Edwardsville Public Library discussion

This discussion will be moderated by Jacob D. and will begin March 10th.

The relationship between the Border Patrol workers and walkers is an interesting dynamic. The interplay between the two sides is described as a game, even a friendly one at times. It is a bit odd to think of patrol workers as having a friendly relationship with repeat daytime offenders. It is also interesting to consider how many lives border patrol might have saved by supplying water to lost walkers, but at the same time the border patrol has a term 'Tonks' for the sound of a flash light hitting a skull of a potential border crosser or Coyotes. I suppose all types of law enforcement have varying reputations, from heroic first responders to the worst offenders of police brutality. In the harshest, most desolate desert, the border patrol (with their supplies of drinking water) might seem like a safety net for hopeful border crossers, who surely wouldn't try to cross in such a desolate place if the patrols hadn't locked down urban borders so thoroughly.

Does the border patrol seem to differ in any fundemental way from other forms of law enforcement?

The author describes the sensation of thirst and dehydration in painfully vivid detail--the idea of drinking urine sounds less and less crazy as this section of the book goes on. This is followed by some grisly details about a human body baking in the sun. I found these to be some of the most effective parts of the book. I will definitely be a bit more concerned about my car breaking down next time I'm driving through the desert.

Did anyone find these as effective? Or does the author go overboard in these descriptions?