Ready for Book Club

Today I was under the wire to read our book club read for the month.  I have read this book at least once, maybe twice.  I have not read it for years.  One of the interesting things about rereading a book is that the same story can read differently.  How I interpret a book has to do with where I am in my life.
This is a tragic story.  Every time I read it, I feel the tragedy. 
This book was published in 1995.  People are even more aware of the problems caused by illegals entering California.  The interesting thing about this story is that it is told from both perspectives.  The couple that came to America hoping for a better life.  All they want is work.  They do not have big dreams.  An apartment with beds, toilets, and water.  Instead they live outside like animals.  Never knowing if they will have enough food to survive.  They are faced with one obstacle after another.  It is easy to have sympathy for them.  I wanted something good to happen to turn their lives around.  This story reminds me that we need to remember most of the people that come to our country illegally are coming for a better lives.  They do not want to cause problems.  They want jobs.
On the other side of the story is the hardships that having all the illegals in California cause.  There are higher crime rates.  People put in desperate situations that normally would not steal are sometimes forced to steal. 
It could be that prejudices can play a part in blaming Hispanics for all the problems. 
This time when I read the book I think that many of the anger towards Hispanics is displaced anger.  There are so many problems in California.  People have anger over traffic, bad economy, fires, floods.  Anger of many things going wrong.
I will save my indepth analysis for our meeting on Wednesday.  I will give a rating of the book after our meeting.  I am also anxious to get back to American Wife.  It is a great read.  But a long book!