Thursday, May 5, 2016

The Jaguar's Children

The Jaguar's Children is a novel that depicts the hardships faced by the poor in Mexico who try to illegally immigrate to the United States. A would-be migrant is trapped in a water tank in a failed border crossing attempt, and is desperately trying to seek help through a phone with little reception.

I thought the premise for the story was extremely fascinating, but I didn't feel like the author executed around the premise very well. It was a little more artsy than I would have liked. While artsy is not necessarily a bad thing for you, it is for me because I don't "get" a lot of art.

The back story behind the main characters is also interesting. Institutions in their homeland just don't allow economic mobility, as those at the top have set things up so that things stay exactly how they are. The author seems to have a strong bias against NAFTA, however, blaming it for a lot of Mexico's ills. I'm not sure that view is fair, but even if it is, I didn't feel the author made much of a case.

If you like novels, and are interested in topics like immigration, genetically modified food/seed, and Mexican culture, you will likely be a fan of the book. Enjoy!

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