Ok s I have read almost write a couple of mini reviews or statements regarding this book. So here goes
1. The author can write, no doubt about it. The story on the surface is interesting and the descriptions and storytelling are excellent *****.
2. The book is very sad and depressing. Yes the reader certainly gains a better understanding of what dangers are involved in trying to get into the USA. But this is not America's fault. As many things blame needs to be placed where it belongs, the Mexican government. If it weren't so corrupt, if it broadcast the risks of trying to cross the border, if it didn't look to America as the solution to its corruption and ineptitude ****.
3. The book is too long. And there is plausibility issues. The way the book is told, I.e. The creative way Hector dictates the story is not believable. Furthermore it is hard to believe he wouldn't interact with the others who are stuck with him **.
4. The reason Cesar is trying to cross is silly, in my opinion **.
I think this author's other books are non fiction, and I think that is a better choice for this author. Again the writing is excellent it is just the story is a bit far fetched- not that it couldn't happen, but that the way it develops for the reader. ( )

John Vailant does not write fluffy beach books. He writes brilliant, important, socially relevant books, and makes them such easy and engaging reads! When he wrote about tigers [b:The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival|7624594|The Tiger A True Story of Vengeance and Survival|John Vaillant|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320490797s/7624594.jpg|10109525] he gave us everything about the tigers, their history, their, present perilous situation, etc. In this novel we are introduced to Hector an Oaxacan who is trapped in an abandoned and sealed water truck somewhere in the desert. This is the story of how Hector found himself in this situation. It is also the story of many who risk their lives to cross illegally into the USA.

This book should be required reading for all High School students and definitely all USA politicians. It is not a difficult read, but it is a thoughtful, impactful one. It was very educational for me, as I thought the reason behind this difficult, often deadly journey was financial. That is part of the story for many, but there is so much more leading these people to risk everything; death, rape, life-long debt, loss of family and more, to head North.

Vaillant has Hector tell his story as he lies, alternately freezing and boiling, in the body of the truck, wondering if he will survive. He has his friend's cell phone with it's dying battery, and he is sending out his story to a contact in the phone, as his last hope, for rescue, or if that fails, at least for his story to be known.

The story goes as far back as Hector's grandfather and it includes many aspects of life in his home province of Oaxaca. We learn about the daily life, culture, education, and corruption in Oaxaca. We see how rapidly things are changing. There are themes that are relevant to everyone, issues that effect all of us, and we see them through his eyes.

There is a mystery within the story and there is obvious suspense. In this novel we have history, social relevance, moral issues, engaging characters, love stories, brilliant writing and yes, a jaguar. What more could you ask for? ( )

Welded into a water truck with other illegal immigrants, our narrator crosses the Mexican-US border and is abandoned by the drivers when the vehicle breaks down. Much too depressing for me -- I abandoned this book, though I can see how it would speak to many people. ( )

Desperate to escape their dire circumstances in Mexico, Hector & Cesar pay for passage to America and allow themselves (with great trepidation) to be sealed inside an old water–tank truck.

As drinking water runs out and people start to die, Hector finds a number on Cesar’s phone for Annie Mac and leaves messages for her on her voice mail, hoping that they will transmit when there “are bars”.

Before the truck can reach its destination, it breaks down and the driver and his assistant abandon the truck in a desert wilderness area.

The tension in this story is exquisite. Will the driver return? Will anyone survive? What will Annie Mac do when she receives these increasingly despairing messages?

This story is especially relevant today with the issue of non-legal immigration across the USA’s southern border being such a hot button topic. Warning: there are many words and phrases, even entire sentences in Spanish. If, like me, you know no Spanish, this can impinge a little on reading enjoyment, although even I got the gist of such remarks as “And a dead indio will be something to discuss at la comida.”

I highly recommend The Jaguar’s Children.

5 stars ( )

"It is a tradition in the pueblo to bury the baby's plancenta in the dirt floor of the house. It means you will always come back. For most of us it is a root into a place, but for my father I think it is a chain."

This book packs a punch. It is heart-breaking and poetic and powerful. I might have to bump my rating up to the full five stars because I. Cannot. Stop. Thinking. About. It. I don't even know where to begin, really. It's about illegal immigration. And desire. And dreams. And it is also about how greed and small-mindedness make these things mostly incompatible.

Héctor tells us his story and it begins inside of a water truck - a group of illegal immigrants hoping to travel from Mexico to America have been sealed inside a tanker truck which has been abandoned. The journey was only supposed to take a few hours, so they have not come prepared to be trapped for days. It is dark and dank, and the temperature varies from beyond hot to unbearably cold. I mean, it's a metal tank. The sides are rounded, so they cannot even stand up or change position easily. It's a nightmare, and as someone who suffers from claustrophobia, it is beyond the realm of my imagination how they could even begin to cope with the situation without completely panicking. I had to read in bits and pieces at first because it was too much.

Héctor is traveling with his friend César, who has been hurt, and as the story unfolds, we learn that César's phone has become their lifeline - or it would be if they could reach anyone. To keep himself grounded and remain cognizant, Héctor begins telling his story and also César's story, and the stories become bigger than the moment because they are not just the stories of an individual but of a people.

"But in here, we have no trail to follow and no one is finding us. So how do we keep going? In the morning, my mother makes the fire from nothing, only by blowing on the gray ash. You can't see it from the outside, but the fire is in there waiting for someone to notice, waiting for some reason to burn again. Waiting - en español "to wait" is the same as "to hope" - esperar. Besides chingar, esperar is the other official verb of Mexico, and it is what I do for you all this time - all these hours and days and words." ( )