The Author (Francisco Cantu)

Francisco Cantu is a former U.S. border patrol officer, now a writer. He is of Mexican ancestry, the son of a woman whose own mother devalued her Mexican heritage. The author describes growing up in an environment in which the exact opposite took place – in which his mother, in reaction to HER mother, made sure that her son knew about, and honored, the Mexican side of his family. This honoring included, among other things, ensuring that he was fluent in Spanish, an aspect of his identity that came in useful during his time as a border patrol officer, often called upon to interpret for migrants crossing the U.S. – Mexico border who could not speak English.

Meanwhile, the narrative’s somewhat fragmented, collage-like style places several other aspects of the author’s identity in juxtaposition with his Mexican heritage to define his experiences...