Francisco Cantu's "La Linea se Convierte en Rio" is a story of Hope, Hardship, and Redemption

     **Before any non-Spanish-speakers begin worrying about the title of this book--don't (there's an English version, rest assured).

     Now that we've settled that matter...

To the best of my knowledge this is the first book written entirely in Spanish that I've reviewed on Reading Soup. Admittedly, it was challenging to comprehend in some parts (largely due to the fact that there were no quotations or line breaks indicating a change in speaker in many of the dialogue-heavy portions of the book). Aside from the unconventional structure, there was also a myriad of new vocabulary words to learn, and I often found myself having to pause and look up words that repeatedly confused me. All this considered, La Linea se Convierte en Rio was definitely harder to read, and certainly more difficult than if I had just picked up the English copy (The Line Becomes a River). 

Despite the linguistic challenges, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I didn't realize it at first, but the entire piece is a memoir relaying the life experiences of author Francisco Cantu. An American of Mexican heritage, Cantu begins the story in the deserts of the Southwestern United States. As a young man finishing college, he decides he wants to work for the U.S. Border Patrol, so he can get firsthand experience with the issues he reads so much about in his studies.

Cantu's time with the Border Patrol is far different than he expects. While he does gain firsthand knowledge, he becomes scarred by his experiences. Cantu finds himself witnessing human suffering on an almost daily basis. As he detains migrants and hears their stories, he begins to develop strong senses of empathy and compassion (while also becoming more internally distressed each day). Eventually, Cantu makes the decision to leave the Patrol altogether, and enroll in a graduate school program instead.

After leaving the Patrol, Cantu's life somewhat returns to normalcy, and he befriends a local migrant by the name of Jose. The two become close, but one day Jose makes the decision to return to Mexico to visit his ailing mother. Jose, who first entered the country illegally, knows he risks not being able to re-enter the United States (and as a result being separated from his wife and children), but it is a chance he is willing to take. What follows is a tumultuous series of events, from which readers gain a significant understanding of the complex lives of illegal immigrants, and the dangers of a system in which all odds are stacked against the marginalized. 

Even though La Linea is a memoir, it is poetically written throughout. In reading it one feels like they are walking in a desert dreamscape, where the lines between reality and fiction are quickly blurred. While at times it makes the storyline harder to follow, it constructs a bridge between Cantu and his audience, allowing them to not only experience things as he did, but also as the migrants he comes in contact with.

Cantu's time spent with the Border Patrol may make some readers resent him, while others may sympathize with his story. Indeed, this divide created a large controversy surrounding the book at the time of its initial publication. Regardless of if you view Cantu as a "hero" or a "villain" (or somewhere in between), there is still a beautifully redemptive arc to this whole story. Cantu goes from being a passive and somewhat detached observer of the suffering around him, to an individual who is willing to actively support those on the margins. While there are road-bumps on this transformative journey, Cantu's story shows readers the redemptive power of simply listening to the "other", which is a practice our world needs to adopt now more than ever.