Border Crossing
Manz is sure of one thing: he lives on the wrong side of the tracks in dusty Rockhill, Texas. Life is tough for everyone—his hard-drinking mother, her truck-driving boyfriend, even his privileged friend Jed—but especially for Manz, the mixed-race son of migrant apple pickers. If he could only get out of town, his life would be better.
When the summer heat sets in, Manz and Jed take a job rebuilding fence for a cattle ranch outside town. There he meets Vanessa, who works in the ranch’s kitchen. The two hit it off, but Manz isn’t sure he can trust her. As the dog days drag on, Manz must negotiate an unwieldy terrain involving his unpredictable mother, a best friend whose father uses him as a punching bag, and a simmering, creeping delusion that “Operation Wetback”—which brutally relocated illegal aliens deep in Mexican territory following World War II—has been put back into effect. Manz’s bright and questioning mind begins to give in to its own claustrophobic temptations as he finds guidance in the voices that have been growing louder and more insistent each day.
A revealing look a one young man’s struggle with identity and the effects of schizophrenia.
Like this book? Sign up for occasional updates
Jessica Lee Anderson
Jessica Lee Anderson is the author of Calli, Border Crossing, and Trudy, winner of the Milkweed Prize for Children’s Literature.
Praise and Prizes
You Might Enjoy
Calli has two loving moms, a good-looking boyfriend, and a best friend who’s always been there for her, but her charmed life takes a turn when Cherish, her new foster sister, comes into the family picture. Cherish lies, steals, and antagonizes Calli…
Trudy’s parents are older than other kids’ parents; they’re so old, in fact, that most people mistake them for her grandparents. When Trudy and Ma notice that Pop is acting funny—he forgets to pick Trudy up from school and starts to put groceries…
Isabelle Lee is a typical, wisecracking, middle-of-the-pack girl who just happens to be dealing with some big issues. Her father has died and no one—especially her mother—wants to talk about it. Meanwhile, Isabelle’s sister has messed everything up…
Every day Christine’s walk to school takes her past a talking alley cat. And every day the cat’s insights invariably give her something to ponder. Life is all about being clever, says the cat. And always looking out for yourself, first and foremost…
It is 1942. Korinna is an active member of the local Nazi youth group. When she discovers that her parents—who are secretly members of an underground resistance group—are sheltering a family of Jewish refugees behind her bedroom wall, she is shocked…