The Crossing by Gary Paulsen

I have been a fan of Gary Paulsen since Dogsong and Hatchet were first published in the 1980's.  These novels have been beloved, particularly by boys, for the last thirty years.  I have also enjoyed Paulsen's nonfiction books like Guts and Puppies, Dogs and Blue Northers, so I was excited to see he had written the novel The Crossing because I am looking for books about immigration.

El Paso and Juarez, separated by the Rio Grande

 I found Manny's story compelling.  An orphaned Mexican boy living on the Juarez border is trying to cross the Rio Grande to the Promised Land.  Sergeant Locke's story was equally compelling; as Vietnam veteran, Locke drank nightly to keep the ghosts of dead comrades from haunting him.  Separately, I found these two stories plausible; however, as the two merge together, I began to be a little disappointed in the plot.  I just didn't believe it.

I don't want to give away the ending for those who might be interesting but suffice it to say that even though the novel ends on a hopeful note, I'm just not that optimistic.