Customer Reviews

The Crossing

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The Crossing was about an orphan named Manuel Bustos. Manny was his nickname. He was a poor Mexican boy. Manny lived on the streets and slept in a cardboard box. He had no time for heroes. He needed to scrap, fight boys bigger than him for money. The two most important things to Manny were to survive and to find a way to get across the border. As part of Manny's daily routine, he would go to the bridge by the Rio Grande and watch the " turistas," tourists throw coins to him and the rest of the beggers. When Manny catches money he has to run fast before the bigger boys try to beat him up and steal his money. One day when Manny was being chased by the bigger boys he went into an alley behind a club called "Club Congo Tiki." Manny out ran them and hid in the alley. When Manny was in the alley a drunk man named Sergeant Robert S. Locke went into the alley and started vomiting. He had to much to drink. Manny slowly tried to reach for the Sergeants wallet. Manny was taking advantage of the weak and drunk Sergeant. Manny stole the wallet and started running with it. Robert chased after him. At one point Robert caught up to him and grabbed Manny on the arm. Then a police officer was walking by and he saw Robert holding Manny tightly. The officer said, " What's going on here?" Robert was a little spaced out but he remembered seeing Manny on the streets. Robert replied as, " Nothing officer." The officer left and Manny thanked Robert. Robert then got his wallet back. That was the beginning of Robert and Manny's friendship. Robert and Manny became close friends. Robert let Manny follow him around, eat with him, and be his friend. Both Robert and Manny needed each other as friends. Manny had no one to pay for him or to talk to. Robert was a dried up, drunk, shy, and lonely person.

Settings and characterizations are realistic and many readers will be able to identify with them.I have been searching for a novel for adult intermediate level ESL (English as a Second Language) students to read in less than four weeks. This fills the bill perfectly.

I think "The Crossing" is a good book because it shows you how some people struggle to surrvive.My favorite part of the book was at the end but i wont tell you ill let you read it for yourself. :)
i think its interesting how Robert controls his friends and how he controls his drinkin;Him trying to keep his comrads out of his mind.i like the way he acts because he's really serious when "The Man In The Mirror" appears, but then when hes not there he acts kinder.

I teach 8th graders who are at-risk, resistant readers. Maybe the young person who posted a poor review didn't have anyone to help him process this book, as my kids were spellbound. You could hear a pin drop in my room. What does it tell you when a group of kids who normally drag themselves late to class and then behave poorly are suddenly getting to class early, passing the books out to their table groups before being asked, opening to the current page before the bell rings and trying to read ahead? This book has some pretty volatile content, though, and I wouldn't recommend for readers under the age of 12 or 13.



Roughly every other chapter has scenes that are told from the viewpoint of the American soldier, who obviously is suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome (although they never call it that). These scenes are pretty surreal, and you have to help young readers understand that when it talks about his drinking to keep his "friends" from "coming to visit," the text is referring to ghosts, either fellow soldiers he couldn't protect or save during combat, or perhaps those he had killed from the enemy's side.



You also have to help them understand what Manny, the young boy, is fighting to survive, trying to avoid the "street men" who would kidnap him for "Raoul, who likes young boys" and trying to survive complete poverty with nobody to take care of him. The text is never explicit about what it would mean for Manny to be kidnapped for "Raoul," who never makes an appearance, but my students, when asked, offered comments such as, "Raoul wants to do bad things to him. He likes hurting kids." That was good enough for our discussion to move on. Some kids got the more adult insinuation, and some did not, but they still all understood what a desperate struggle Manny endured in order to survive.



This book has a powerful ending with the climax coming paragraphs before the final lines on the final page. When we finished, there was a lot to think about and reflect upon. Ahead of time, I was unsure about sharing with my kids because of the violence and alcoholism portrayed, but afterward, overheard a number of students at various times telling friends that they just had to read this book. High praise coming from my particular kids!



P.S. I notice that an earlier edition of this same book has gotten a 4-star rating here on amazon.com. :)

Can you imagine what life would be like if you were 13 years old and homeless on the streets of Mexico? Well, if not, read "The Crossing" by Gary Paulsen. "The Crossing" is about a young boy named Manny Bustos who is fighting for survival in Juarez, a Mexican border town and who's only chance is crossing over into the United States. Manny develops a strange friendship with an emotional American soldier who decides to help him cross the border. But, to fully review the book, one must know about the characters in the book, explore Gary Paulson's purpose of the book, and finally share a personal opinion of the book.

The main characters in the book "The Crossing" are Manny Bustos, Robert S. Locke, and Maria. Manny is a young red head Mexican boy who roams the streets of Juarez scavenging for food. Robert is a Sergeant in the American ARMY. His whole life consists of being a good officer during the day and surviving his haunted nightlife by drinking himself to almost "brain dead." Robert is haunted by dead friends, who were killed during a war. Maria is a woman who worked at the Two-by-Four bar and cafe. She would sneak Manny food and also supported Manny when he decided he was going to cross the border.

Gary Paulsen tries to show the truth of what life is like for some Mexican people. He tries to show Mexican poverty and street life, of those who are faced with "the crossing." Paulsen tells us in his book about men who are out to capture young men like Manny. These men will do damage to anybody, just how they did to Robert toward the end of the book. Paulson also shows how life can be rough when trying to trick tourists by having them throw money.

"The Crossing" is a book which I enjoyed reading. I would suggest this book to other teenage readers but would not recommend this book to anyone who is a sophisticated reader. Like the relationship between Robert and Manny, this book is brief and brutal but ends on a note of hope. This book is very short in length and has a simple writing style which should give high-school students with slow reading abilities a special appeal for this book.

"The Crossing" is a spectacular book, which will make a person realize how spectacular their life is. A complete review to the book has been given with information about the characters, Paulson's purpose, and a personal reaction to the book. If you are a high school student wanting to learn about the Mexican culture along the borders, read this book.

Have you ever had to survive on your own with out parents or siblings around? If not, then have you ever wanted to see what its like, then check this book out The Crossing written by Gary Paulsen! This is an okay book although its not one of Gary Paulsen's Best books
Well, anyway this book is about a young boy named Manny Bustos , can you guess where he lives... yep, guessed it Mexico to be accurate, the streets of Juarez, Mexico. Manny lives in a cardboard box in the alleys of Juarez . He hopes and dreams that he can get the money that the tourists throw off the bridge. When one day he decides to cross over to the U.S.A. and start a new life , but he comes a crossed a strange man named Robert S. Locke and didn't cross the boarder that night... The Main characters of this book are Manny and Robert. Manny is a skinny scrony little boy with red hair, he is not very tough so that make him vulnerable to punks and gangs. Robert a general is a strange man that Manny meets when Manny tries to cross the border , Robert also has a bad past that he tries to drink away. This book takes place in modern days. The plot of this book is Manny wants to cross the boarder but does not have enough money.
I have split feelings about this book some parts are bad and some parts are good here are some examples . A good part is when Manny and Robert go to a bull fight, a bad part is the end but I'm not going to spoil the surprise . Do you want to find out what happens at the end , or what other adventures Manny and Robert have? THEN PICK UP THIS BOOK AND READ IT , THAT'S A ORDER

The book is about a 14 year old named Manny. He has no one but himself living on the streets, until he meets a sergeant.
My reaction to this story is I liked it a lot. The biggest reason I liked this book is because the details in describing the setting. They make you feel like you are watching their every move. Another reason I like this book is because you never know what will happen . Some moments could be bad, happy, or just both at the same time. Manny is living life dangerously. People try to capture him and sell him. In my opinion this book is memorable because it is really exciting and suspenseful. But all around it is a really well written book. I agree with the lesson in this book. The reason I think Gary Paulsan wrote this book is : one to entertain , but I think there is a bigger purpose. My thought is he is trying to tell people who have a home, family, and food to be grateful. He is telling people to stop and think of people like Manny, who have to lie and steal to survive. Thats the authors purpose to me.
In conclusion I think this book was well worth the tree cut down to publish it. It is also worth the ink. Also ti is worth the little amount of money you would have to spend to get a copy. This is a very good piece of literature. As a matter of fact I think you should buy three copies at least. One to carry with you, one to frame, and one to put on the shelf. Because that is how well you will like this book. If you like fun action packed stories you will like this one. But it also like all stories has a sad part. But all of the other stuff out ranks the sad part. When and if you read this book when you are finished you will be glad you did. This is one of the best books I have ever read. IT WAS AWSOME!

The Crossing
By
Gary Paulsen
Review

This book, "The Crossing," is about a boy that lives in the streets of Juarez in Mexico, where the story also takes place. This boy is trying to cross to the United States. He survives by begging money from the tourists that go to that city. Later in the story he meets a nice lady in a restaurant called the "Two-by-four." This woman sometimes feeds him, but she also helps him to make the crossing. The boy also meets an American Soldier, (a sergeant), who likes to drink a lot of whiskey. His relationship with the lady of the restaurant during the story is very nice, but the relationship he has with the American Sergeant is very different from the one he has with the woman. While you'll reading this story you will also find out a few problems the boy has with the sergeant and some other street boys, but at the end everything change.

This is one of my favorite books I've ever read because you learn how hard life is for someone who lives in the streets, especially when is a teenager. If you have ever known someone who wants to cross to another country for a better life illegally, this is a good book for you to read and learn how hard it is. If you like the story so far, the rest of it is much better. I promise, you will enjoy it, because I really did.

Jose Benitez Amaya

The crossing
By
Gary Pauslen

The book of the crossing is about a boy from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico tying to cross to the United State, but he is an orphan and he doesn't have enough money to buy food to take with him to cross the border of Mexico and United State.

One day a sergeant named Robert S. Locke from the United State met Many, the sergeant was drinking whiskey and he gave five dollars to Manny and that was a lot of money to Manny, when the boy tried to cross the border and a lot of people were captured and the boy hide from the border patrol and he didn't make the crossing that night and one day he went to a bridge where the turistas get in Mexico , and he could get some money from the turistas , and the turistas like him because he has red hair, when he got some money the other boy came and took the money from him.

The book of the crossing is a good book to read I really enjoy my time reading it. Its a nice story.

Manny is a small boy of many others living on the streats of Juarez, Mexico. To get money to live isnt easy when competing against the other BIGGER boys. So this helpless orphan decides the only way to live is by crossing the bridge over the border into El Paso, Texas. but he would need starting money to do this so when he meets Sargeant Robert S. Locke he thinks he has found a way. Not knowing that these to may be soul mates.But in the end Manny gets the money in a way he did not want it.