Tour Stop: The Wall by David Pereda

THOMAS BERTRAM is an American living in San Salvador with his fiancée CECILIA. They own a 

popular neighborhood restaurant and plan to wed soon. Thomas's dream is to obtain a resident visa

 for Cecilia and return to the United States.

DOMINGO JIMENEZ and his wife BLANCA own a small repair shop across the street. Domingo's 

dream is to move to America as well so that his seven-year-old daughter NANCY can grow up speaking

 English and having a good education and a better life than he and Blanca had.

When armed gang members invade their neighborhood to demand "protection" money and 

them with death if they don't pay, Thomas and Domingo's dreams for the future take on a new

 perspective. They decide to flee the country with their families through Guatemala and Mexico to 

seek asylum in the United States.

But their journey is more challenging than expected, and they face a myriad of difficulties and must

 overcome multiple obstacles that put not only their dreams but also their lives at risk.

 

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Thomas’s first impression was that Ciudad Juarez was a city suffering from schizophrenia.

Based on the Reforma newspaper article he was skimming before he fell asleep, the s

chizophrenia was even more severe than it appeared from the airplane window. According to 

the report, murderous dark forces moved underground through the city with impunity.

 Coexisting with a well-educated and law-abiding middle class breathed some of the world's 

most feared and violent drug cartels. And while the local police bragged about having achieved

 a drastic reduction in crime over the past decade, more than 1,000 women had been murdered

—and over 3,000 reported missing during the same period.

The article hinted at a police-force cover-up—and even possible police involvement—and 

blamed the crimes on the transient population seeking to cross the border illegally into the 

United States. It ended with an impassioned plea to Mexican authorities. 

It all read like blah-blah-blah to Thomas.

As the jetliner banked for a runway approach, he spotted some of the transient population 

described in the article. Small groups of people dotted the protracted chain-link fence, plastic 

bags either slung over their shoulders or resting on the ground at their feet. Thomas wondered 

how much the article's writer had been paid to blame those poor souls whose only desire was

 to find a better life in the United States. 

Cecilia saw them too. “What are those people doing?” 

“Waiting for night,” Thomas said as the plane straightened, and he lost sight of the fence. 

“To cross to the other side.”

The pilot landed with a jolt. After a couple of bounces that elicited frightened cries from alarmed

 passengers, the aircraft rolled to a stop on the tarmac in front of an oblong cream-colored

 building. Cecilia, Alex, and Thomas deplaned and were guided toward one of the doors by

 uniformed immigration officials. The sun was so hot that Thomas’s skin crinkled.

“We have to go through immigration?” Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow. “I thought we were in

 Mexico.”

“Border towns in Mexico always check your documents,” Alex said. “I don’t know why. I guess

 it’s in case you’re planning to cross into the United States illegally.”

Cecilia glanced at Thomas with concern, and he noted the dark circles under her eyes.

My Raing: 4.5 Stars
My R commendation: 9.5 stars

(I received this book free in exchange for my honest review)

Hooked me from the start. Well written and crafted this book delivered an emotion punch to the feels. This book is a must read. It highlighted the struggles of having to leave everything you know behind in order to try and have a better, safer life.

This book will pull at you heart strings, have you evaluating your own privilege, and have you wondering what you could do to help. This book gets my super high recommendation and my stamp of approval. 

Happy Reading

-E.A. Walsh

 

 

 

David Pereda is the award-winning author of eleven thrillers and mainstream novels. His

 books have won the Lighthouse Book Awards twice, the Royal Palm Awards, the National Indie 

Excellence Awards, and the Readers Favorite Awards twice. He has traveled to more than thirty 

countries around the world and speaks four languages.

Before devoting his time solely to writing and teaching, Pereda had a successful international

 consulting career with global giant Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked with the governments 

of Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, and Qatar, among others.

A member of MENSA, Pereda earned his MBA from Pepperdine University in California. He

 earned BA degrees in English literature and mathematics at the University of South Florida in

 Tampa. He loves sports and has won many prizes competing in track and show-jumping

 equestrian events.

Pereda lives in Asheville, North Carolina, where he teaches mathematics and English at the 

Asheville-Buncombe Community College.

Visit him online at: 

www.davidpereda.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Pereda-Writer/345490998614

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidPeredaAVL

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/davidmpereda

 

 

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