The Line Becomes A River

One of the perks of being a writer is you get sent proofs of books. Most are not for me but occasionally you get sent a gem. The Line Becomes a River is such a book. It is stunningly good. Beautiful, smart, raw, sad, poetic and humane… It’s the best thing I’ve read for ages – James Rebanks, author of THE SHEPHERD’S LIFELyrical and moving… Cantu describes the borderlands and his work there with a raw-nerved tenderness that seems to have been won from both the landscape and the violence he was implicated in. Told in three increasingly soul-searching parts, The Line Becomes a River frequently feels momentous… Remarkable – William Atkins * Guardian *Tender, lyrical, and with a singular poise that is unsentimental and restrained, in prose as clear as desert air – John Paul Rathbone * Financial Times *[A] must-read memoir … Cantú’s skill as a writer proves an equal match for his material. A digestible account of US and Mexico relations, a nuanced portrait of Mexican cultural blessings and ills, The Line Becomes A River is a page-turning personal story that holds until the final page and wrenches long after. – Olivia Cole * GQ *A raw, compelling memoir… The Line Becomes a River offers an eloquent rebuke to all those who look to build walls rather than build bridges between people. – Nick Rennison * Sunday Times *Fascinating and heartbreaking. – Lucy Scholes * The Independent *Humanity is the preoccupation of The Line Becomes a River—recognizing it, acknowledging it, salvaging it. – Carlos Lozada * Washington Post *Cantú’s sparsely poetic non-fiction debut is timely … Radio 4’s Book of the Week is brilliantly evocative of the starkly beautiful reaches of the desert and of the human stories behind the statistics. Alongside the personal dimension, Cantú intelligently explores the history and causes of Mexican immigration to America, and the US response. * Radio Times *[Cantú’s] compelling, tragic account may help to break down the wall for others, too. * The Economist *Opening the pages of The Line Becomes A River is like entering a new world. – Suzanne Lynch * Irish Times *

Francisco Cantú was an agent for the United States Border Patrol from 2008 to 2012, working in the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. A former Fulbright fellow, he is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize, a 2017 Whiting Award, and a 2018 Art for Justice fellowship. His writing and translations have been featured in The New York Times, Best American Essays, Harper’s, and Guernica, as well as on This American Life. He lives in Tucson and coordinates the Southwest Field Studies in Writing Program at the University of Arizona.