The Crossing

This book is about Manny a little mexican boy who befriended a Sergeant from the US Army. Manny wants to cross into America and convinces the Army man to help him. Will he make it?

I did not like this book it was sad and did not end well. The book didn't make to much sense.

I would not read this in a classroom anywhere. ( )

This was a sad book. I liked that in the end the main character succeeded in having a chance to get into America. ( )

This is the story of a fourteen-year-old orphan boy living on the streets of Tijuana whose life is changed forever by an encounter with an alcoholic American soldier. Manny Bustos's life on the streets is hard -- constantly hungry, never knowing where he'll lay his head at night, having to run from predators of all kinds. He dreams of making "the crossing" over the Rio Grande to a better life in America.

In real time, the story covers only a few days. Paulsen paints the scenes in minute detail. His writing style here makes me think of Hemingway: simple sentences, clear phrasing. I was impressed by this book. Though it's gritty, it's not explicit and would be suitable for younger readers, tweens as well as teens. ( )

Colter Brantz
EDCI 4120/5120

Paulsen, Gary. (1987). The Crossing. New York: Orchard.

Grade Levels: 6-9
Category: Realistic Fiction
Read-Alouds: 20-31 (Meeting the American) 52-60 (Under the bridge) 79-90 (A day with the benefactor)

Summary: Manny Bustos is a small, fourteen year old street boy from Juarez, Mexico who has no family and nowhere to call home. In the opening of the novel it is apparent that Manny plans to leave Juarez and illegally enter the United States in search of a life better than the one he has lived previously. From Manny’s perspective, any life in America would be better than the one that he lives in Mexico. Manny has to beg for food and for money, and in so doing be careful that none of the other street boys steal his earnings in order that they may eat. One fateful evening Manny encounters a drunken American soldier outside a bar and Manny tries to pick the soldier’s pocket. During the attempt the soldier, Robert, catches Manny, but does not alert the authorities. Instead, the man and boy develop a kinship that serves to save one from himself and the other from the world at large. Manny finds in Robert the first shred of hope that he may survive his crossing to America. However, the novel closes with Robert dying in his effort to save Manny from one of many predators in Juarez, and the reader is left with the hope that Manny will succeed.

Themes: The primary theme in this book is the callous cruelty that pervades border towns, and leads to illegal immigration. Paulsen’s story asserts that in many cases American’s are very much to blame for the circumstances that lead to desperate attempts to enter the United States. Beneath these more obvious themes, Paulsen also explores the uncertainty of morality in a world in which conventional conceptions of morality do not apply.

Discussion Questions:
Do you think that Robert is correct in not turning in Manny to the police, or do you think that his decision is justifiable?
Is it wrong for Manny to steal given the circumstances of his life? Do are traditional ideas of morality make sense in Manny’s world?
Does Manny provide Robert with anything, or does he simply take from the wealthy American?

Reader Response: Paulsen presents a perfectly paced story that opens the readers eyes to a social problem of which most Americans are unaware. He clearly presents a potential root cause for the desire of many Mexican Citizens to risk their lives to enter the United States. Rather than judging an “illegal” practice as immoral, he presents the motivation behind the act, and in so doing creates sympathy in the reader. In addition, Paulsen also shows the reader how those who save are often in need of saving, and that those in need of assistance can provide their benefactors with every bit as much as they take. I enjoyed the fact that Paulsen tackles weighty moral issues in a book that will also maintain the attention of a young reader. ( )

14yo Manny is an orphan in Juarez, Mexico. He competes with his bigger, meaner rivals for the coins American tourists throw off the bridge between Texas and his town. Across that heavily guarded bridge await a different world and a better existence.On the night when Manny dares the crossing--through the muddy shallows of the Rio Grande, past the searchlights and the border patrol--the young man encounters an old stranger who could prove to be an ally or an enemy. Manny can't tell for certain. But if he is to achieve his dream, then he must be willing to risk everything--even his life.