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14 Miles: Building the Border Wall
An esteemed journalist delivers a compelling on-the-ground account of the construction of President Trump’s border wall in San Diego—and the impact on the lives of local residents.
In August of 2019, Donald Trump finished building his border wall—at least a portion of it. In San Diego, the Army Corps of engineers completed two years of construction on a 14-mile steel beamed barrier that extends eighteen-feet high and cost a staggering $147 million. As one border patrol agent told reporters visiting the site, “It was funded and approved and it was built under his administration. It is Trump’s wall.” '14 MILES' is a definitive account of all the dramatic construction, showing readers what it feels like to stand on both sides of the border looking up at the imposing and controversial barrier.
After the Department of Homeland Security announced an open call for wall prototypes in 2017, DW Gibson, an award-winning journalist and Southern California native, began visiting the construction site and watching as the prototype samples were erected. Gibson spent those two years closely observing the work and interviewing local residents to understand how it was impacting them. These include April McKee, a border patrol agent leading a recruiting program that trains teenagers to work as agents; Jeff Schwilk, a retired Marine who organizes pro-wall rallies as head of the group San Diegans for Secure Borders; Roque De La Fuente, an eccentric millionaire developer who uses the construction as a promotional opportunity; and Civile Ephedouard, a Haitian refugee who spent two years migrating through Central America to the United States and anxiously awaits the results of his asylum case.
Fascinating, propulsive, and incredibly timely, '14 MILES' is an important work that explains not only how the wall has reshaped our landscape and countless lives but also how its shadow looms over our very identity as a nation.
RUNNING TIME ⇒ 13hrs. and 30mins.
©2020 D.W. Gibson. All rights reserved. (P)2020 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
In August of 2019, Donald Trump finished building his border wall—at least a portion of it. In San Diego, the Army Corps of engineers completed two years of construction on a 14-mile steel beamed barrier that extends eighteen-feet high and cost a staggering $147 million. As one border patrol agent told reporters visiting the site, “It was funded and approved and it was built under his administration. It is Trump’s wall.” '14 MILES' is a definitive account of all the dramatic construction, showing readers what it feels like to stand on both sides of the border looking up at the imposing and controversial barrier.
After the Department of Homeland Security announced an open call for wall prototypes in 2017, DW Gibson, an award-winning journalist and Southern California native, began visiting the construction site and watching as the prototype samples were erected. Gibson spent those two years closely observing the work and interviewing local residents to understand how it was impacting them. These include April McKee, a border patrol agent leading a recruiting program that trains teenagers to work as agents; Jeff Schwilk, a retired Marine who organizes pro-wall rallies as head of the group San Diegans for Secure Borders; Roque De La Fuente, an eccentric millionaire developer who uses the construction as a promotional opportunity; and Civile Ephedouard, a Haitian refugee who spent two years migrating through Central America to the United States and anxiously awaits the results of his asylum case.
Fascinating, propulsive, and incredibly timely, '14 MILES' is an important work that explains not only how the wall has reshaped our landscape and countless lives but also how its shadow looms over our very identity as a nation.
RUNNING TIME ⇒ 13hrs. and 30mins.
©2020 D.W. Gibson. All rights reserved. (P)2020 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
- GenresNonfictionPolitics
Audible Audio
First published July 7, 2020
About the author
D.W. Gibson
9 books12 followersDW Gibson is the author of Not Working and The Edge Becomes the Center: An Oral History of Gentrification in the Twenty-First Century. He has written for The New York Times, The New York Observer, The Daily Beast, BOMB, and Tin House, and worked on documentaries for MSNBC and A&E®. The executive director of the international writers residency Writers Omi at Ledig House, he lives in New York City with his wife and their daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 30, 2020
I did not know - I am an OTM immigrant ("Other Than Mexican'). I live about a mile north of I-8 in San Diego's East County. I know all the locations mentioned in the book, whether they are from trips to the local casinos, camping in the Anza Borrego desert, hiking and off-roading. Just a few weeks ago, I was at "The Wall". As a German, I of course have certain opinions about walls and borders, and this book aligns pretty well with them.
All 60 stories in this book are about the people, economy and culture or the land which starts at the Pacific Ocean between San Diego, CA, USA and Tijuana, BC, Mexico stretching for about 70 miles due east. These are the stories of the native people of the area, commerce between Mexico and the USA, legal and illegal activities and the politics and enforcement of border protection. As a local living in this particular area for close to 20 years, the stories are about a part of the live that is happening around me, that I just did not know. All these stories are connected well, despite the huge number of chapters for this size of book,
Giving the book 5-stars is a very personal rating. The author is not exactly subtle about his opinions, making at times slapstick caricatures of our now convicted congressman Duncan Hunter and still elected president Trump. While I like this unrestrained emotional writing, some may not.
DW Gibson uses some numbers, but they are often just ballpark figures, which leave some doubts about accuracy and validity. I do not look at this as a factual research paper though, more like an entertaining read about observations in the style of a Malcom Gladwell.
Wall proponents will have a hard time with this book, probably asking for burning all digital copies circulating the internet right now. It either makes them think differently, or just rage about the author and his opinions. And this is what this book is, a lot of personal opinions of the people living along the border that separates San Diego County from Tijuana.
All 60 stories in this book are about the people, economy and culture or the land which starts at the Pacific Ocean between San Diego, CA, USA and Tijuana, BC, Mexico stretching for about 70 miles due east. These are the stories of the native people of the area, commerce between Mexico and the USA, legal and illegal activities and the politics and enforcement of border protection. As a local living in this particular area for close to 20 years, the stories are about a part of the live that is happening around me, that I just did not know. All these stories are connected well, despite the huge number of chapters for this size of book,
Giving the book 5-stars is a very personal rating. The author is not exactly subtle about his opinions, making at times slapstick caricatures of our now convicted congressman Duncan Hunter and still elected president Trump. While I like this unrestrained emotional writing, some may not.
DW Gibson uses some numbers, but they are often just ballpark figures, which leave some doubts about accuracy and validity. I do not look at this as a factual research paper though, more like an entertaining read about observations in the style of a Malcom Gladwell.
Wall proponents will have a hard time with this book, probably asking for burning all digital copies circulating the internet right now. It either makes them think differently, or just rage about the author and his opinions. And this is what this book is, a lot of personal opinions of the people living along the border that separates San Diego County from Tijuana.
January 21, 2021
As a first generation Mexican-American, the border wall has always been a topic of fascination for me. Being born and raised in Los Angeles, I'm lucky to say my parents were blessed with the opportunity to live, work, and prosper in the United States. They came to California with the hope of living a better life, and to that end they succeeded in living out the dream that so many other immigrants also strive towards--a dream that always seems to start on the other side of the border.
When I saw this book on the store shelf, I was immediately drawn in by the topic. There was so much fuss and rhetoric surrounding the border wall with our previous President, and as always with news surrounding Mr. Trump, it was hard to tell what was truth and what was embellishment (or just outright lies). I picked this up hoping for factual accounting of Trump's Wall Saga, and came away with that and much more.
What really impressed me about this book is that the author did an excellent job of contextualizing the idea of the border. Gibson did not approach it as simple construct of metal and concrete, but as a symbol of what it means to live in between two countries. The people who's lives revolve around the border: those who protect it, those who denounce it, those who live near it, and those who wish to cross it; they are the ones highlighted in this book (and rightfully so). Gibson places Trump and his failed wall in the background, and in the end makes subtle but not unnoticed point: the site where the defunct wall prototypes once stood will soon be home to a 2nd port of entry. Where a divide once stood to be a built, a new point of access will instead come to fruition. If there's one thing to take away from 14 Miles, its that coming together will always be a better option than falling apart.
if you are more fortunate than others, it is better to build a longer table than a taller fence
When I saw this book on the store shelf, I was immediately drawn in by the topic. There was so much fuss and rhetoric surrounding the border wall with our previous President, and as always with news surrounding Mr. Trump, it was hard to tell what was truth and what was embellishment (or just outright lies). I picked this up hoping for factual accounting of Trump's Wall Saga, and came away with that and much more.
What really impressed me about this book is that the author did an excellent job of contextualizing the idea of the border. Gibson did not approach it as simple construct of metal and concrete, but as a symbol of what it means to live in between two countries. The people who's lives revolve around the border: those who protect it, those who denounce it, those who live near it, and those who wish to cross it; they are the ones highlighted in this book (and rightfully so). Gibson places Trump and his failed wall in the background, and in the end makes subtle but not unnoticed point: the site where the defunct wall prototypes once stood will soon be home to a 2nd port of entry. Where a divide once stood to be a built, a new point of access will instead come to fruition. If there's one thing to take away from 14 Miles, its that coming together will always be a better option than falling apart.
if you are more fortunate than others, it is better to build a longer table than a taller fence
March 25, 2020
A Perfect Companion to American Dirt..
If you are looking for more information on the immigration debate and the wall, this is an excellent resource. While being educational and informative, it was also extremely interesting. I found myself wanting to learn more about the people and the stories within the pages. This book offers multiple perspectives from inside this debate; varying from a marine to a border patrol agent to a Haitian refugee. My heart ached and bled from the struggle that is ensuing at the moment.
While I don't typically read Non-fiction, I definitely appreciated this novel. Although slow at times, it definitely picked up speed about a quarter of a way through. If you have the patience, don't give up on it. I'm glad I persevered.
If you enjoyed American Dirt and want to learn more about immigration and read about the debate told from a variety of perspectives, than this book is for you!
If you are looking for more information on the immigration debate and the wall, this is an excellent resource. While being educational and informative, it was also extremely interesting. I found myself wanting to learn more about the people and the stories within the pages. This book offers multiple perspectives from inside this debate; varying from a marine to a border patrol agent to a Haitian refugee. My heart ached and bled from the struggle that is ensuing at the moment.
While I don't typically read Non-fiction, I definitely appreciated this novel. Although slow at times, it definitely picked up speed about a quarter of a way through. If you have the patience, don't give up on it. I'm glad I persevered.
If you enjoyed American Dirt and want to learn more about immigration and read about the debate told from a variety of perspectives, than this book is for you!
July 22, 2020
I grew up south of I-8*, an area that Gibson describes as a “buffer zone” between the United States and Mexico.” It's a zone of historically and constantly morphing political, social, and cultural topography—neither fully American nor fully Mexican. This isn't how I remember it though—Chula Vista was Mayberry USA from my 1970s kid POV. A lot seems to have changed in 30 years. But it also seems I didn’t really understand where I grew up at all (example: I find it astonishing that the first I’ve heard of the Kumeyaay tribe, which wide territory included the land between TJ and San Diego, was while reading this book).
Anyhow, this is probably a 4 or 4.5 but I’m bumping it up because I think this is an important read. This collection of essays, interviews, and musings functions as an easy and entertaining primer on border and immigration issues. Written over the period between 2017–2019, the specific narrative thread is the building of the eight prototypes for “The Wall.” (I’ll note "The Wall," as a character, comes across as a costly political folly. Sorry, Wall. But you deserve it.) Though written from a liberal slant, each person and point-of-view is treated respectfully (save Duncan Hunter, who deservedly gets semi-roasted). It’s a complicated situation with a complicated history and Gibson skillfully fleshes out a complex understanding of what a border is, was, and most importantly what it could be (I’ll chime in here that maybe we can start by defunding BORTAC).
*I don’t recall putting “the” in front of freeways when I was a kid. My uninformed hunch is this usage migrated from LA sometime in the last 30 years.
Anyhow, this is probably a 4 or 4.5 but I’m bumping it up because I think this is an important read. This collection of essays, interviews, and musings functions as an easy and entertaining primer on border and immigration issues. Written over the period between 2017–2019, the specific narrative thread is the building of the eight prototypes for “The Wall.” (I’ll note "The Wall," as a character, comes across as a costly political folly. Sorry, Wall. But you deserve it.) Though written from a liberal slant, each person and point-of-view is treated respectfully (save Duncan Hunter, who deservedly gets semi-roasted). It’s a complicated situation with a complicated history and Gibson skillfully fleshes out a complex understanding of what a border is, was, and most importantly what it could be (I’ll chime in here that maybe we can start by defunding BORTAC).
*I don’t recall putting “the” in front of freeways when I was a kid. My uninformed hunch is this usage migrated from LA sometime in the last 30 years.
August 24, 2020
Much like the eight separate border wall prototypes that were built (and promptly demolished), this book tells a lot of individual stories but doesn't quite fill in the contextual gaps between them. It's impossible not to be moved by its brief chapters that portray a variety of people caught up in the situation, like the volunteers who drop off water jugs in the desert for those who are trying to cross, or the young woman watching the wall prototypes go up from her shack just south of the border, knowing that she can't prove her U.S. citizenship because she can't obtain a valid birth certificate. And while Gibson doesn't try to hide his opinions about the immigration crisis, he portrays the individuals he interviews who are in favor of stronger border control with dignity and respect (other than the InfoWars reporter who tosses candy at children traveling with the infamous caravan and then declares they must not be hungry when they don't scramble to pick it up).
However, I wanted more historical and political background than Gibson provided, leaving me feeling like I had an incomplete picture - also kind of like the border wall. Each chapter felt like it could have been a New York Times Magazine article. Well-written and emotionally resonant, but if you're looking for a comprehensive look at the immigration issue, this isn't the book for you.
However, I wanted more historical and political background than Gibson provided, leaving me feeling like I had an incomplete picture - also kind of like the border wall. Each chapter felt like it could have been a New York Times Magazine article. Well-written and emotionally resonant, but if you're looking for a comprehensive look at the immigration issue, this isn't the book for you.
April 2, 2023
Complete opposite of the unbiased journalistic approach of showing the good & bad of both arguments I was hoping for.
Every person agreeing with the author’s politics was shown as nearly angelic, having supposedly never done anything bad in their lives. The people that had politics opposed to the author’s were only given space enough to show their bad sides, even going so far as saying the ones that were trying to help but still opposite mainstream politics “just had an ominous feeling about her in the way she stood.” Let’s be real here, Mr. Gibson, every human being has good & bad sides.
He also casts one of the interviewees as being ominous & evil simply because the man’s dad had been a migrant farmer with nothing but became successful at his business venture & passed it onto his son, who was also successful. What!?? Anyone who had any kind of general success holding down a job was derisively labeled a “capitalist.” WHAT!!?? Are you kidding me?? So, because both my husband & I grew up poor, relying on those “dirty capitalist” church charities for food & were it not for the individual “dirty capitalists “ that literally gave our families shelter & we now have worked long enough to be able to pay our rent, buy our own groceries & maybe have enough to eat out once a month, we are the bane of society? Smh.
Every person agreeing with the author’s politics was shown as nearly angelic, having supposedly never done anything bad in their lives. The people that had politics opposed to the author’s were only given space enough to show their bad sides, even going so far as saying the ones that were trying to help but still opposite mainstream politics “just had an ominous feeling about her in the way she stood.” Let’s be real here, Mr. Gibson, every human being has good & bad sides.
He also casts one of the interviewees as being ominous & evil simply because the man’s dad had been a migrant farmer with nothing but became successful at his business venture & passed it onto his son, who was also successful. What!?? Anyone who had any kind of general success holding down a job was derisively labeled a “capitalist.” WHAT!!?? Are you kidding me?? So, because both my husband & I grew up poor, relying on those “dirty capitalist” church charities for food & were it not for the individual “dirty capitalists “ that literally gave our families shelter & we now have worked long enough to be able to pay our rent, buy our own groceries & maybe have enough to eat out once a month, we are the bane of society? Smh.
August 9, 2020
Remember all the hype about seeking proposals for new border wall prototype designs sponsored by the Trump administration? Wonder what ever happened with all that? DW Gibson’s new book takes a deep dive into all this and how it affected people on both sides of the border around San Diego and Tijuana.
Eight designs were eventually selected from all proposals and built at a cost of $320,000 to $486,411–in all more than $3 million. “But we will never have a measure of all the resources that were required to produce this show” (p. 292).
And which design won? None of them. Trump rejected them all. And they all were toppled in just a few minutes. They were not sustainable nor viable. What did Trump do instead after this failed competition? He spent $147 million to build just 14 miles of a secondary border wall east of Dan Diego on Otay Mesa using the old bollard design. This is Trump’s wall. Mexico didn’t pay for it, US taxpayers did. $190 per linear foot. Just imagine what else could have been done with those resources to support schools, nurses, teachers, social services etc. What was waste.
Eight designs were eventually selected from all proposals and built at a cost of $320,000 to $486,411–in all more than $3 million. “But we will never have a measure of all the resources that were required to produce this show” (p. 292).
And which design won? None of them. Trump rejected them all. And they all were toppled in just a few minutes. They were not sustainable nor viable. What did Trump do instead after this failed competition? He spent $147 million to build just 14 miles of a secondary border wall east of Dan Diego on Otay Mesa using the old bollard design. This is Trump’s wall. Mexico didn’t pay for it, US taxpayers did. $190 per linear foot. Just imagine what else could have been done with those resources to support schools, nurses, teachers, social services etc. What was waste.
September 3, 2020
An incredibly well-written, thoroughly researched book for anyone interested in what's going on at the border. I live in San Diego, and this book was written up in our local paper and that's how I found out about it; however I think anyone interested in current events, with particular emphasis on immigration, would find this book fascinating (in other words you don't have to be living in a border city for this topic to be relevant!). The author has met with and interviewed congressional representatives, charitable organizers, business owners, property owners whose land abuts the border fence, various law enforcement officials (local/state/federal) and people who reside on both sides of the border to present a clear picture of our current situation. I have many "tags" on this book for the many articulate points the author made which I wanted to remember and review when I finished the book--it's that good.
October 17, 2020
The books is largely about the US-Mexico border and the issue of immigration, both legal and illegal. Set over 2017 to 2018, the book follows the building of prototypes for Trump's border wall. But the real value of the book is the author's use of interviews to create a larger narrative about the nature of borders, citizenship, economic opportunity, and freedom. While following progress on the wall prototypes, he interviews immigrant activists, smugglers, border patrol agents, landowners on the border, Mexicans who live on the other side of the border, anti-immigrant activists, business owners and investors who make a living from the trade between the US and Mexico. For someone like me who has never visited the border, the book provides a rich and nuanced perspective on the border. Also, the books is very engaging and readable.
December 11, 2020
The first time I encountered what I call an "anecdotal interview book" was when I read the NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman. His best selling book From Beirut to Jerusalem is a series of seemingly impromptu conversations with the "common man" that I guess is supposed to build a picture or present a truth of some sort. It's a style of writing that I consider sloppy and not very insightful.
DW Gibson's book about the border wall is essentially the same approach. While there's nothing inherently wrong with a sociological look at life through the eyes of the border agents, the migrants, or those involved, it lacks academic rigor and depth.
DW Gibson's book about the border wall is essentially the same approach. While there's nothing inherently wrong with a sociological look at life through the eyes of the border agents, the migrants, or those involved, it lacks academic rigor and depth.
February 6, 2023
Mission Accomplished.
If indeed, DW Gibson set out to explore the various viewpoints of the people who live on both sides of the border, including those who wish to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, then , indeed he succeeds here.
Gibson identifies as a Mexican-American. He tells us though that he really looks like a white man.
Think about that for a moment. What advantage might that grant him in interviewing white border guards, immigration officers, or ranch owners? Would they not open up more freely in speaking to someone who they thought was "one of their own"?
You got it!! That is what makes this book so special.
Gibson does succeed in getting may views.
Warning: If you are narrow minded, you will not like being schooled by the voices in this book.
If indeed, DW Gibson set out to explore the various viewpoints of the people who live on both sides of the border, including those who wish to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, then , indeed he succeeds here.
Gibson identifies as a Mexican-American. He tells us though that he really looks like a white man.
Think about that for a moment. What advantage might that grant him in interviewing white border guards, immigration officers, or ranch owners? Would they not open up more freely in speaking to someone who they thought was "one of their own"?
You got it!! That is what makes this book so special.
Gibson does succeed in getting may views.
Warning: If you are narrow minded, you will not like being schooled by the voices in this book.
April 7, 2020
Living in San Diego for the last 3 years and this being a current issue, I felt this was a must read. The author talks and interviews many people on both sides of the wall and share their perspective. He even interviews troops and other security at the wall and shares their experiences and insights. Thoughtfully written and highly educational to learn about the construction of the wall and the lives it impacts.
If you want a hot topic to read about and learn about the border wall with a neutral perspective, this is you book!
Thanks to Netgalley, DW Gibson and Simon Schuster Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.. All opinions are my own.
If you want a hot topic to read about and learn about the border wall with a neutral perspective, this is you book!
Thanks to Netgalley, DW Gibson and Simon Schuster Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.. All opinions are my own.
September 8, 2020
This is a fascinating read for anyone interested in border issues in San Diego county. It is the story of both sides of the border in the area where the prototype walls were constructed, none of which ended up being chosen. The author interviews numerous people on both sides of the border including members of Customs & Immigration, ICE, Border Patrol, etc. He also interviews those who provide shelters for migrants seeking asylum. The author lets the reader draw his own conclusions about the border.
January 25, 2021
An narrative study and examination of the building of "the Wall" on the US Southern border with Mexico. The author looks at border cities and towns, the settlement and development of the area, the wilderness along the border, and those who live there. He travels across the border to learn more and investigates how this series of structures would and does obstruct life in the area.
Is this study a moot point? I guess only time will tell.
It's worth an hour or two to delve into the study.
Is this study a moot point? I guess only time will tell.
It's worth an hour or two to delve into the study.
August 13, 2020
Account of Trump's proposed border wall between San Diego and Tiajuana. The author possibly visited representatives of all of the stakeholders and the result is a messy and disjointed book (no fault of the author's) about a project that seems to be equally messy and disjointed with no end in site in spite of prototype building and lots of increased commercial building.
September 5, 2020
Very well-rounded exploration of the people and issues and geography of the border wall prototype project. Although balanced in many ways, we are pretty clear on where Gibson stands.
September 9, 2020
Is two years ago considered history? I liked the book because of the details new to me. But did not like the disjointed writing. May write more later.
March 1, 2024
Incredible book from start to finish! Provides an amazing overview of the US/Mexico border from so many different perspectives.
November 28, 2020
Some of the chapters are very good and highlight important issues related to the border wall. But overall this book ranges too far in its discussion into stories that don’t seem to be relevant. This should have been shorter with more interviews and less Roque De La Fuente.
October 6, 2020
Well written and well researched....great read for understanding the politics and logistics behind "The Wall" and our Southern Border.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews