The Short Sweet Dream of Eduardo Gutiérrez

by Jimmy Breslin

The Short Sweet Dream of Eduardo Gutiérrez is a towering achievement by one of America’s most respected journalists. A work of conscience that travels from San Matías Cuatchatyotla, a small, dusty town in central Mexico, to the cold and wet streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, this searing exposé chronicles the life and tragic death of an undocumented worker, along with broader issues of municipal corruption and America’s deadly and controversial border policy.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Journalism, Immigration, Biography, Book Club

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Jimmy Breslin was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American columnist and author. He wrote numerous novels, and pieces of his have appeared regularly in various newspapers in his hometown of New York City. He was a regular columnist for the newspaper Newsday until his retirement on November 2, 2004.

Among his notable columns, perhaps the best known was published the day after John F. Kennedy's funeral, focusing on the man who had dug the president's grave. The column is indicative of Breslin's style, which often highlights how major events or the actions of those considered "newsworthy" affect the "common man."

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let us now praise the late Jimmy Breslin, a man who seemed incapable of writing dully. The Times in its obituary today called this "perhaps the quintessential Breslin" book, but I find it something of an outlier, although it demonstrates many of his virtues, the prose that is breezy but not without substance, dense with information without sinking of its own weight. And it has the trademark scornful wit aimed in the direction of politicians, in this case Rudy Giuliani and his too-close relationship with some shady builders associated with the Hasidim, dedicated voters. Breslin may have been the only writer in history who could make a narrative involving building inspectors and their reports (and bureaucratic clashes) move swiftly. But in this narrative he reaches far beyond the New York City that so possessed him to a small town in the Mexican countryside, the home village of the titular character. Despite straying so far from the five boroughs, he (or, more likely his researchers) spent considerable time talking to and understanding the people who knew Eduardo Gutiérrez. In that sense, the book is a considerable achievement, despite the very occasional mistake (Gutiérrez came from Nahua territory, not the Maya region, which is much farther south, has a completely different language, and whose people have emigrated at much lower rates--at least those not the object of brutal attack by the Guatemalan government). But in a sense, those Mexican villagers, whether at home, undergoing the trauma and danger of emigration, or underpaid at dangerous jobs where they are afraid to complain, are quintessential Breslin characters--not the gifted talkers he loved so much (Gutiérrez himself was almost pathologically shy), but the underdogs who keep on, the people trying to make their way against terrible odds. Breslin's subject was usually New York, but his prose travelled more widely than a lot of writers who use a lot of different settings.

[Donnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It all about the systems and the assholes who run them.

[Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I was put off by Breslin's masturbatory writing style, but as the book goes on it becomes more and more accommodating and acceptably lyrical, and in the end it's quite a powerful book. Though digressive as all hell, Breslin paints a spot-on portrait of New York City and municipal government corruption, but most of all he humanizes the most anonymous character on the city street, the illegal Mexican worker. With tenderness and trenchancy, he brings the abstract statistic to glorious life.

[Seán · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Jimmy Breslin. I know he's a cantankerous old bastard, and his output hasn't always been 100%. This book, however, should be used as Exhibit A in any argument for his continued relevance.

Here, Breslin recognizes new wrinkles in the eternal hyprocrisy of the city and the world. If you live in a neighborhood with a heavy Mexican and Central American population, particularly a large day-laborer section, you owe it to yourself and your neighbors to read the story of Eduardo Gutierrez and his travails from Puebla to Brooklyn.

[okyrhoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's something offputting about the narrative voice, especially in the beginning - the forced lyricism coming off as stilted and stuckup - soon though the compelling story takes over and it's an engrossing story from then on.
There are a host of facts and details that seem to be besides the point at first, of course in the end the threads unite into the single inescapable fact that Eduardo's fate was at the mercy of sociopolitical forces beyond his control.

[Kathryn Lurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing work of embedded journalism. Breslin tells the story of Eduardo Gutierrez, a Mexican immigrant who becomes a day laborer in Brooklyn. This story is a raw, no-frills recounting of Eduardo's life, and the plight of Mexicans who attempt to live the so-called American dream.

[Jeanne]

An important book, because it seeks a sort of justice by telling the story of how Mexican immigrants to the US are relegated to invisibility through that of Eduardo Gutierrez, one such immigrant who was killed in the name of profit and greed. From describing Gutierrez's small hometown, to giving us an idea of the fear and danger involved in crossing the border, to detailing the internal politics of New York and each individual decision and action that lead to the death of Gutierrez, Breslin weaves all of these threads into a complex but cohesive whole.

I didn't enjoy his writing style at first - everything seemed a bit jumpy, as if he's going on a tangent every other page - but by the second half of the book it really comes together. It's sad as you near the end, not only because Gutierrez dies, but because the his death is that much more tragic now that you know everything he and others like him have been through. Eduardo was twenty-one years old when the building he was working on collapsed and he fell three stories and drowned in wet concrete. Twenty-one. I'm twenty-two. He traveled thousands of miles to get to where he did, he was supporting his family in Mexico, he was in love, and he had his whole life ahead of him.

I'll hold off on rating the book.

[Becky Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't find this book as engaging as others likely did (I thought there were too many elements and issues presented in too few pages) but I do think that Breslin did a great job of approaching what is clearly a vast, historical, and complex issue in a succinct way and through the eyes of a young man who may otherwise be forgotten by society - as so many in his shoes often are.

I would recommend this for people who want to learn more about or are already interested in immigration rights, urban poverty, international human rights, racial profiling, housing fraud, etc.

[NayDoubleU · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read this book because of my English course class for college. I was already upset that I had to read it (not my taste for books) so I disliked it from he beginning. It was an interesting read. Seeing the back stories of immigration that most people don't know about but it was a little hard to keep up with. I often felt confused because i couldnt really keep up with which character was talking. It was as if they just popped out of no where. I don't know maybe I'm just not smart enough to keep up.

[Marleah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at a very sensitive issue in today's politics...illegal immigration. It was very eye-opening for me to see a side of the immigration issue that I had not previously thought about. It is also interesting to see what the author has to say about the corruptness of Hillary Clinton and Rudy Guiliani.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The voice of the narrator is a little disconnected for me, but maybe it's the jounalist in the author. The story is a moving and emotional one that I wish were required reading. It's plain and unflinching in the truth of the matter. Highly recommended for the end product. I'd also recommend "Christ in Concrete" for those interested in further reading around this issue.

[Patrick Nichol · Rating 4 out of 5]

A seething indictment of the treatment of illegal labour in New York City.

An excellent reporter, Breslin traces Eduard's life from his rootss in Mexico to the illegal job site that killed him. You'll shake your head in disbelief.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read about an illegal alien, but it is a little hard to follow because stories of other illegals are interspersed throughout the book.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was powerful. I liked it a lot, and I highly recommend it!!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pairs up well with Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis, but with a narrower focus on two intertwining stories of desperate immigrant family and corrupt builders in NYC. In terms of craft and in-depth research, it calls to mind work of contemporary John McPhee. Breslin, though, has the far more acerbic tongue, which benefits from judicious and dry employment. Other than the odd column here and there, my first reading of Breslin. The words match the rep. Glad I bought copy of Library of America edition of his work. Looking forward to reading more, much more. 4 1/2 stars.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Short, Sweet Life of Eduardo Gutierrez is a story of the injustice that falls on immigrants, from the day they are born to their border crossing to their dangerous work conditions. In this case, those work conditions ended the life of this young man. He wasn’t the only one, either.

I remember reading Jimmy Breslin’s columns starting in the 1980s, and this book lived up to my memory of the interesting stories that Breslin always wrote. This book sets the scene in Puebla, Mexico. We then get a good idea of the danger crossing the border, and finally the living conditions and meager wages in Brooklyn, NY. The story made me angry at how some people get rich off of others with no regard for the people they hire.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

captivating story, but journalist's writing style can be difficult to follow

[Elizabeth Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read's like Upton Sinclair's The Jungle in a shorter format. Meh.

[Nina Postma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unique, complex, and intricate. A book that requires your full attention.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible narrative based on a true story. The amount of sub-characters that were introduced and were parallel but not part of the main story were confusing though.

[Justin Trombly · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this slim one are masterworks of sentences

[Katie Anselmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone living in Trump's America.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

powerfully​ written loved the small details, some bits seemed to wander off, but overall an education

[Reet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breslin did a first-rate job researching this book. Good for him for exposing crooked politicians and builders in New York, who use broke Mexicans in their illegal get-richer schemes. I felt in a rage most of the time I was reading this. I'll miss you, Jimmy Breslin.