Shane

Important Work on Human Smugglers

Revisado: 12-02-24

I devoured this book in three days. When I want my dog to take medicine, I will often wrap the pill in a piece of meat. Jason de Leon has essentially done this by grounding his ethnographic theoretical framework in a compelling narrative on the forces and social constructs that shape coyotes. You almost forget that it is an academic work at its core. It would be easiest just to say human smugglers are bad and call it a day, but de Leon provides a thoughtful and disturbing portrait of human smugglers and the circumstances shaping them. Like Oliver Twist who was shaped by an ugly society and the Industrial Revolution, guias are simultaneously victims and criminals taking what agency and control they can muster in the face of forces they themselves are struggling to understand. Oliver Twist escaped via the conventions of a fictional world, Kingston, Flaco, and Chino don't have that luxury and for that reason, you should spend a little time getting to know them. We all have some complicity in these forces. Jason de Leon rocks as the narrator especially since the text incorporates a lot of Spanish slang which requires some deftness.

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Solid addition to Climate Change Library

Revisado: 04-17-24

I purchased this book based on Mr. Lustgarten's interview on NPR. This is the sixth book I have read on Climate Change, so I will focus on what he adds to the ongoing conversation. I live in an area increasingly affected by heat and drought, and I did not explicitly connect this to my homeowner's insurance until I listened to this book. First, Mr. Lustgarten gives an excellent and clear explanation of the dangers posed by Climate Change and government subsidized home insurance programs which encourage people to continue to live in areas that are or will become untenable. Second, the book explores a very important question: Should YOU relocate because of climate change? This is a difficult question to confront and this book offers a provocative exploration of migration to and within the United States. Third, the section on Guatemala is very compelling in outlining and personalizing some of the underlying push forces that impact migration and are already being felt on US borders.

Many Climate Change books can be depressingly bleak, but this book has made me consider my own migration seriously!

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Thoroughly enjoyable

Revisado: 09-28-17

I have listened to many of the great courses in the past, and I rarely take the time to review a course. Professor Garland, however, deserves high praise. Although I have a bachelor's in history, I knew little about the Egyptians, Greeks, Roman, and Anglo-Saxons. Professor Garland gave me a sense of all these societies and moreover made me reflect on the shared points of reference we all have when our current world can be contextualized in terms of history. Professor Garland has a clear delivery and dry sense of humor. I generally listened to these lectures while exercising and I found them an engrossing distraction. I look forward to taking more of his courses.

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