Let's Talk About Your Wall

August 17, 2020
Novelist Boullosa (The Book of Anna) and Literalia editor-in-chief Quintero collect Mexican perspectives on President Trump’s border wall, the history of U.S.-Mexico relations, and the nature of citizenship and sovereignty in this wide-ranging and eye-opening anthology. In “Snow and Borders,” linguist Yásnaya Elena Aguilar Gil examines how the creation of nation-states and borders “prevent free passage through the world” and “gave rise to the phenomenon of mass migration.” Novelist Yuri Herrera (A Silent Fury) reflects on the “parallel worlds” of the English- and Spanish-speaking communities of New Orleans, where he lives, and the “silence and selective hearing” behind narratives of a Latin American invasion of the U.S., in “After the White Noise.” Mexican diplomat Porfirio Muñoz Ledo discusses decisions that individuals and families make when deciding whether to emigrate, and an entry attributed to the National Human Rights Commission describes murals painted as part of a project engaging the topic of migration through the Mexican art tradition of muralismo. Well curated and richly detailed, these essays provide essential context for understanding how U.S. policy and social attitudes are perceived across the border. Readers will gain fresh insight into the immigration debate.