The land of open graves

Before I wrote down my thoughts, I wanted to let this book sit and linger in my mind for a couple of days. It was a rough book. Not rough in the “Ugh, there's such clunky academic language” sense of the word. De León is undeniably a spectacular writer; you don't need to be familiar with anthropology to understand this work. It's rough because it's just so damn heartbreaking. It's rough because I feel helpless to make it any better. It initially feels really invading and strange to read such vulnerable accounts, and De León is self-aware of that criticism. The author doesn't sugarcoat the depravity of American border policy and the lives it has cost. He argues that to do so would be to unfairly sanitize those policies and decenter the people most effected by them. He's so people-focused because the border policy in question dehumanizes border crossers in everyway it can.

At some point De León quotes Ruth Behar where she writes, “anthropology that doesn't break your heart just isn't worth doing...” and it's a quote that has stuck with me since then. I think it applies to the investigative professions in general. If your work isn't causing some sort emotional reaction — whether it be sadness or frustration — in you or your audience then maybe there's something wrong. While it's important to have raw data and a logical approach to things, humans are inherently story-minded people; let's (ethically) use that to make positive change.