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Not my cup of tea... But very poignant and relevant to today.
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The Crossing
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A critically acclaimed tearjerker from a master On one side of the border is brutality and heartache; on the other side--a new life. 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.
114 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1,1987
This edition
- Format
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114 pages, Mass Market Paperback
- Published
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December 1, 2005 by Scholastic Paperbacks
- ISBN
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9780439786614
- ASIN
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0439786614
- Language
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English
About the author
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Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.
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Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
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100 reviews All reviews
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Excellent - would like to know what happens to Manny.
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In The Crossing, young Manny longs for a better life. On the streets for many years, he has learned to survive by begging for money and food. Running alongside Manny's story is that of Lt. Locke, a complex character who is drinking in order to forget memories that torment him. For me, the story felt forced, and I didn't quite connect with the relationship between Manny and Locke, I think it could've used more development by the author. Manny's difficult life on the streets is realistically portrayed, but in the end, I found the overall story to be lacking.
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Finished reading The Crossing by Gary Paulsen. He's a prolific author that writes in a number of ways.
Many of his works are coming of age stories.
This one seems to be, but it is not. You'll meet a young boy, a street urchin (one step...) and it seems like you'll follow him through his trials, but you don't. You'll see his life, you'll hear his desire, you may even think the book is about him.
No.
The alcoholic marine stops. He hears him...as he heard so many others. So...the little boy wants me to ask. Just like all the others...all the others lying against the green...the ones I could not help...they all wanted me to ask. They all wanted me to ask: "What do you want me to do?"
This time he asked the question and did not abandon his duty.
We have a duty to others (to help others) because of who we are. Not because of who they are, or because some authority demands it, but because of who we are.
Many of his works are coming of age stories.
This one seems to be, but it is not. You'll meet a young boy, a street urchin (one step...) and it seems like you'll follow him through his trials, but you don't. You'll see his life, you'll hear his desire, you may even think the book is about him.
No.
The alcoholic marine stops. He hears him...as he heard so many others. So...the little boy wants me to ask. Just like all the others...all the others lying against the green...the ones I could not help...they all wanted me to ask. They all wanted me to ask: "What do you want me to do?"
This time he asked the question and did not abandon his duty.
We have a duty to others (to help others) because of who we are. Not because of who they are, or because some authority demands it, but because of who we are.
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Heavy with meaning. Brilliantly crafted.
On the Mexico side of the border town Juarez, fourteen-year old Manny has one wish: cross the river. Hunger, border patrol, violently competitive beggarboys, and men in pointy-toed boots who hunt people as much for profit as for pleasure demand a lifestyle of absolute lies. Just to survive.
Seargent Robert S. Locke comes from the other side regularly to systematically liquor-drown haunting truths of his own past. Robert the soldier runs on autopilot. Robert the man stays numb as possible.
Until
the two meet. Robert the man emerges just twice, once for a bull, and once again for Manny.
Though not as violently explicit as Paulsen's NightJohn, the generically phrased references to men who buy small red-haired boys (among other vices mentioned) will raise questions in young readers. Parental/teacher guidance strongly recommended.
On the Mexico side of the border town Juarez, fourteen-year old Manny has one wish: cross the river. Hunger, border patrol, violently competitive beggarboys, and men in pointy-toed boots who hunt people as much for profit as for pleasure demand a lifestyle of absolute lies. Just to survive.
Seargent Robert S. Locke comes from the other side regularly to systematically liquor-drown haunting truths of his own past. Robert the soldier runs on autopilot. Robert the man stays numb as possible.
Until
the two meet. Robert the man emerges just twice, once for a bull, and once again for Manny.
Though not as violently explicit as Paulsen's NightJohn, the generically phrased references to men who buy small red-haired boys (among other vices mentioned) will raise questions in young readers. Parental/teacher guidance strongly recommended.
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Deep and dark. A homeless boy in survival mode tries to find his way across the border. He latches onto a man, who is a heavy drinker trying to escape his own demons. Both sad lives briefly intertwine is this short read.
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Overall the book was good it had a lot of symbolism and even though it was a short story it had a lot of deeper meaning.
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Manny Bustos is a small orphan in Juarez, Mexico. He wants to cross the border for better life in America. Because of his body size he is at a disadvantage to gather money and cross the border. But, when he meets with an American Sergant his life is changed. Manny is able to cross the border and say goodbye to the life he had in Juarez: living under cardboard and barely having enough food to survive. He has new life in America.
The Crossing by Gary Paulsen is a great book that expresses the hardships of people in countries who do no have as much as people in America. Manny Bustos, the main character, is an orphan in Jaurez, Mexico who wants to cross the border. He is constantly starving. He needs new life in America. He finds an American Sergant which he forms bond with throughout the book. The Crossing also shows how Americans can waste their money in the eyes of a small orphan boy. This book would be good for high school students both genders.
The Crossing by Gary Paulsen is a great book that expresses the hardships of people in countries who do no have as much as people in America. Manny Bustos, the main character, is an orphan in Jaurez, Mexico who wants to cross the border. He is constantly starving. He needs new life in America. He finds an American Sergant which he forms bond with throughout the book. The Crossing also shows how Americans can waste their money in the eyes of a small orphan boy. This book would be good for high school students both genders.
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