached with caution, as the many references contained within its pages to beer drinking and drug use may inadvertently project a deficit model on the Mexican community in general. In my opinion, the main issue of the book is a man (people) in conflict with himself (themselves). "We are Mexicans in America, Americans in Mexico: we are neither, we are both. Within us, the spirits meld and battle: a quintessential unhappy love affair and, therefore, painful and exhilarating. We cannot love ourselves without hating ourselves; we cannot inhabit one territory without forsaking the other; we cannot be one, must always be two and more than two: the sum of our parts will always be greater than the whole" (p.233).
The "open question" (p.260) that lets the reader ponder the fate of the current generation of bilingual and trilingual members of the Latino community living in America is a fascinating concept and should be especially interesting to teachers who read this book. Will the next generations of this community gradually evolve into monolingual English speakers? Or will a different pattern emerge? In closing, Mr. Martinez presents his interpretations of the situation in vivid detail. I think the picture he portrays is certainly accurate from his perspective. I hope the English-speaking Mexican community that has traveled these roads appreciates this monumental record of various vignettes taken from some of their lives and experiences.
Rating:
Summary: New Traditionalists
Review: Crossing Over is a journey which starts in Cheran, Mexico and flows across the US to the distictly differnt places of Arkansas, Wisconsin, St. Louis, and California. Journalist Ruben Martinez follows the lives of many of Cheran's migrants as they go about their lives in two countries. I felt that this was really a story about a new and evolving culture, somewhere in between the americanization of mexican culture and the mexicanization of american culture. Martinez captures with stunning grace the beauty and restlessness of Cheran, a mexican town where US dollars are the fires that stoke the local economy. With a descriptive style that seems more like an adventure novel than nonfiction journalism, we are led from character to character in a way that sheds light on but does not attempt to define this precarious cultural balance. This new culture is spreading across the land like a monster pickup with the last supper painted upon the back, mexican traditions propelled by american values and fueled by need and doubt of desperation. I found Crossing Over to be thouroughly engrossing and would recommend it to anyone who wonders what exactly it means to be a human in the modern age.
Rating:
Summary: A Courageous Book
Review: This is a commanding book that changed the way I felt about immigration. Martinez's narrative of a Mexican family's struggle to realize the American dream is heartbreaking and realistic at the same time. There is not a single individual in all of America that is not where they are today because of an ancestor's sacrifice, albeit two generations ago or 12. It is in this light that it is impossible not to identify with these characters and their struggle to create a better life for themselves and their children. Martinez takes the forces of globalization, issues of prejudice and racism, social mobility and culture, and puts them in a time and place. He takes the ideas and idealisms of our society and gives them a face. Our world is evolving, and it's not just about free trade and People en Espanol. "Crossing Over" takes the effects of economic crisis and anti-immigration sentiment and personalizes it. This book gives a different look at textbook issues we thought we already understood. I recommend this book to anyone who can call themselves an American. The trials and tribulations of the Chavez's family give a powerful depiction of what economic and social change look like when you attach them to an individual. No matter how you feel about U.S. Immigration Policy and the changing demographic landscape, this book will get you to re-evaluate who you are and what it means to be American.
Rating:
Summary: crossing over...then back?
Review: it seemed this book was a little to verbose because the author includes so much details and very descriptive descriptions of every person. although i enjoyed reading the book very much, if you are like me and are emotional about the suffering situations that immigrants go through, then book will not be a comforting one.
my favorite part would have to be just following rosa. i am not considered a feminist, but seeing how her attitude, her self-confidence changes are amazing; how she fought to overcome the coyote dilemma and border crossing mishaps with a child mind you, is simply miraculous to me. she has the traditional family roles placed on her, and she overcomes that; even having the men acknowledge not to mess with her. what struck me was her desire to go back to cherán even after she goes through hell to get to america, which was everyone's dream basically. although it isn't surprising that they would have home-sickness, what suprises me is how they experience freedom, but it isn't really freedom for them and so they grow a desire to go back home. its depressing yes, but this book made me realize the judgements we make against the immigrants who don't feel the american "pride" as many citizens of the u.s. attack them for.
i would definitely recommmend this book to anyone who is just naive, such as me, about the immigrant issue on border-crossing especially mexican immigrants. it won't really answer any questions you may have, which wasn't the intention of the author, but probably end some stereotypes and inform just about what their lives are like.
Rating:
Summary: Crossing Over- A Description of Contemporary Immigration
Review: Have you ever wondered what it's like to desperately want to leave behind the life you've always known? Have you ever felt so desperate to enter a new world that you'd do almost anything, endure physical and emotional pain, hardships, and poverty in order to get there? Thousands of Mexicans do this everyday and Ruben Martinez tells their story in the book, Crossing Over. Martinez begins his book by examining the Mexican town of Cheran where three brothers have recently been killed by a coyote who promised to lead them to America. The coyote, the three brothers, and more than twenty others died in a truck accident while attempting to cross the border into the United States. Martinez travels to the small town to learn the story of the three brothers and eventually ends up learning much more about the town's and its inhabitants. The first half of Crossing Over discusses such pertinent issues as current border policy between the United States and Mexico, the economic circumstances that force many to flee northward, and the realities faced by those wishing to cross the border via a "coyote." The latter half of the book follows the lives of different families after their arrival in the U.S. I would recommend this book to teachers, doctors, librarians, politicians, and residents of U.S./Mexico border towns. The book gives a fascinating portrayal of the broader issues affecting contemporary immigration to the United States.
Rating:
Summary: Reciprocal change in culture
Review: Through rich prose and attention to the everyday details of life, Ruben Martinez is able to transport readers into the lives of Mexican migrants. Not only does he create a deeper understanding of what pulls and pushes these workers over the border, he remembers their families and their histories. Martinez's stories of migration reflect generations of communities. The history of an entire people comes together with the present of Martinez's own experiences with migrants in both Mexico and the United States, while at the same time pointing to the future. The importance of this book for people entering the field of education is evident in a brief statement by Dr. Tito, one of the doctors of Western medicine who shares patients with the Indian healers. Dr. Tito says that things are different today because of how quickly the culture is changing, because of the cultural revolution in process that encompasses everyone. Dr. Tito's statement is universal. As migrants returning to Mexico bring a bit of America back with them, so migrants bring some of Mexico with them into America. The observations Martinez writes and the questions he asks open doors into another culture. Educators can learn from his example of seeking understanding without imposes his own ideals on others. As cultural diversity in classrooms grows, teachers will need to be able to acknowledge student differences and be sensitive to the struggles they may face as they try to find their place among a mix of cultures. Crossing Over is a window into another world for those of us who grew up as American citizens closer to the Canadian border. The book follows the Chavez family after three sons are lost in an accident while trying to cross the border illegally. Even with this pain of loss, family members still seek to make the journey north. Reading such accounts makes one truly reflect about the good, the bad, and the ugly that are part of America. Martinez's work makes one think. It is impossible to remain indifferent while reading it. For this reason, I recommend this book to anyone looking to view migration from the perspective of those crossing from the south as observed by someone who crossed from the north.
Rating:
Summary: Valuable and enlightening
Review: Along Western Avenue in downtown Seattle, I pass a block lined with men - they are there everyday, waiting for someone to stop by and offer work. At an intake for students for free ESL classes, I see a brown blanket of earnest, anxious faces of all ages and gender. Running on a local bicycle trail, I jog by a Mexican work crew, sitting down for break from working on the trail. At a noodle house in San Francisco's Japantown, I strain to understand the exchange between the Spanish-speaking bus staff. I know very little of these mostly Mexican immigrants, yet they are everywhere in our community and I encounter them almost daily in one way or another. "Crossing Over: A Mexican Family on the Migrant Trail" by Ruben Martinez, provided me with an opportunity to understand more about some of these people. In his book, Martinez shares an in-depth look at the life, culture, and outlook of Mexican migrants at various stages of "crossing over." Martinez's first person account brings the reader close to the Chavezes, one migrant family's existence, while touching briefly on a myriad of other migrant experiences interwoven with the current social, political, economic, and cultural events and forces that shape the migrants' choices, actions, and fates. The most powerful benefit to me from reading this book is a perspective and additional cultural understanding which I would not have easily gained on my own. When reviewing information on migrant working conditions, lifestyles, and risk, I've wondered what their options are and what drives them to choose this kind of life. "Crossing Over" helps to answer these questions not only with socioeconomic context, but with detailed psychological portraits of the Chavez family members and other migrant families, their rationales for coming to America, their expectations, emotions, and changes in thinking as their lives unfold in an ongoing state of transition. A book, obviously, is not representative of all, but I feel I know a little more about some of these faces that I see everyday. I read this book for a class in education - it's clearly important for anyone in the education field to know about the backgrounds of students. Yet while this book certainly has value for future educators, it really has value for all of us, from residents to voters to policymakers, as we all have some level of say in the policies that affect these populations.
Rating:
Summary: A Strife of the Migrant Dream
Review: Crossing Over by Rubén Martínez is a great book. It displays the struggles and demons migrant workers fight in order to fulfil their dream of crossing the border in hopes of a better life and future. It details the life of Cheranes, the people of a small mountain Indian town, Cherán, of those who have been fortunate enough to have crossed the border, and those that have not. Martínez details the adversity of Cheranes both in Cherán among their own people and culture, and in the United States among the American culture. He recounts the differences between the poor migrant Cheranes and the norteños, migrant Cheranes who have made a good living in the States and return to Cherán only to flaunt their prosperity. Many of the migrants who have traveled to the States return to Cherán, but find themselves longing to return. They wish to escape the hardships and poverty they face every day in their hometown. Once in the States, their lives begin to merge to the American culture and way of life, and they find themselves trapped between two cultures. Their long sought-after dream and future becomes "that very future [that] might swallow them up."
This book enlightens the knowledge of the strife illegal immigrants endure and overcome on their journey to a better way of life, and resonates the very thing we should take into account. As human beings, it is important to understand their way of life, the struggles they have encountered, and their willingness to overcome adversity. We must be aware that being trapped within two cultures, and not fully belonging to one or the other, is difficult, but can be remedied. We can help by accepting and learning from them as they do from us. Most important is to remember that we are all human beings and deserve mutual respect.
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