Luis Alberto Urrea-Across the Wire

This piece sent shivers through me, as it's supposed to. It made me feel guilty for sometimes hating the life I'm living or the person I've become. Urrea's memoir/journalistic piece about the dump-cities of Mexico was written so personally, he knew these people on a level more intimate than most. To the outside world they are filthy and poor, stupid, not worth the time to rescue. Urrea and his colleagues help with that they can, from gynecological exams for women like Pacha whose children died in childbirth, to Mrs. Serrano, who was severaly dehydrated and had dysentery while pregnant. His prose is expressive and tender, yet matter-of-fact and concise. Though he obviously feels for these people, he knows there are certain things that cannot be undone, certain rituals they do that will never be understood by outsiders, like the scene with the Serranos and the rat. I loved this piece.