Border of Death, Valley of Life: An Immigrant Journey of Heart and Spirit (Celebrating Faith: Explorations in Latino Spirituality and Theology) [Hardcover]

Daniel G. Groody (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 2002 | Series: Celebrating Faith: Explorations in Latino Spirituality and Theology

This book is a powerful first-hand account of religious ministry reaching out to heal the lives of desperate people who come to the United States, often illegally, seeking a better life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Millions of U.S. immigrants—and not only Mexican immigrants—owe Groody a debt of gratitude not only for his personal love and care for them but also for his profound and touching reflections on how immigrants can turn their sufferings of living in a foreign land into a source of spiritual transformation. His chapters on Corazon rehabilitado and Corazon animado are the richest writings on the spirituality of migration I have been privileged to read. I wish this book had been available when I came to this country as a refugee. It should be put in the hands of every immigrant and refugee as well as in the hands of those who work for and with them. (Phan, Peter C. )

Border of Death, Valley of Life is an engaging and thoughtful look at the physical and spiritual struggles of Mexican immigrants. Through personal stories, the reader walks in their footsteps, experiences their emotions and fears, and observes the beginning of their spiritual renewal. (Cruz Bustamante )

Anyone who is serious about the challenges facing our increasingly multicultural Church in the United States will welcome Father Groody's insights. By opening up for us the riches of a Mexican immigrant spirituality, he helps us better understand and respond to the Gospel imperative to welcome the stranger in our midst. (Roger Cardinal Mahony )

Daniel Groody speaks at the intersection of the grassroots and the academy, spirituality and theology. Weaving sharp speculative skill together with a passion for people struggling to create a home in an alien land, Groody provides a thoroughgoing systematic reflection rooted in the spiritual experience of Mexican immigrants on the border. An invigorating reading of Christian faith from the heart of a suffering people. (Downey, Michael )

In Border of Death, Valley of Life, Daniel Groody unveils a hidden image, i.e. the heart of the humanity of Mexican immigrants. This unveiling shows how Mexicans, guided by the living images of Jesus and La Virgen de Guadalupe move from broken hearts to flowering hearts, from strangerhood to spiritual community. Seldom, if ever, have the dangerous crossings and spiritual crossings of Mexican immigrants been rendered so honestly and so hopefully as in this book. The diverse and profound voices of the border crossers is joined to the pastoral voice of the author to suggest that a living theology has been created in the desert of Aztlan. (David Carrasco )

Daniel Groody has succeeded in translating the heart of the immigrant into a profound, compassionate spiritual narrative. He beautifully weaves together the life of the spirit with a passion for justice as he writes about the humanity and dignity of the undocumented immigrant. Not only does he speak about the transformation of a people but also he completely transformed the way I think about Catholic theology and spirituality. I deeply respect, admire and celebrate the work of this creative and inspired theologian. (Sandra Cisneros )

Groody argues that spiritual as well as physical cures are needed for people who risk death in an inhospitable desert, who undergo the psychological death of leaving their families and culture and who experience alienation in a society often rejecting them in a language they do not understand. (Catholic Telegraph )

It is a remarkable study that requires follow-up by other scholars of spirituality, practical theology, community development and social ethics. (Allan Figueroa America )

Describes the Mexican immigrants' life in detail, gives a moving account of their religious devotion, especially at a four-day retreat, and shows the profound influence on their culture of devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. (Theory Digest )

This thoughtful and moving book, written with both scholarly care and pastoral commitment, documents the suffering, hope and spirituality of poor Mexican immigrants in the United States. Groody's direct experience of the reality he describes, and his academic gifts, lend a rare authority to his writing. (The Way )

Border of Death, Valley of Life represents a pioneering work of the spiritual lives of Mexican immigrants. Groody's book is clearly written, and photographs documenting the border crossing, religious shrines, and retreat activities provide a visual perspective on the topic. (Western Historical Quarterly )

Groody is to be commended for lifting up the evangelizing witness of a people that have all too often been designated as needing only to be evangelized. (The Journal Of Religion )

About the Author

"Daniel G. Groody, C.S.C. is an assistant professor of theology and associate director of the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame. A priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Groody has lived and worked among immigrants in various parts of Latin America, especially along the U.S.-Mexican border. He holds a doctorate in theology and Christian spirituality and has focused much of his research on Hispanic spirituality and conversion. He is also the executive director of special projects at Catholic Television of San Antonio and an adjunct faculty member for the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio and Tepeyac Institute in El Paso, Texas."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 212 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (July 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742522415
• ISBN-13: 978-0742522411
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,007,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #72 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Other Denominations & Sects

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real eye-opener, February 5, 2003

By 

Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Border of Death, Valley of Life: An Immigrant Journey of Heart and Spirit (Celebrating Faith: Explorations in Latino Spirituality and Theology) (Hardcover)

Daniel Groody is a Holy Cross priest -- the order that runs Notre Dame. Assigned to work with Mexican immigrants in Southern California, he learned first-hand the realities of border crossing. I was reminded of the old Willie Nelson song about a planeload of "deportees" that crashed with little concern from the authorities.

Groody is not a sentimentalist and he tries to be even-handed. Although he registers appalling behavior on the part of the Border Patrol, he includes interviews with Border Patrol members in his research, and he acknowledges that there is a much larger picture: the relationship between the US and Mexico.

Groody focuses on the way individuals experience immigration. As I noted in my own book, Making the Big Move, identity change creates the greatest stress in any relocation. Here Groody talks about the way immigrants from Mexico also experience spiritual hunger as they seek to be united with a new community.

Perhaps the most vivid and memorable part of the book comes in the description of the four-day retreats, a program implemented by the clergy but designed by former participants who literally speak the language of the immigrants.

It is especially moving to read of the reaction of the "candidates," the new immigrants, as they are greeted enthusiastically by the staff and are served meals by the staff. Staff members apply for coveted positions -- and they actually pay $75 a week to work in the program.

Living eighty miles from the Mexican border, here in New Mexico, I've crossed checkpoints on the highways, often several hundred miles north of the border. Usually the guards just wave "Anglos" through and we rarely even stop. This book was a real eye-opener. At the end, I found myself wondering why we spend millions of dollars to keep out these people, instead of using the money to develop proactive programs here and in Mexico. Something is not working.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable book about the human spirit and grace, August 16, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Border of Death, Valley of Life: An Immigrant Journey of Heart and Spirit (Celebrating Faith: Explorations in Latino Spirituality and Theology) (Hardcover)

Daniel Groody saw first hand the continuing tragedy of illegal immigration and what happens to these people who risk their lives to find an opportunity to work. He describes a program in Southern California that treats the immigrants with respect and restores their dignity. The Church has its problems these days, but this is a story of the good that it fosters and a dramatic illustration of what religion can do in the lives of people. You will never look at the problem of immigration the same way again after reading this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Border of Death, Valley of Life: An immigrant Journey of Heart and Spirit, February 8, 2010

By 

Yadira Guzman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Border of Death, Valley of Life: An Immigrant Journey of Heart and Spirit (Celebrating Faith: Explorations in Latino Spirituality and Theology) (Hardcover)

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