Welcome to Litsy!

De Leon is an anthropologist who spent years getting to know Honduras smugglers and spotlighting their job, why they do it, how they do it, how the job affects them, relationships to cartels and gangs and so forth. We often look down upon these men, the violence and drugs that surround them, but De Leon saw through these stereotypes and gave an in-depth picture of the whys to it all as the reader gets to know the individuals and their stories.

Americans love their heroes to be perfect and their villains to be the worst humanity has to offer. Those who smuggle their fellow man over borders illegally seem to be the worst of villains. I had doubts as to whether the author could make good his promise of portraying complex, often violent, individuals as those who have often been under threat of death, live close to the bone themselves, and at best are survivors of dire circumstance. He did.

Anthropologist De León spent years in Mexico, getting to know the stories of those who “guide” undocumented people to the US border. We vilify these people, but we find through his book that they are human beings who are struggling and running from danger at home. This is phenomenal, and I‘m so glad it‘s on the NBA nonfiction short list. It would be a worthy winner.

I enjoyed this - quick, easy read.

Fresh flowers from my garden and a new book!

The father in this book is one of the most interesting characters I have read in a long time. There is a lot going on in that man. 🛖

Writing for National Geographic, the author accompanied an expedition into an incredibly remote and untouched region of Honduras in search of proof that an ancient city had once existed in the rainforest. Cutting edge lidar technology enabled them to uncover the past at a site that was truly dangerous, not least from aggressive and deadly fer-de-lance vipers. What they found was amazing, but the risks were even greater than they knew. Fascinating.

Next up - some more nonfiction
After reading chapter one - What could possibly go wrong? 🐍🕷️🐛🐜

It was hard to choose a book for #September , because I read quite a number of standout books! This is Preston‘s nonfiction account of exploration & danger. Preston writes with humor and knows how to build suspense and describe scenes enough that I felt itchy from the bugs. It‘s fascinating. #12BooksOf2023

Honorable mentions:

How Can I Help You by Laura Sims
The Murder of Mr Wickham by Claudia Gray
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Highly recommended: captures the courage and terror of people fleeing through #Mexico from #Guatemala, #ElSalvador, and #Honduras in the hope of a safer life in the U.S. Centred on “The Beast,“ a train to which people cling in any way possible through Mexico. Martinez does a fabulous job of interviewing people from various backgrounds and at all stages of the journey. #ReadingtheAmericas2023 #Nonfiction2023 #StillHaventfoundwhatI'mLookingFor