The Dispossessed: A Story of Asylum at the US-Mexican Border and Beyond, by John Washington (Verso, 2020, 334 pages, $26.95)
The Title Says It All: A Memorable Book Club Selection for Discussion
Do you know the difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee? How about the etymology of asylum or crisis? And what about fear? The history of the concept of refugees and how it plays throughout the past century is well-covered yet still provides much food for thought and discussion.
Author John Washington takes the reader through a large smattering of literature, poetry, history, politics, international relations, current events, and the account of one young man from El Salvador who attempts to make it to the US - three times! In other words, both the subject matter and the details are well-covered: history and government positions (dry, in places) and human interest stories (however, it is a long book and could easily have been abridged to reach a larger audience).
One father is separated from his 6-year-old daughter for a month in US detention before both are returned to their country of origin: to get to the US, they had paid a coyote thousands of dollars and spent days in a 'safe' house and many hours in a semi-trailer, crowded in like sardines with no water or food or facilities. Once in US custody with little knowledge of English he is subject to the whims of asylum judges and even some corrupt border patrol agents.
Highlights
I highlighted nearly 40 pages which is too many to include here but that fact reveals so much about what is important about The Dispossessed.
You are much more likely to be killed by lightning - twice - than to be killed by an improperly vetted immigrant (1 in 328 million)(page 40). ("That is, offering refugees a roof doesn't threaten your life, but denying them one threatens theirs.")
We have, as a nation and as a world, been focused more on the result of refugees than the cause of refugees, climate change being one (e.g., Guatemala). New highways (and runways) are conduits to employment but also to gangs and narco trade and the emptying of resources.
What's Missing
It is obvious the author has done his homework and read reams of books and reports: I only wish he had included a bibliography or reference list although he does provide enough information that the reader can easily search for and find the published paper or book. And, not being a Central America expert or a current events person or Spanish speaker, I also would have appreciated maps (the meanings of the Spanish words and phrases that Washington uses are fairly easily discernible from the context).
We Cry for One
As has been said, we cry for the death of one person but the death of hundreds is just a statistic. The Dispossessed alternates between history of government policies and retelling one young man's story and his attempted escapes from El Salvador to 'break' into the US - the times he arrives and is eventually deported back home to danger and possible death once again.
The Dispossessed is perhaps the book that may goad you into volunteering if your church is a sanctuary. "It's easy to be outraged: it's hard to act. . . . Waiting for the government to . . . implement any positive change, will be waiting too long." (page 325) Perhaps we can't extend our roof because the foundation is in shambles (page 324).
The Dispossessed is one book that you will not soon forget.
Of Course, There is a Dog!
Page 329's photo does show a couple of cute pups (no caption, of course - is that the new norm in publishing?) and pups were mentioned elsewhere, too.
Caveat: This book was sent to me for review.
Comment: This review has been overwhelmingly frustrating - there are so many quotes and ideas I wanted to include to explain the importance of The Dispossessed. Had I been able to include them all, the review would be pages longer. I guess you will just have to read with a highlighter as I did!
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