A Land of Hard Edges: Serving the Front Lines of the Border

by Peg Bowden

A Land of Hard Edges: Serving the Front Lines of the Border is a series of true stories and personal reflections by Peg Bowden, a retired nurse, who volunteers at a migrant shelter on the Mexico border. The author lives in the Arizona borderlands, a sort of third country, with one foot in Mexico and the other in the United States. She joins a group called the Samaritans, traveling weekly to a shelter known as el comedor, providing clothing, medical supplies and counsel to migrants seeking the American Dream.

Investigating why thousands of people are willing to risk their lives crossing the Sonoran Desert into the U.S. where they are despised by so many, Peg begins to understand the complexities of human migration. She reflects on the power of love and family that drives people into the treacherous landscapes of southern Arizona.

Genres: Nonfiction

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 3, 2014

About the author

Peg Bowden is a retired nurse living on a ranch in the San Cayetano Mountains of southern Arizona, close to the Mexico border. She paints watercolors, practices the piano, and plays timpani in a community concert band. The last thing she wanted to do in her retirement was health care. And guess what? She is doing the most profound work as a nurse that she has ever done with the travelers heading north from Central America and parts of Mexico. Peg writes about her immersion into the politics of immigration and volunteers regularly at an aid station in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.

She lives with her husband, two dogs, a feral cat named Tamale, and a lot of open range cattle.

Reviews

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can it look like to step outside one's comfort zone, and try to help in some way, however small, in alleviating the pain caused by violent immigration policies? Bowden's book is about making the choice to open up rather than harden herself to the suffering near where she lives close to the border in Arizona, and follows her first year as a volunteer in Nogales, Sonora, and what she learns about the lives of the many people trying to cross.
I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but things get a little repetitive as it goes on, and some of the calls for immigration policy reform already feel a little dated, given that it was written several presidential administrations ago.

[Karen Fasimpaur · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "A Land of Hard Edges," Peg Bowden takes an authentic look at the human stories of migrants who are facing the consequences of a US immigration system that is badly broken. Bowden looks at the policy issues that have caused so many seemingly intractable problems, always doing so in a way that highlights the touching lived experiences of those involved.

Bowden's lovely writing style and unassuming personal grace makes these otherwise difficult to hear stories ignite a feeling of hope in the reader's heart.

This is an important book to read for its social and political message, but also a poignant depiction of universal human experiences that bring us together.

[Pam Fischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, this author and this book nail one of the reasons I moved to Tucson: I wanted to learn about a radically different part of America. She schooled me on an area an hour south of me. So much to learn. While this book was disjointed and digressive, it was one of the most important books I have read since I moved to the Southwest last August.

[Laura Kisthardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great storytelling, first person account of her first year volunteering with the Samaritans at El Comedor in Nogales Mexico.

[Lizz Axnick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye opening tale from a retired nurse and her experience working in a migrant camp in Mexico. This book will make you smile, cry and scream in frustration.

[Maya Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book just changed my life

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

-This book was so informative. I learned a lot about how rough it is to travel to the "land of the free" and be denied. Families are split apart, people are deported to a place they only spent their first 4 months of life in. These people, despite all of their hardships, are crazy optimistic. Persistent. Kind.
-The one thing I wasn't a fan of in terms of the writing style is the fact that the author would repeat a lot of her thoughts about something in the exact same way throughout the book. It possibly was intentional though.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book. This is a first person account of a woman who lives in Arizona and felt moved by the human plight of migrants dying in the desert trying to get into the United States. She began to volunteer across the border, and most of the book is personal and human stories of her experiences there. But I love that she also talks about the border guards, and her friends in the US. This is a broad perspective. She also expands into some historical perspective on US immigration policy, and what she sees as what reasonable, just, and humane choices from here. She doesn't pretend to have all the answers, but she tells us what it's like from the perspective of someone who has seen it up close.

Most of us don't live at the border. Peg Bowden can bring us a little closer. The book is easy to read and a great way to be more informed.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peg Bowden, in her book The Land of Hard Edges, shares her volunteer experiences, crossing the Border with a group of fellow Samaritans, to work in "el comidor", run by the Sisters of the Eucharist. The "comidor" provides meals, clothing and a listening ear to about 100 migrants daily who are in transition: either deported and searching for a way to get back to their southern relatives, or preparing for the grueling and dangerous trek north. It is a highly personal commentary filled with anecdotes and reflections. It's a good reminder of what is happening daily in our world.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars because I think everyone should hear these stories from real people about real people. I would recommend it for a book club choice. I know some of the Samaritans mentioned in this book, walked across the border at Nogales, went on a search with Mike Casey and talked with a young man deported because he was trying to get back to his mom and the area he grew up in. I saw him at the Comedor, where the stories in this book take place.

[Amy Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a personal point of view from a woman who volunteered at a facility on the US/Mexico border. She reports her observations of the difficult choices immigrants make and explores their needs, attempts and failures as they struggle to seek a better life for themselves and their families. I read this along with my 18 year old grand daughter who was reading it for a Bookgroup in her first year of college.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to understand some of the issues re. immigration and illegal crossers from Mexico and Central America, this authors stories of working with the Samaritan group will help you understand what's going on. Easy to read and heartbreaking at times. These are important realities you won't get from US news reports.

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly moving book! Bowden does a great job of giving names, faces, stories to the controversial political climate surrounding immigration. I would recommend this to everyone.