Border Control/David Stoll

I'm going to join the other's in saying this was my favorite reading thus far. I think that by having these personal accounts it really helps to understand just how many terrible things have occurred in Guatamala. I think Lovell did a wonderful job in providing first hand accounts of the gruesome events that took place. However, I do agree with Rachel that it is a little ironic that he starts the book by explaining his first encounter with Genaro and how it was brought to his attention that he really couldn't understand Mayan culture without being a part of it. He does seem very accountable though and I believe that through his individual encounters with the various people he wrote about he was able to learn much more about Mayan culture.

What I found most interesting about Genero's story was the issues about border control that it brought up. Hanna mentioned this in her post as well, and it is a very heated topic today. It's really hard to read a story like Genero's and still firmly believe that immigrants should not be able to seek refuge in America. Although, it's also hard to say that everyone should be welcome into America without any control or restrictions. Reading these stories did make me feel truly blessed to have been born an American citizen, however, it also made me feel horrible that there were so many others that will never have the opportunities that have been given to me. It's very hard to read these accounts and not get angry about an issue like border control. However, it seems there really isn't an answer because by opening up the border so many lives in America would be effected by the influx of immigrants. The border truly is "a scar" that impacts the lives of people on both sides of the issue.

The other issue I found interesting was David Stoll's need to prove whether or not Menchu's account was accurate or not. I do think that Lovell was a little harsh on Stoll, but I do agree that it really doesn't matter when looking at Menchu's story as a whole. Whether or not her brother was burned alive in front of her doesn't change the fact that she went through a tremendous amount of pain in her life. I also find it amazing that she was able to recount so many of her stories. The fact of the matter is that Menchu's story is only one of many that can be used to illustrate how horrible the situation in Guatemala truly is. Stoll may be correct in stating that what she is saying isn't factual, but him pointing this out doesn't change the fact that other terrible killings occurred.