The Devil's Highway

When I started reading The Devil's Highway I did not think it would have given me such a different view on the border and what actually happens to the people who try to cross it on a daily basis.  Urrea gave me a good idea about the hardships and effort it takes to cross the border.  With the growing Latino population in the United States it seems to me that if their is enough injustice being done to these people people that they would risk their lives and their families lives to get into America, the American people should work on creating a better way to solve all of the problems.  People need to understand how far people go to come to America, and by making the system different I believe a lot of problems can be solved.
Urrea made it clear to me that these immigrants, illegal or not, have come to be known as a simple number or statistic.  Stepping back and looking at it, it is not a situation that should involve numbers or stats or anything else arbitrary, but rather people should see it as an opportunity to fix a problem and make the lives of these people easier to manage.  I am not saying we should completely open up our borders, as that could cause a lot of problems.  I would rather see more of a discussion going on between the American government and the Mexican government.  I realize people are still going to try and cross illegally no matter what is done, but raising awareness to all sides will reap bigger benefits than the process we use now with illegal immigration.

Urrea's The Devil's Highway makes the problems of the US immigration policy, the naivety of the people and the capitalistic system come to life for someone who had no clue before.  I believe that a positive voice and the right attitude can help those people not need to cross a dessert to reach California, but rather do it in a legal way that can help everyone.

The Guardians

The theme that I see most clearly in The Guardians would be identity.  The different identities of Gabo, Regina, Miguel, and even Rafa were all shaped by where they lived and their own individual goals.  I thought the story would have been more about Rafa and discuss the reasons of the brutalities of sneaking across the border but it was more filled with the interactions of the people that were left behind.  

Catholicism is a major religion in Latin America and it was interesting to see Gabo's actions being influenced by his wish to become a priest. I found it interesting seeing Regina's reaction to Rafa missing and thought more would be done to find him than what all she did.  She seemed to want to keep her own identity during that time and not be concerned with the harsh realities of Rafa actually being gone.  This shows the sacrifice some people have to make when crossing borders or choosing to help save your family, with people understanding the consequences and making the best out of it.