Migrantes de la pobreza. (Migrants of Poverty)
Reviewed by Kathleen March, Univ. of Maine -- Críticas, 2/5/2008
Ronquillo, Víctor.
Colombia/U.S.: Norma. 2007. 169p. ISBN 978-970-09-1546-3. pap. $14.38. SOCIAL SCIENCE
In both his journalism and his novels, Ronquillo blurs the difference between fact and fiction while also highlighting it. Offering a privileged glimpse into the covert world of illegal immigrants, much more detailed and understanding than what is found in the usual newspaper articles, he blurs that difference through the muted tone of a first-person narrator who observes an underworld of corruption, danger, and stoic survival. Yet he highlights the difference by portraying so many tragic lives. At first, his account may seem sensationalistic, but he vindicates himself with startling statistics, the repetition of select data, the detailed description of the deplorable living conditions south of the U.S. border, and the details provided by informants on both sides of the border. With brief brushstrokes, Ronquillo fleshes out significant features of different national groups and individual experiences. The result is a series of vignettes that perfectly illustrate the effect of migration on more than one national economy, culture, faith, and judicial system. This is testimonial literature done with subtle focus and skill; one cannot help but react to the exposé of the underbelly, not only of the illegals’ world but of the nations through which they are constantly moving. This book deserves to be read, studied, and discussed by wide audiences, and the questions it implies require answers. Highly recommended.
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