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Illegal Cargo
Although he had never been the most present father, José Sendero, an elderly Salvadoran, has always wanted the best for his daughter, Helena, who now lives far away in America. When an unexpected messenger arrives at his door, José must decide whether to bury his head in the sand, or leave everything he knows behind to be there for his daughter when she needs him most. Written and illustrated by Mexico City-based comic artist Augusto Mora, Illegal Cargo is a 96-page graphic novel inspired by the touching true stories of everyday migrants on perilous journeys North from Central and South America.
- GenresGraphic Novels
108 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 16, 2020
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May 31, 2024
Illegal People
With multiple levels of meaning, the main character in this beautifully illustrated graphic novel is drawn to pursue his missing daughter by a shapeshifting spirit known as La Siguanaba. This part woman, part horse, sometimes with a skull face; has been known throughout Mexico and Central America since colonial times. You have to follow the thinking here to get the many meanings embedded into the art. I will try to break this down for you in sections.
Jose is described as an elderly Salvadoran. Understanding the place of the elderly in society, especially the poor and elderly, is very important. As we age we feel less capable. Older parents often become accustomed to perceiving themselves as inept, and their children as the providers that they themselves once were. Even parents who were quite independent, become hesitant to leave their home city where they have what they need. In the Global South, this has a dynamic that involves young adult children necessarily striking out on their own; following the migration corridors to provide for themselves, which their parents can no longer do. It is a leaving the nest rite of passage for many in the Western hemisphere. Just like many migrants cross the largest migration corridor in the world from Mexico into the United States; many Central Americans cross a much more dangerous migration corridor through Mexico, to get to the same destination. Many of these young people disappear in Mexico, never to be found. The criminal organizations operating in Mexico have found several ways of making illegal income from immigration. These ways include burglaries, attacks, kidnappings, and human trafficking. Authorities at various levels are often complicit.
You may wonder why their parents let them go. Most of them beg the children not to leave. Some Mothers cry. But, in the end, the parent knows that the adult child has no other options. Most people grow up and remain in their own city. Most of the people I grew up with never left town at all. It is normal to cleave to your homeland. This is human nature. But, when there is no help, young people realize that they have no one to depend on but themselves. They have to find a way to provide for whatever life they are going to lead. So, they strike out, and the parent consoles themselves with the idea that their child is living a better life somewhere else.
Historians believe that the Spanish brought the folklore of La Siguanaba with them when colonizing Mexico, to control the indigenous and Mestizo population. She is supposed to lure men into the desert where they become lost. She appears as the figure of a woman who hides her face. Then she is revealed to have either a horse's head or a skeleton face. When a journalist appears and informs Jose that she traveled with his daughter Helena for part of her journey, and later lost contact with her in Mexico; Jose is at first reluctant to listen to this emotional woman. He insists that his daughter is doing well in the United States now. He wants to believe she is safe. Later, La Siguanaba appears to Jose in a dream, urging him to find his daughter. He sets out to face the dangerous trial with a photo of Helena. The nightmare images are part of the illustrations throughout Jose's journey. Though Jose seems unconcerned at first, he overcomes his fears and goes in search of his daughter. This would take a lot of courage to make the journey despite the dangers. Jose is no hero. He is an ordinary old man with his own fears.
La Bestia is the name given by migrants to the beast-like freight trains rolling through Mexico. This is the safest route for most Central American migrants to avoid many of the dangers of passing through the unstable country. But, the Beast is very dangerous itself, maiming many who ride atop the freight cars for life, and killing many others. The Train of Death wends its way through this graphic novel, as Jose encounters robbery, and many other perils.
Many in Mexico and Central America also relate La Siguanaba to another female spirit: La Llorona, the Crying Woman who wails and laments for her lost dead children. Legend has it that she killed them herself because of the unfaithfulness of her husband. There is a huge psychological layer there beneath the expression of these myths in Jose's dreams. There is the journalist urging him to leave his home and find his daughter. There is the guilt of a parent who fears he is ultimately responsible for her death. There are the unfaithful leaders of these failed countries who fail to make life feasible for their own children. There are the parent groups (mostly Mothers) in Mexico who are, like Jose and La Llorona, searching for their children. It can even be said that the author of this graphic novel has heard the wailing of the crying women of Central America searching for their children. The author himself has been drawn by the spirit of the crying women (La Llorona, the Crying Woman) to sketch the problem.
This graphic novel was written in English, and I have it in the Kindle format, though it is available in print hardcover and paperback. It is a fast read and well worth having. The Migration phenomenon has existed from the dawn of time. Being a migrant is a natural course of life on Earth for many peoples, and animals for that matter. It is featured in the Bible in Christianity. Some of the most revered Fathers of Christianity were migrants and would be reviled in the United States today as illegal people. But, if you face facts, (and Hebrews 11) they were often reviled in their own time as wanderers. For this reason, the Old Testament in several places delineates provisions for strangers, and widows, and orphans, because as it reminds the Hebrew Israelites; they themselves were strangers in Egypt, without a country of their own. According to Jesus in the New Testament, (Matthew 25) the Stranger is Jesus Himself in disguise. If you are interested in the human problems of... well... humans, then you will enjoy this graphic novel. It is artistic and better expresses what I have said. After all, a picture paints a million words.
With multiple levels of meaning, the main character in this beautifully illustrated graphic novel is drawn to pursue his missing daughter by a shapeshifting spirit known as La Siguanaba. This part woman, part horse, sometimes with a skull face; has been known throughout Mexico and Central America since colonial times. You have to follow the thinking here to get the many meanings embedded into the art. I will try to break this down for you in sections.
The Elderly, The Young, and the Migration Phenomenon:
Jose is described as an elderly Salvadoran. Understanding the place of the elderly in society, especially the poor and elderly, is very important. As we age we feel less capable. Older parents often become accustomed to perceiving themselves as inept, and their children as the providers that they themselves once were. Even parents who were quite independent, become hesitant to leave their home city where they have what they need. In the Global South, this has a dynamic that involves young adult children necessarily striking out on their own; following the migration corridors to provide for themselves, which their parents can no longer do. It is a leaving the nest rite of passage for many in the Western hemisphere. Just like many migrants cross the largest migration corridor in the world from Mexico into the United States; many Central Americans cross a much more dangerous migration corridor through Mexico, to get to the same destination. Many of these young people disappear in Mexico, never to be found. The criminal organizations operating in Mexico have found several ways of making illegal income from immigration. These ways include burglaries, attacks, kidnappings, and human trafficking. Authorities at various levels are often complicit.
You may wonder why their parents let them go. Most of them beg the children not to leave. Some Mothers cry. But, in the end, the parent knows that the adult child has no other options. Most people grow up and remain in their own city. Most of the people I grew up with never left town at all. It is normal to cleave to your homeland. This is human nature. But, when there is no help, young people realize that they have no one to depend on but themselves. They have to find a way to provide for whatever life they are going to lead. So, they strike out, and the parent consoles themselves with the idea that their child is living a better life somewhere else.
La Siguanaba, the Spirit Leading Men to Become Lost in the Desert:
Historians believe that the Spanish brought the folklore of La Siguanaba with them when colonizing Mexico, to control the indigenous and Mestizo population. She is supposed to lure men into the desert where they become lost. She appears as the figure of a woman who hides her face. Then she is revealed to have either a horse's head or a skeleton face. When a journalist appears and informs Jose that she traveled with his daughter Helena for part of her journey, and later lost contact with her in Mexico; Jose is at first reluctant to listen to this emotional woman. He insists that his daughter is doing well in the United States now. He wants to believe she is safe. Later, La Siguanaba appears to Jose in a dream, urging him to find his daughter. He sets out to face the dangerous trial with a photo of Helena. The nightmare images are part of the illustrations throughout Jose's journey. Though Jose seems unconcerned at first, he overcomes his fears and goes in search of his daughter. This would take a lot of courage to make the journey despite the dangers. Jose is no hero. He is an ordinary old man with his own fears.
The Beast - The Train of Death:
La Bestia is the name given by migrants to the beast-like freight trains rolling through Mexico. This is the safest route for most Central American migrants to avoid many of the dangers of passing through the unstable country. But, the Beast is very dangerous itself, maiming many who ride atop the freight cars for life, and killing many others. The Train of Death wends its way through this graphic novel, as Jose encounters robbery, and many other perils.
Missing Children and the Crying Women:
Many in Mexico and Central America also relate La Siguanaba to another female spirit: La Llorona, the Crying Woman who wails and laments for her lost dead children. Legend has it that she killed them herself because of the unfaithfulness of her husband. There is a huge psychological layer there beneath the expression of these myths in Jose's dreams. There is the journalist urging him to leave his home and find his daughter. There is the guilt of a parent who fears he is ultimately responsible for her death. There are the unfaithful leaders of these failed countries who fail to make life feasible for their own children. There are the parent groups (mostly Mothers) in Mexico who are, like Jose and La Llorona, searching for their children. It can even be said that the author of this graphic novel has heard the wailing of the crying women of Central America searching for their children. The author himself has been drawn by the spirit of the crying women (La Llorona, the Crying Woman) to sketch the problem.
This graphic novel was written in English, and I have it in the Kindle format, though it is available in print hardcover and paperback. It is a fast read and well worth having. The Migration phenomenon has existed from the dawn of time. Being a migrant is a natural course of life on Earth for many peoples, and animals for that matter. It is featured in the Bible in Christianity. Some of the most revered Fathers of Christianity were migrants and would be reviled in the United States today as illegal people. But, if you face facts, (and Hebrews 11) they were often reviled in their own time as wanderers. For this reason, the Old Testament in several places delineates provisions for strangers, and widows, and orphans, because as it reminds the Hebrew Israelites; they themselves were strangers in Egypt, without a country of their own. According to Jesus in the New Testament, (Matthew 25) the Stranger is Jesus Himself in disguise. If you are interested in the human problems of... well... humans, then you will enjoy this graphic novel. It is artistic and better expresses what I have said. After all, a picture paints a million words.
August 5, 2020
Illegal Cargo is a 96-page graphic novel about José Sendero, an elderly Salvadoran on a perilous journey to find his missing daughter. Inspired by the true stories of everyday immigrants on their way to the United States from places like South America and Mexico and the tireless work of humanitarian organizations like Las Patronas who support them. Written in English by Augusto Mora, a Mexican artist and author of various web comics, graphic novels, and short stories
These types of stories are always tough to read because they’re so heavily based on real trauma and events. The story is a heartbreaking one, and you really empathize with José and the other immigrants as they face numerous life or death perils on their journey. The point of this comic is to raise awareness about social issues just as much as it is to tell a good story. On both accounts it succeeds
In addition to following José I also enjoyed the storyline featuring the benign spirit (La Siguanaba: part woman, part horse skeleton) pushing him onward, as well as the one with the Mexican gangsters. The art is also gorgeous, the varying characters and terrain rendered in vivid detail and beautiful colors. The story moves quickly and ends on a somber, somewhat dissatisfying note (though I understand the point of it), but all in all I really enjoyed this book!
Congrats to @augustomora on a job well done, and special thanks to @abenttoe from @blackpanelpress for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
These types of stories are always tough to read because they’re so heavily based on real trauma and events. The story is a heartbreaking one, and you really empathize with José and the other immigrants as they face numerous life or death perils on their journey. The point of this comic is to raise awareness about social issues just as much as it is to tell a good story. On both accounts it succeeds
In addition to following José I also enjoyed the storyline featuring the benign spirit (La Siguanaba: part woman, part horse skeleton) pushing him onward, as well as the one with the Mexican gangsters. The art is also gorgeous, the varying characters and terrain rendered in vivid detail and beautiful colors. The story moves quickly and ends on a somber, somewhat dissatisfying note (though I understand the point of it), but all in all I really enjoyed this book!
Congrats to @augustomora on a job well done, and special thanks to @abenttoe from @blackpanelpress for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
Read
December 8, 2023Diamond Bookshelf review pending
February 2, 2024
It’s so frustrating to read stories like this where those hurting the most, those trying to find their family or seeking safety, are taken advantage of by other hurting individuals and criminals. But I also find it inspires me to talk more about immigration and the U.S’s dehumanizing laws and regulations surrounding the border and immigrants.
So many people talk about immigrants as if they’re snakes popping out of the grass to bite you. Immigration is one of those topics that everyone has a different take on but here’s the thing: it’s all bullshit. The laws and regulations and border patrols and everything keeping human beings from going where they need to seek help or safety. We’re arguing semantics while real people risk their lives to ride atop a train, or ask strangers if they’ve seen their child. Every human is deserving of love, safety, and respect. And we need to act like it.
Anyone who plays devil’s advocate or wants to discuss “them taking our jobs 🙄” is ignorant. Debate is great and all but not when lives are on the line. Sorry to get on my soapbox like some annoying white lady. But it’s so simple: let people in. Help them. Protect and shelter them. There is enough water. Enough shelter. Enough money to create a sustainable community of mutual aid and instead we argue about law and words and paper. I don’t care about that bullshit.
Laws exist for a reason, maybe. But there should ALWAYS be exceptions for the sake of humanity and particular circumstance. Immigrants should always be allowed in. They aren’t sitting around plotting how to take your corporate office job, Susan. They’re just trying to live in a room with four walls and running water. They just want a safe bed and to know where their children are.
The system is irreparably broken and we’re trying to band-aid it. We need a new system. Not a quick fix.
So many people talk about immigrants as if they’re snakes popping out of the grass to bite you. Immigration is one of those topics that everyone has a different take on but here’s the thing: it’s all bullshit. The laws and regulations and border patrols and everything keeping human beings from going where they need to seek help or safety. We’re arguing semantics while real people risk their lives to ride atop a train, or ask strangers if they’ve seen their child. Every human is deserving of love, safety, and respect. And we need to act like it.
Anyone who plays devil’s advocate or wants to discuss “them taking our jobs 🙄” is ignorant. Debate is great and all but not when lives are on the line. Sorry to get on my soapbox like some annoying white lady. But it’s so simple: let people in. Help them. Protect and shelter them. There is enough water. Enough shelter. Enough money to create a sustainable community of mutual aid and instead we argue about law and words and paper. I don’t care about that bullshit.
Laws exist for a reason, maybe. But there should ALWAYS be exceptions for the sake of humanity and particular circumstance. Immigrants should always be allowed in. They aren’t sitting around plotting how to take your corporate office job, Susan. They’re just trying to live in a room with four walls and running water. They just want a safe bed and to know where their children are.
The system is irreparably broken and we’re trying to band-aid it. We need a new system. Not a quick fix.
May 9, 2023
Probably down as an interesting failure, this starts well, and ends as an advert. We begin with a down-on-his-heels old man not really worried that the last of his immediate family has dropped off the radar on her way from Latin America into the US. It's only when a spectral figure presents itself and demands he go looking for her that he sobers up and starts caring. Cue a journey much as his daughter would have taken, into the world of gangs killing each other for control of fresh meat, and the charitable societies and groups helping all migrants unquestioningly. The train journeys towards the Rio Grande are evoked very well, until an open ending and a bit of end-matter that proves this is a love letter to the shelters, soup kitchens and so on that these people rely on. So of course there's nothing about the problems faced by regions receiving economic migrants by the boatload, or the greater issues surrounding and causing all of this in the first place. Don't get me wrong, this certainly has some good drama, but in the finish it lacks the needed character we can really and thoroughly feel for, with the wash-out seeking redemption not that loveable.
September 15, 2023
Illegal Cargo is a graphic novel by Augusto Mora based on actual refugee stories, about a fictional/composite José Sendero, a Salvadoran heading north to find his missing daughter, Helena. He’s already lost two kids, and is in despair when a documentary filmmaker finds him and tells him she is missing. The journey is treacherous, as he encounters brutal gangs, thieves, extortionists. People are robbed, killed, along the way.
It’s an appropriately grim story, but we also see international aid organizations, protests, all discussed in a useful afterword. I also like the presence of a spirit, La Siguanaba--part woman, part horse skeleton--pushing him onward, not letting him give up. I really like the dark but lively artwork, capturing the bleak situation, but also some of the energy, the commitment.
It’s an appropriately grim story, but we also see international aid organizations, protests, all discussed in a useful afterword. I also like the presence of a spirit, La Siguanaba--part woman, part horse skeleton--pushing him onward, not letting him give up. I really like the dark but lively artwork, capturing the bleak situation, but also some of the energy, the commitment.
June 13, 2024
LIGHT SPOILERS
A short graphic novel that weaves its way through violence and bleak turns to end with a powerful message about collective action/activism being the solution to individual desperation. I liked the light supernatural element to this, and the ending struck a good balance of both feeling finished as a story, and leaving some open-ended grief. I also appreciated the short author reflection at the end regarding immigration policies in Mexico.
While the end author reflection takes up broader policy, the story's villains are violent, ugly/scary-looking characters in gangs. I wondered if there was some way for the story to take up these policies as driving a lot of the evils, rather than really focusing on these bad guys as purely bad guys on their own.
A short graphic novel that weaves its way through violence and bleak turns to end with a powerful message about collective action/activism being the solution to individual desperation. I liked the light supernatural element to this, and the ending struck a good balance of both feeling finished as a story, and leaving some open-ended grief. I also appreciated the short author reflection at the end regarding immigration policies in Mexico.
While the end author reflection takes up broader policy, the story's villains are violent, ugly/scary-looking characters in gangs. I wondered if there was some way for the story to take up these policies as driving a lot of the evils, rather than really focusing on these bad guys as purely bad guys on their own.
November 2, 2024
Augusto Mora’s book “Illegal Cargo” gives an unflinching account of the risks, heartaches, and potential misfortunes endured by illegal migrants, particularly those taking the Mexican route to enter the United States. It details the dangers they face and the exploitation that occurs during their journey, and it sheds light on those who benefit from human trafficking and the trail of blood that is left behind.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK
Illegal Cargo poignantly shows the emotional toll that the Mexican route experience takes on the migrants, and its frank portrayal of the ugliness of this issue offers readers a powerful understanding of the human costs of illegal migration.
DISLIKES
Nothing.
WHO IS IT FOR
This is for anyone and everyone.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK
Illegal Cargo poignantly shows the emotional toll that the Mexican route experience takes on the migrants, and its frank portrayal of the ugliness of this issue offers readers a powerful understanding of the human costs of illegal migration.
DISLIKES
Nothing.
WHO IS IT FOR
This is for anyone and everyone.
August 6, 2020
Thank you Black Panel Press for a copy of this incredible book.
Illegal Cargo tells the story of Jose, a father in El Salvador searching for his grown daughter, Helena. She had been attempting to migrate to the US in search of the ‘American dream’, but disappeared in Mexico.
There is incredible risk in the journey, and Mora doesn’t sugar coat it. It’s not a story that gets wrapped up in a pretty bow at the end - it’s messy and realistic. As someone with little knowledge about that kind of journey and the risk involved, this graphic novel was quite the education.
The illustrations are stunning and raw; they compliment the story really well and send a message you don’t need to read to understand. The back of the book contains more information about this kind of journey - make sure to read that as well. Yes, I’m assuming you’re going to go read it - because everyone should.
Illegal Cargo tells the story of Jose, a father in El Salvador searching for his grown daughter, Helena. She had been attempting to migrate to the US in search of the ‘American dream’, but disappeared in Mexico.
There is incredible risk in the journey, and Mora doesn’t sugar coat it. It’s not a story that gets wrapped up in a pretty bow at the end - it’s messy and realistic. As someone with little knowledge about that kind of journey and the risk involved, this graphic novel was quite the education.
The illustrations are stunning and raw; they compliment the story really well and send a message you don’t need to read to understand. The back of the book contains more information about this kind of journey - make sure to read that as well. Yes, I’m assuming you’re going to go read it - because everyone should.
August 25, 2023
A bleak story about an El Salvadorian man who goes searching for his daughter after she goes missing in Mexico while trying to make it to the U.S. This was harsh but ends like it probably does for a lot of parents. Immigration's a difficult issue to discuss but better to face it than ignore that it's there.
April 22, 2023
Very very hard hitting and sad. It certainly exposed me to a topic I didn’t know about in regards to immigration from Central America. I was very sad to see Jose didn’t get a happy resolution; but sadly that is the likely reality many families face.
June 2, 2024
The art was decent and the story was as well. I found it was lacking in depth and I didn't expect it to be "fantastical" (the messenger). I was surprised the person who I thought was the main character never showed up again...
September 2, 2020
Braid with the HBO documentary "Which Way Home" and the classic film "El Norte" for an inquiry into the harrowing experience of Central American migrants through Mexico en route to the United States.
June 6, 2021
Incredible, beautiful, important book.
December 20, 2022
Beautiful sad story that is very real.
Want to read
April 29, 2023Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.
March 31, 2024
This highlighted an issue I hadn’t ever considered: the challenges and dangers migrant folks face when traveling from Central America through Mexico, en route to the United States.
August 15, 2020
Illegal Cargo fit a full story that didn’t feel rushed in its 96 pages and the art was nice. It feels like a hero's quest, minus them returning to the start, checking the boxes of a goal, adversity, action, failings, perseverance, etc. I just didn't emotional connect to it until the end.
The ended was a surprise gut punch. Which on this topic could be anything. Mostly because it was sad and I expected it to go a different way.
This book is a call for attention and action on the problem of people going missing and facing violence while trying to have better life opportunities.
I received a review copy.
The ended was a surprise gut punch. Which on this topic could be anything. Mostly because it was sad and I expected it to go a different way.
This book is a call for attention and action on the problem of people going missing and facing violence while trying to have better life opportunities.
I received a review copy.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews