El Tercer Pais: San Diego y Tijuana Dos países, Dos ciudades, Una Comunidad

by Michael S. Malone

The product of scores of interviews with citizens of San Diego and Tijuana - from everyday working folks to the leading figures - this is the first book ever to look at the two-hundred-year history of the two cities and chart how their relationship has evolved from conflict to interdependence to cooperation. El Tercer Pais combines hard-nosed journalism with insiders' perspectives to create a celebratory look at how the two cities have gone beyond decades of distrust and wariness to become the most successful bi-national, bi-lingual "twin cities" on the planet - and a model for comparable border cities everywhere. And further, a vision for deeper collaboration between the three countries of the North American continent.

445 pages, Paperback

Published September 29, 2020

About the author

Michael S. Malone is a journalist and author who has been nominated for the Pulitzer price twice for his investigative journalism contributions. He has a regular column Silicon Dreams in Forbes (previosuly Silicon Insider for ABC)


Wikipedia entry

Reviews

[Unleash The Knowledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two of the most important cities in North America are so physically close they would touch if not for being separated by a wall at the US-Mexico border.

The sunshine and beautiful beaches of San Diego and the impoverished city of Tijuana are a rock throw away from one another. Considered sister cities. Michael S. Malone dives deep and shares the unforgettable tale of war and peaceful cooperation, dependency and shared destiny, exploration and amity between the two countries, two cities that make up one community.

I was first attracted to this book because I’ve been to both cities. About 6 years ago, I participated in a 2-week excursion to build homes for families in need in Tijuana. We spent time in San Diego between trips. I was able to see firsthand the drastic economic change between the two cities, however, also the loving bond they possess. Heading into the trip, we were told we would have a culture-shock moment - and yes, we did.

This book will allow you to take a similar path as I did to experience both cities. Despite the physical divide, many travel from one city to another on a daily basis for work and business. Michael S. Malone in El Tercer País tells the story of these two cities for the first time.

[Carolyne Zinko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes a look at border relations between the U.S. and Mexico in a fresh, new way, describing the historical, cultural and political forces that have shaped the relationship between San Diego and Tijuana and led to what has been described as "the most dynamic cross-border community in the world." Far from a dry, academic tome, this book is filled with vivid stories of visionary people who helped create the thriving mega-region that San Diego and Tijuana are today. I didn't know Tijuana, population 2 million, is bigger than San Diego and a center of factories making TVs, trucks and medical equipment with high-tech manufacturing plants. Or that Deborah Szekely, the founder of Rancho La Puerta and the Golden Door spa, is the person with whom the binational partnerships started back in the 1930s. Those SENTRI, TSA Precheck and Global Entry passes we use at airports? These electronic passes were originally developed for this very border, to allow hundreds of thousands of commuters a day to cross legally to work, school and more. This book demonstrates the benefits of porous, but securely managed borders. Best of all, it reads like a fiction book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to teach this book to my 12th grade humanities class at a school where we are scant few miles from Tijuana. I'd love more citations and clear references. There are few books that address this region and how it interacts.

[Bruce MacDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most interesting

A great discussion of the history and growth of the two country, two city common community of San Diego and Tiajuana.