CI 5441: Jaramillo Response

Jaramillo, Ann. La Línea. Harrisonburg: Roaring Book Press, 2006.

Miguel Carlos Octavio Pablo de Cervantes has just turned fifteen. Where he is usually treated to a practical gift from his grandmother today he receives something he has been waiting for since he was eight years old—the summons from his father to come to America. Jaramillo follows Miguel’s journey as he leaves his life behind him and embraces the uncertainties of the long journey he must take across la línea. Along the way he encounters many obstacles: a stubborn sister, money-hungry officers and thugs, a strange old man, the mata gente, and a harrowing trek across the deserts of the southwest. Along the way both Miguel and his sister grow and learn the power of hope, the intense need for family, the effects of pride and jealousy, and the dangers of immigrating to the United States—the land of the American Dream and better opportunities for all. The book forces readers to think about these themes as they follow Miguel and Elena on their journey north across the border and into the United States. In the end, Miguel and Elena learn the truth about life in America and reevaluate their paths. As the book closes, we read as Miguel notes that there are “thousands of la líneas in life” sometimes you see them and sometimes you don’t, sometimes they change you immediately and other times it takes a moment of reflection to open your eyes to the change.

I thought this book brought up some interesting points, but I don’t know how much I think that it accurately portrays the experiences of those crossing the Mexican border into the United States. I think Jaramillo is able to capture some of the situations faced by those who cross the border in such a way, but I think there are many different details within the book that are missing. It is hard for me to believe that Miguel and Elena caught so many lucky breaks and were able to come out of the desert alive. It seemed to me like that leg of their journey could have benefited from more details and a greater look into the physical reactions of the body when deprived of water. Having had personal experience with dehydration, it didn’t seem believable or accurately portrayed in the text. Other than that, I thought the themes within the book were both important and chronicled well within the text. The relationship between Miguel and Elena is multi-faceted and it is interesting to see how they change over the course of the book—going from siblings, to enemies, to dependents. I think that the themes within the book are especially relevant with so much debate over the immigration issue in the United States and the many areas in which it is played out in our society. I think students will be able to identify with the characters and/or the themes in the book both because of their relevance in our society and the ability for students to connect with different aspects of the characters—from age to circumstance. I thought the book was fine; I liked it more than I disliked it, but the lack of details and my inability to believe in the events within the book pulls me away from giving it two hearty thumbs up. The issue surrounding the authenticity of the text based on the author's background only bothers me in correlation with the lack of details I think should be present in the text and the unbelievability aspect of the story. Beyond that, I think she did a great job in writing a text her students could relate to--a text that tells an often overlooked point of view.

I think the themes and the relationships within the book are highly teachable in a classroom. Even the format of the book, with extremely short yet rich chapters, lends itself well to being utilized in the classroom. We are using this book as a model text within a book club. After dividing the class into different “clubs,” we are providing them with an opportunity to pick between six different foci to study as they read and sticky note the book together. These different foci include looking at the Miguel and Elena through their “coming-of-age” metamorphosis within the text and the different themes covered within the book—pride/jealousy, family/belonging, hope/resilience, and líneas/obstacles. Each group will have some choice in what they follow throughout the book—giving them a sense of agency. Students will then be asked to work together in reading and sticky-noting the text as they discover passages/quotes that relate to/develop their focus. Each group will record their findings on a T-chart and within the pages of their books on sticky notes. After each class, students will be asked to write a reflective paper about their topic and how it is evolving within the text. At the end of the unit they will be taking their notes and collaboratively writing an essay zeroing in on an aspect of their groups focus. They will then present this essay to the rest of the class. This was each group is responsible for discovering their focus within the text, working together to bring it all together, and reporting their synthesis of the text to the rest of the class. Because of the length of the book and the relevance of its themes, the text is ideal for teaching students both how to participate in a book club successfully and how to use different reading strategies in analyzing a text.