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By the Lake of Sleeping Children: The Secret Life of the Mexican Border
By the Lake of Sleeping Children explores the post-NAFTA and Proposition 187 border purgatory of garbage pickers and dump dwellers, gawking tourists, and relief workers, fearsome coyotes, and their desperate clientele. In 16 indelible portraits, Urrea illuminates the horrors and the simple joys of people trapped between the two worlds of Mexico and the United States—and ignored by both. The result is a startling and memorable work of first-person reportage.
208 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1996
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About the author
Luis Alberto Urrea
62 books2,949 followersLuis Alberto Urrea is the award-winning author of 13 books, including The Hummingbird's Daughter, The Devil's Highway and Into the Beautiful North (May 2009). Born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and American mother, Luis has used the theme of borders, immigration and search for love and belonging throughout his work. A Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2005 (nonfiction), he's won the Kiriyama Prize (2006), the Lannan Award (2002), an American Book Award (1999) and was named to the Latino Literary Hall of Fame. He is a creative writing professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago and lives with his family in the 'burbs (dreaming of returning West soon!).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
June 8, 2010
This collection of essays centers around the orphans, dump dwellers and trash pickers in Tijuana. As they slag through our trash (courtesy NAFTA) to make a living, or beg, or accept missionary charity because the prayer is worth the trade for food and clothes, you follow along a guilty observer. These are humans, they don't live that far away. A human created border, a wall of poverty... marginalized by their own countrymen (as we do with our homeless and poor), criminalized by our countrymen - they just want to live. Urrea takes us briefly into their worlds, giving a snapshot of those who live with a sense of humor even at the destruction of all they own because there is no other way to get by. While this is dated in regards to the political situation, the words are relevant as ever. Humanizing, hard to read, and beautiful - I recommend this to anyone who has interest in solving the problems of poverty, fixing our relationship with Mexico and its citizens, or who just has an interest in humanity and how we treat each other. What you do unto the least of these...
July 5, 2020
Luis Alberto Urrea's nonfiction book, "By the Lake of Sleeping Children," first published in 1996, is without a doubt the darkest book I have ever read in my life.
The content of this book is tremendously horrifying, and incredibly painful to read. The entire book is a nonstop nightmare.
Every sentence is true. Everything depicted in this book is real life. It's the bravest book I've ever read. I absolutely loved it.
There isn't a word out of place in this book. Urrea is a phenomenal writer, and his prose is superb.
This book is a follow-up to Urrea's first book, "Across the Wire: Life and Hard Times on the Mexican Border," and this sequel focuses on the people who survive by scavenging garbage from the dump sites in Tijuana, Mexico.
I had previously only read one other book by Urrea, his stellar 2004 nonfiction book, "The Devil's Highway: A True Story," which describes the harrowing May 2001 attempt of 26 men to cross the Mexican border into the desert of southern Arizona. That book was plenty dark. "By the Lake of Sleeping Children" is *so* much darker.
I decided to read this book after discovering that author Jeanine Cummins had plagiarized content from Urrea's work and (however unwittingly, subconsciously or consciously) written it into her own bestselling novel, "American Dirt," which was published in 2020. A number of Latinx authors called Cummins out for doing this, and the content of "By the Lake of Sleeping Children" was one of Urrea's books that was named the most often in the list of unacknowledged books Cummins stole from.
In January 2020, NPR interviewed Urrea about "American Dirt," and he stated that his wife had decided to read his Advanced Review Copy/ARC, sent to him by the publisher in 2019, and she had been the first one to tell him that the novel featured content from his own books. Urrea stated that he had no plans to "American Dirt."
"By the Lake of Sleeping Children" depicts poverty so carefully and unflinchingly that this book reads like a horror novel, and Urrea includes a warning about the book's content in the opening pages. If any reader cannot handle the realities of living in poverty, you should not read this book. Urrea also includes some specific content warnings for different chapters, so readers can choose to skip certain chapters if they don't wish to read about particular subjects.
I'm so glad that Latinx authors spoke up so forcefully about "American Dirt," and brought my attention to this beautiful, dark, horrifying book of Urrea's. It's a stunning read.
Ten million stars. Highly recommended.
All readers strongly cautioned for content.
The content of this book is tremendously horrifying, and incredibly painful to read. The entire book is a nonstop nightmare.
Every sentence is true. Everything depicted in this book is real life. It's the bravest book I've ever read. I absolutely loved it.
There isn't a word out of place in this book. Urrea is a phenomenal writer, and his prose is superb.
This book is a follow-up to Urrea's first book, "Across the Wire: Life and Hard Times on the Mexican Border," and this sequel focuses on the people who survive by scavenging garbage from the dump sites in Tijuana, Mexico.
I had previously only read one other book by Urrea, his stellar 2004 nonfiction book, "The Devil's Highway: A True Story," which describes the harrowing May 2001 attempt of 26 men to cross the Mexican border into the desert of southern Arizona. That book was plenty dark. "By the Lake of Sleeping Children" is *so* much darker.
I decided to read this book after discovering that author Jeanine Cummins had plagiarized content from Urrea's work and (however unwittingly, subconsciously or consciously) written it into her own bestselling novel, "American Dirt," which was published in 2020. A number of Latinx authors called Cummins out for doing this, and the content of "By the Lake of Sleeping Children" was one of Urrea's books that was named the most often in the list of unacknowledged books Cummins stole from.
In January 2020, NPR interviewed Urrea about "American Dirt," and he stated that his wife had decided to read his Advanced Review Copy/ARC, sent to him by the publisher in 2019, and she had been the first one to tell him that the novel featured content from his own books. Urrea stated that he had no plans to "American Dirt."
"By the Lake of Sleeping Children" depicts poverty so carefully and unflinchingly that this book reads like a horror novel, and Urrea includes a warning about the book's content in the opening pages. If any reader cannot handle the realities of living in poverty, you should not read this book. Urrea also includes some specific content warnings for different chapters, so readers can choose to skip certain chapters if they don't wish to read about particular subjects.
I'm so glad that Latinx authors spoke up so forcefully about "American Dirt," and brought my attention to this beautiful, dark, horrifying book of Urrea's. It's a stunning read.
Ten million stars. Highly recommended.
All readers strongly cautioned for content.
April 12, 2008
Have an opinion about illegal immigrants? Then this book is for you! You'll learn so much through the stories and statistics of Mexico's most oppressed -- the men, women, and children who are born in, live in, and and are eventually buried in the garbage dumps of Tijuana, Mexico. That's right. They live in shacks, right in the garbage. And when they die, they're buried in the dump. Although their graves are marked, their bodies often float to the surface during floods. It's a crazy life of hopelessness that illustrates the struggle to escape at any cost...even if that means facing arrest, abuse, or even death in a desert crossing into the U.S.
October 23, 2017
Urrea described two chapters as being brutal and obscene. I am grateful that I didn't skip them. They were integral to the story. The last chapter touched my heart. A family headed by a resilient Juana and a rascal named Manuel proved that hope dies last. They lost everything in a fire but they still persevered.
February 24, 2015
Outstanding
I am always sad when I finish one of Luis's books. His slurs of writing had always made me feel as it I was standing right next to him seeing everything just as he described it.
I am always sad when I finish one of Luis's books. His slurs of writing had always made me feel as it I was standing right next to him seeing everything just as he described it.
January 26, 2020
A collection of essays about life in the garbage dumps of Tijuana. It reminded me of my time spent in the garbage dumps of Cairo. Poverty is exhausting. It’s cruel. It’s dirty. It’s ugly. This book is a call to change and to a genuine compassion that lasts longer than a high school mission’s trip. It’s been 30 years since Urrea wrote this. Sadly, things along the border are no better now.
Looking forward to reading more of this author’s work.
Looking forward to reading more of this author’s work.
August 11, 2008
I hope this one exorcised Luis' devils. It's hard to believe how much "bad stuff" the author encountered in the Tijuana area. Unfortunately, I believe every word of it. Very powerful, however sad.
October 9, 2008
Very graphic. Some parts were very obscene. If it wasn't required for my class I wouldn't have finished it. Description of life on the Mexican/American border.
March 21, 2020
Powerful, haunting images of people start on page one and continue through the end of these narratives. Urrea's words are not maudlin, yet they carry tremendous emotional impact because they grow into stories of people I come to care about, not merely unknown people gathered into masses. Instead, the people remembered in these pages are individuals with needs and names. I was shocked to realize the extreme poverty they endured, truly surpassing any conception of poverty I've witnessed -- certainly surpassing any poverty I've endured. Though people here span all ages children are predominant in these stories. Curious about the fates of these children, I double-checked the publication date just now: 1996. I shudder to think what they may have endured in these 23+ years since then; I hope many found their dreams come true. Please read this. It's heartbreaking face the realities here, but it can also be galvanizing for us readers. Before taking action, we require awareness, and Urrea definitely educates us about the humans we far too often overlook.
February 8, 2022
By the Lake of Sleeping Children is a portrayal of life near the Mexican-American border. Urrea’s writing is so detailed and beautiful, the reader is virtually immersed in the reality of border life...it’s challenging and eye-opening.
I learned of this book after reading American Dirt, which, while a work of fiction, was written by an American with distant Latina roots, and no real first-hand experience of border life. This book, in contrast, offer a raw glimpse of border life based on real-life experience. What I really appreciated about this book that I found lacking in American Dirt was a sense of the spirit of Mexican people.
This is far from an easy read, as much of the content is hard to swallow, but that’s exactly why I consider it a must-read. Not only is the content woven together in a way that truly drives home the reality of suffering in this region, the prose itself is immensely descriptive and is quite poetic in some parts.
Highly, highly recommend.
I learned of this book after reading American Dirt, which, while a work of fiction, was written by an American with distant Latina roots, and no real first-hand experience of border life. This book, in contrast, offer a raw glimpse of border life based on real-life experience. What I really appreciated about this book that I found lacking in American Dirt was a sense of the spirit of Mexican people.
This is far from an easy read, as much of the content is hard to swallow, but that’s exactly why I consider it a must-read. Not only is the content woven together in a way that truly drives home the reality of suffering in this region, the prose itself is immensely descriptive and is quite poetic in some parts.
Highly, highly recommend.
January 24, 2010
After reading "Into the beautiful north" by this author I set out to find everything else he has ever written and found this book. It would not appear to be a feel good book after all conditions in the border and especially for the people who live in the "dompes" are terrible. But as much as it is hard to imagine people living in these conditions what I came away with was admiration for these people who don't seem to ever feel sorry for themselves and simply set out to survive. Beautifully written, honest and moving a must read.
July 15, 2019
Tijuana, Mexico is one of the most poor cities in all of the Americas. And in the most poor city, there are the poorest of the poor who live, work, and play in a dump. That's not an adjective but an actual place: people live in the city dump. People are born, play, work, and live in the dump, and even die and are buried in the dump. The title of the book refers to a lagoon in the middle of the dump in which long-deceased children's bodies find their way to the surface and float. The residents of the town dump are occasionally visited by well-meaning Christian groups who bring food, toys, and showers.
This was an interesting, short glimpse into the lives of the very poor living in Tijuana. The book was written in the 1990's but I feel like it is still pertinent and that things have not changed very much. The chapters are short and fly by. There is one chapter devoted to smuggling Mexican women into the United States for work, but the vast majority of the book is about life in and around the Tijuana Dump. There was one chapter that described some really awful animal abuse, but the author tells the reader in his Introduction chapter which one it is so you can avoid it if you like. There are also a couple of references to domestic violence, sex, and alcohol use but it is not widespread. I think this is a good book for people who are anti-immigrant to read as it is really eye-opening about the lives of these people and why they seek out a better life in the United States.
This was an interesting, short glimpse into the lives of the very poor living in Tijuana. The book was written in the 1990's but I feel like it is still pertinent and that things have not changed very much. The chapters are short and fly by. There is one chapter devoted to smuggling Mexican women into the United States for work, but the vast majority of the book is about life in and around the Tijuana Dump. There was one chapter that described some really awful animal abuse, but the author tells the reader in his Introduction chapter which one it is so you can avoid it if you like. There are also a couple of references to domestic violence, sex, and alcohol use but it is not widespread. I think this is a good book for people who are anti-immigrant to read as it is really eye-opening about the lives of these people and why they seek out a better life in the United States.
July 11, 2018
Want some insight into the issues at the border? Read this (or other Urrea books). This book was so well written the words disappeared as I read and I was walking through the "dompe" with Urrea, seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing everything. Even though the book was written well before the current crisis and administrative "response" to the border crisis, Urrea foresaw what would happen very clearly.
I cannot say more without spoilers so I'll use the Richard Rodriguez quote at the beginning of the book:
"The illegal immigrant is the bravest among us. The most modern among us. The prophet...The peasant knows the reality of our world decades before the California suburbanite will ever get the point."
Word.
I cannot say more without spoilers so I'll use the Richard Rodriguez quote at the beginning of the book:
"The illegal immigrant is the bravest among us. The most modern among us. The prophet...The peasant knows the reality of our world decades before the California suburbanite will ever get the point."
Word.
August 9, 2024
What a rough book to read. Urrea writes without judgement, like an observer, about the lives of Mexican dump dwellers and orphans along the border, scrapping a gritty life however they can and unable to escape. He's spent time working with nonprofits to try to help the people and so knows many firsthand. The poverty is horrendous, beauty and riches and hope just beyond the wall. Americans on mission come like wonderous angels periodically to bring food and offer baths to clean off the filth and lice. I think some of the intimate details of the people's conversations, thoughts, must be imagined, but the people and their stories are real and Urrea is a beautifully eloquent writer. Skip the chapter on the monkey unless you don't mind your stomach turning and having nightmares.
August 19, 2018
First published more than 20 years ago, this book remains sadly relevant and shows that our immigration system has been broken for a long time. But, as Urrea writes in the introduction, this isn't about politics or trends or data points or sociology. It is simply a book about humans. Poverty-stricken humans facing unimaginable hardships who somehow manage to never lose hope. Nowhere is that more clear than in the final chapter. After seeing their meager house burn down, a husband and wife begin dreaming of a new home, the one they will build now, the one that will have a rose garden because, as Juana says, "Roses, they're like music for your eyes."
May 12, 2020
Like most of Luis Alberto Urrea's non-fiction ("Under the Wire" and "The Devil's Highway" come to mind), "By the Lake of Sleeping Children" pulls no punches. We're even warned in the Introduction that certain chapters might be best avoided by the faint of heart. To do so, however, would mean missing Urrea's eye for detail and always eloquent prose. Yes, it might haunt your nightmares, but that's entirely the point.
July 5, 2024
i learned so much about post-NAFTA Mexico, the political and economic state it was in. The author looks into the lives of those living near the border in Tijuana, digging through the dump to survive off of American trash. I enjoyed the accounts of many of their lives and the relationship the author has with the families and community. A very devastating read as it is based on reality.
May 24, 2018
Had to read this book for my Borderland class. It was such a great book. It really humbles you down.
The book has some complicated topics, death, poverty, abuse. BUT it's totally still worth the read, it truly makes you open your eyes.
The book has some complicated topics, death, poverty, abuse. BUT it's totally still worth the read, it truly makes you open your eyes.
December 12, 2021
Revelation
It’s hard for us gringos to imagine all this horror that some people live through. We should see it with our own eyes before we make political decisions. Because our comforts affect others’ discomforts.
It’s hard for us gringos to imagine all this horror that some people live through. We should see it with our own eyes before we make political decisions. Because our comforts affect others’ discomforts.
March 19, 2023
I read Across the Wire some years ago when I found it on a shelf at work. Shocking, horrifying, paradigm-shifting content. I got this as soon as I knew there was a sequel, and it's second verse same as the first.
November 24, 2017
I have read this book over and over.
April 20, 2018
Insightful and inspiring. Urrea is a master of sharing the story of this population/community. There is so much I want to say...but I am left speechless.
February 21, 2019
At once heartening and sad and descriptive as hell. Like humanity is. I plowed through this quickly.
May 27, 2019
Still relevant, always well written, heart breaking.
September 27, 2019
DNF. So boring that I couldn't make myself to continue reading it. Writing is strange, sometimes it feels more like you're reading a list of words from some dictionary rather than a normal book.
May 19, 2020
I was really struck by the stories in this book & the fact that it was published in the 1990s not long after I moved to Texas. I really wish I would've found it then.
July 11, 2020
Heartbreaking especially because it continues to be timely.
October 7, 2020
Very interesting. Also disturbing.
October 11, 2020
Powerful, startling, honest descriptions of life in Tijuana.
September 12, 2021
I skipped the bald monkey chapter, as the author recommend.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews