Q&A with Will Hobbs
Q: "CROSSING THE WIRE"-WHAT DOES THAT EXPRESSION MEAN?
A: It's an expression for illegal entry into the United States from Mexico across the barbed-wire cattle fence that separates the two countries along remote swaths of the border. Legal crossings take place at Ports of Entry in the border towns and cities.
Q: HOW AND WHEN DID YOU START WORKING ON CROSSING THE WIRE?
A: For years, I had been snipping articles from newspapers and magazines, taping documentaries, reading books. So much of what we hear and read about illegal immigration is based on generalizations, statistics and political arguments. Far more compelling to me were the human interest stories which told of the experiences of individuals trying to cross the border illegally. In the fall of 2003, I committed myself to researching and writing a story. I began by spending a week along Arizona's border with Mexico, from Douglas west to the remote Tohono O'odham Reservation. I interviewed some people, I drove along some remote roads and I did some hiking.
Q: YOU HIKED TO BABOQUIVARI PEAK, WHICH ENDED UP BEING IMPORTANT IN THE STORY.
A: It's an amazing landmark. You can see it from lots of directions, often from seventy miles or more. It drew me in like a magnet.
Q: DID YOU CLIMB TO THE TOP?
A: I love to read about the exploits of technical mountain climbers, but I've never done any vertical climbing. It took some steep bushwhacking to get fairly close to the base of the peak. I got a good idea of how scratchy and unforgiving those desert mountains are. I got close enough to think how scary it would be to try to cross the Lion's Ledge.
Q: DID YOU ALREADY HAVE VICTOR IN MIND?
A: It was on that hike to Baboquivari Peak that I began to think about my main character - who was he, where was he from, and why he had left home. What had he gone through to get this far? What were the twists and turns that led him to this forbidding landscape, and where was he trying to go? Very quickly I thought of interviewing my niece, who had lived with a family on the mountains of central Mexico. Annie worked there for a summer on volunteer projects through Amigos de las Americas. My main character could pretty much be a villager from that village.
Q: IS LOS ARBOLES THE NAME OF THE ACTUAL VILLAGE? IS VICTOR A REAL PERSON?
A: Los Arboles is fictional, as are Victor and all the other characters. But yes - Victor's village is based on the real-life village. Both lie below the mountaintop statue of El Cristo Rey, erected at the geographical center of Mexico. My idea was to learn all I could from my niece about the lives of people in that village. All that detail and texture she provided me would later help immensely in creating a character and in visualizing the early scenes in the story. I had resolved to begin in Victor's home village so that the reader (and I) could come to know his family and the life he was leaving behind, as well as his reasons for leaving.
Q: CROSSING THE WIRE SEEMS SO REALISTIC.
A: That's what I was aiming for. The things that happen to Victor, Rico, Julio, Miguel and others are drawn from my research into the journeys of illegal immigrants. There's a lot of unpredictability in regard to what can and does happen to these immigrant - there are so many dangers and mishaps along the way. You'd have to have a tremendous amount of determination to even try it at all. And to try it without the help of the "coyotes" (smugglers who require payment for their services) is just insane. An immigrant would have to be extremely desperate and pretty much fearless at that point.
Q: YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR AUTHOR'S NOTE THAT EVER SINCE 9/11, IT HAS GOTTEN A LOT MORE DANGEROUS FOR PEOPLE WITHOUT DOCUMENTS TO MAKE THEIR WAY ACROSS THE BORDER TO SEEK WORK IN THE U.S. WHY IS THAT?
A: Increased security in the border towns and cities has deflected most of the illegal crossers to remote stretches of the border. In 2004, when Crossing the Wire takes place, more than half of all illegal crossings were into Arizona. The same held true in 2005. Hundreds die in Arizona's deserts every year. Many of the dead are never identified.
Q: WAS THE STORY EASIER TO WRITE BECAUSE YOU HAD LEARNED SO MUCH OF WHAT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE TRYING TO CROSS THE BORDER WITHOUT DOCUMENTS?
A: It turned out just the opposite. At every point in Victor's journey, I could picture lots of different things that might happen. Through several drafts, I tried out quite a few options that, once I pursued them, seemed to derail the story. You're always trying to figure out what will give the story the shape that will make it fly without taking away from the main focus.
Q: AS YOU WERE RESEARCHING THE STORY, DID YOU GET CLOSE TO WHERE VICTOR CROSSES THE BORDER, WHERE IT'S JUST A BARBED WIRE FENCE?
A: Yes, by traveling a remote road south in the Tohono O'odham Reservation. The reservation has about seventy-five miles of border with Mexico, and is heavily patrolled by our Border Patrol. Because it is so remote, the reservation has become one of the most commonly used crossing areas.
Q: DID YOU FEEL THE PRESENCE OF DANGER?
A: My wife, Jean, and I were very jumpy. I had learned that heavily armed drug smugglers cross the border all the time. I thought I was two or three miles from the border when I saw the flashing lights of a Border Patrol truck in my rear-view mirror. I stopped where the deserted road curved into a sharp left turn. The patrolman pulled alongside and asked what we were doing. "I'm a writer researching a story," I said. "I was hoping to get close to the border but not too close." He pointed at a barbed wire fence no more than a hundred feet away. "You're looking at it," he said, and suggested I turn around.
Q: WHAT ELSE DID YOU SEE?
A: On the way back to Tucson that day, we saw a drug bust along the side of the road. I saw many bales of drugs wrapped in brown tape (I later described this situation in the novel). The headlines in the Tucson paper that day were about a deadly shoot-out on the interstate between rival coyote gangs. One gang had picked up a group of illegals that "belonged" to the other.
Q: VICTOR AND RICO HEAR ABOUT AN INCIDENT LIKE THAT.
A: Now you know where it came from-real life. Unfortunately, those sorts of incidents are all too common. There's a tremendous amount of criminal activity on both sides of the border that goes hand-in-hand with illegal immigration. It's part of the "big picture" of this complex and controversial subject that I hope to provide readers with as they follow Victor from his home in Mexico to his first job in the United States.
Q: HAVE YOU EVER KNOWN ANY FIELD WORKERS LIKE VICTOR?
A: My first job out of college was picking fruit alongside a dozen or so men from Mexico (I lasted about six weeks). The orchard was in Emmett, Idaho. The men spent almost nothing on themselves. Their paychecks went directly to their families back home.
Q: WHAT WERE THEY LIKE?
A: They were friendly and had a great sense of humor. It was really hard work, and they worked like you wouldn't believe. There was only one day when I managed to pick as many bins of apples (six) as the best pickers. I've carried a lot of respect for those men over the years. As you learn in Crossing the Wire, it has become difficult to nearly impossible in recent years for migrant workers like the ones I knew to return home for part of the year. Imagine this impact on the workers and on their families back in Mexico. Similarly consider all the deaths in the desert due to illegal immigration. There has to be a better way. By the time you are reading this, perhaps we have begun to solve some of the many thorny problems involved in illegal immigration.
Contributor: Harper Collins
For more information about will and his books, please visit www.willhobbsauthor.com.
Reviews
Bearstone
Will Hobbs
This is the paperback edition of a wonderful story about a troubled, young Native American boy coming of age. Cloyd Atcitty is fourteen and totally miserable. In hopes of helping him turn his life around, his parents send him to work for the summer for an old farmer named Walter Landis. The farm is near Durango, Colorado, and Cloyd, for the first time, experiences the beauty of the mountains. Quite by accident he discovers a small turquoise carving of a bear that he keeps because his people, the Utes, consider bears to be a source of strength. Things seem to work well for awhile, but soon Cloyd's anger and hurt lead to a great confrontation with Walter. Fortunately, Walter agrees to give Cloyd a second chance and they go into the mountains to reopen Walter's long abandoned gold mine. When Walter is badly hurt, Cloyd realizes how much he owes Walter and that he can begin to "Live in a good way" as his grandmother always told him he should. Hobbs really knows the area and the culture of its native people. Readers are sure to be drawn to his many other adventure stories, including Beardance and Downriver. 2004 (orig. 1989), Aladdin Paperbacks, $4.99. Ages 10 to 14. Reviewer: Sylvia Firth (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Best Books for Young Adults, 1990; American Library Association-YALSA; United States
Middle And Junior High School Library Catalog, Eighth Edition, 2000; H.W. Wilson; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Ninth Edition, 2005; H.W. Wilson; United States
Recommended Literature: Kindergarten through Grade Twelve, 2002; California Department of Education; California
Teachers' Choices, 1990; International Reading Association; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Mountains and Plains Booksellers Association Awards Winner 1990 United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
California Young Reader Medal, 1992; Nominee; Young Adult; California
Kentucky Bluegrass Award, 1993; Nominee; Kentucky
Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award, 1996-1997; Nominee; Minnesota
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award, 1995; Nominee; Illinois
South Carolina Book Awards, 1992; Nominee; Children's Book; South Carolina
Young Adult Reading Program, 1992; Grades 7-12; South Dakota
ISBN: 0-689-87071-X
ISBN: 0-689-31496-5
Changes in Latitudes
Will Hobbs
Travis has his sights set on enjoying the Mexican beaches on his vacation, while dealing with his mother, sister and brother who are also along. His parents' difficulties add baggage to the trip and stress to the family members' lives. His little brother, Teddy, becomes passionately involved with saving mistreated and endangered sea turtles on one of Mexico's beaches. Travis appreciates his brother's vast knowledge of sea turtles as well as his insatiable interest in them, but Travis feels he has more pressing matters at hand. Travis must choose between his responsibility to his family and his chance to have fun on his own while in Mexico. Travis' outlook on life is radically changed by a tragedy that rocks his family and brings him to a greater understanding of the importance of life and family. This book deals with the death of a family member; divorce, with references to adultery; and themes suitable for late middle school to high school readers. This masterfully-written novel portrays a self-absorbed teenage boy struggling to reconcile issues of self, family, and the opposite sex. 2004 (orig. 1988), Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse, $5.99. Ages 14 to 18. Sarah Nelson DeWald (Children's Literature).
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Winner 1992 Colorado
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award, 1992; Nominee; Colorado
ISBN: 0-689-31385-3
ISBN: 0-689-87069-8
Crossing the Wire
Will Hobbs
Victor Flores is fifteen and faced with tremendous problems. His family's small farm in rural Mexico is failing. The death of his father while working in America has left the Flores family desperate. All that Victor can do is leave his family behind and head out to try to find work in "El Norte," the United States. Victor's journey will not be an easy one as he encounters gangs, greedy drug runners, coyotes bent upon sucking profit from the poor migrants, the dangers inherent in crossing the deserts and mountains, and the migra, or border patrol. Along the way Victor makes short-term acquaintances and discovers just how important friendship can be. Victor also finds the strength within himself to sacrifice nearly everything so that he can earn enough money to support his family back in Mexico. Will Hobbs' Crossing the Wire is a powerful story that helps to put a human face on the issues of illegal immigration into the United States from Mexico. In the character of Victor Flores readers will meet a youngster whose sole motivation is to support his economically strapped family. His efforts are almost universally met with exploitation, cruelty, and danger. In the end Victor discovers a great deal, not only about the way the passage north operates but also about himself. Crossing the Wire is a well told tale and a novel that readers will appreciate and learn from. 2006, HarperCollins, Ages 10 up, $15.99 and $16.89. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck
ISBN: 978-0-06-074138-9
ISBN: 0-06-074138-4
ISBN: 0-06-074139-2
ISBN: 978-0-06-074139-2
Jackie's Wild Seattle
Will Hobbs.
Girls finally get a Will Hobbs' adventure story of their own in this contemporary novel. Fourteen-year-old Shannon and her little brother, Cody, move to Seattle to live with their Uncle Neal for the summer. Neal works as a full-time volunteer for Jackie's Wild Seattle, an organization that rescues and rehabilitates wild animals found in urban areas. Shannon isn't at all happy to be away from Connecticut at first, but after making the rescue rounds with her uncle, she soon becomes his valuable assistant. Shannon goes on some daring missions, including a rock climbing trip down a cliff to rescue a seal and into the federal courthouse elevator to save a frightened coyote. Romance enters the plot, too, when Shannon befriends Tyler, a would-be juvenile delinquent doing community service at Jackie's animal shelter. Meanwhile, Shannon's and Cody's physician-parents are in Pakistan with Doctors without Borders, Uncle Neal is trying to hide his cancer from his family, and Cody suffers recurring nightmares, taking him back to witnessing the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11. Although the dialogue seems stilted and unnatural, the action-packed plot will keep readers going. Younger boy readers will enjoy it, too, as they identify with Cody. This novel is rich for discussion in class or a book group. Issues include how humans and animals can co-exist, what it means to give someone (animal or human) a second chance, and what it means to have courage. 2003, HarperCollins, $15.99. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Linda Johns (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, Supplement, 2004; H.W. Wilson
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Ninth Edition, 2005; H.W. Wilson; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Supplement to the Eighth Edition, 2004, 2004; H.W. Wilson; United States
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2005; National Science Teachers Association; United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Arizona Young Readers' Award, 2005; Nominee; Intermediate Books; Arizona
Golden Sower Award, 2005-2006; Nominee; Young Adult; Nebraska
Great Stone Face Award, 2004-2005; Nominee; Grades 4-6; New Hampshire
Lamplighter Award, 2005-2006; Nominee; United States
Mark Twain Award, 2005-2006; Nominee; Grades 4-8; Missouri
Rebecca Caudill Award, 2006; Nominee; Grades 4-8; Illinois
Rhode Island Children's Book Award, 2005; Nominee; Grades 3-6; Rhode Island
Volunteer State Book Award, 2005-2006; Nominee; Intermediate Division; Tennessee
Wiliam Allen White Children's Book Award, 2005-2006; Nominee; Grades 6-8; Kansas
ISBN: 0-688-17474-4
ISBN: 0-060-51631-3
Leaving Protection
Will Hobbs
Sixteen-year-old Robbie leaves his Alaskan island home of Port Protection hoping to realize his dream of fishing for big king salmon during their annual run. At the last minute, he luckily lands a job with Tor, a crusty, mysterious and legendary fishing captain who usually fishes alone. Tor's back injury leads to Robbie's having to do the majority of the fishing, cleaning and storing of their exceedingly large catch. Tor, however, is out to catch more than salmon; he has come upon an old Russian map detailing the locations of historic plaques buried in the late 18th and early 19th centuries along the Pacific shore to stake Russia's claims to the land. He has been systematically uncovering them and intends to sell them rather than turning them over to museums. Robbie begins to fear that he will be expendable after helping Tor realize his dual goals. This is an exciting adventure tale, although a non-fisher might tire of some of the minutely detailed descriptions of salmon fishing. Hobbs does a good job of weaving in history and current issues concerning salmon fishing. Tor is well realized; he is at times friendly, critical, withdrawn, demanding. The first person narrative makes Robbie's story more immediate. The rising storm, both within and around the trawler, builds to an exciting climax; although, the ending is softened with a somewhat sappy denouement. This will have appeal mostly for boys looking for a good outdoor adventure book. 2004, HarperCollins, $15.99. Ages 10 to 14. Reviewer: Peg Glisson (Children's Literature).
A captivating story of suspense and survival on the frigid Alaskan sea awaits thrill-seekers in this Will Hobbs novel. Sixteen-year old Robbie Daniels leaves home to earn extra money fishing during salmon season. After an awkward encounter with brusque Tor Torsen, Robbie boards the Storm Petrel for the trip of his young life. While his intention was to aid his family's finances, Robbie's experiences gave him much more than money. A crusty old seadog, a surprising historic treasure hunt, and a terrifying Arctic gale teach Robbie incredible lessons about mankind, nature, and himself. Shocking twists at the end of his journey emphasize the unpredictability of life. The challenges he overcomes reward him in unexpected ways. Readers of Gary Paulsen will appreciate the action and adventure of author Will Hobbs. This particular novel will make an intriguing contrast to Hatchet in a literature study. Several award-winning titles by Will Hobbs that will engage male readers include Jason's Gold and Far North. 2005, Harper Trophy/HarperCollins Publishers, $5.99. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Kara Byrne (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Ninth Edition, 2005; H.W. Wilson; United States
Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 2006; American Library Association-YALSA; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Ninth Edition, 2005; H.W. Wilson; United States
Senior High School Library Catalog, Sixteenth Edition, 2004 Supplement, 2004; H.W. Wilson; United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Georgia Children's Book Award, 2006-2007; Nominee; Book; Georgia
Sequoyah Book Award, 2007; Nominee; Young Adult; United States
South Carolina Young Adult Book Award, 2006; Nominee; United States
ISBN: 0-380-73312-9
ISBN: 0-06-051632-1
Wild Man Island
Will Hobbs
Yet another top-notch thriller from Hobbs (Far North, Jason's Gold, Down The Yukon, among others,) this is an emotionally charged novel about a 14-year-old boy who slips away from a kayaking trip to search for a memory of his late father. Andy Galloway could never have imagined what he would find instead on a remote Southeast Alaska island. The book is crammed with detailed perils such as high winds, strong tides and sea lions that ram kayaks, and Andy soon finds that the wrong choice, or even a wrong step, could kill him quite handily. He is totally on his own if he wants to survive, or is he? Is he hallucinating when he sees the "wild man," and does the man want to help him, or keep him from telling anyone what he has seen on the island? As usual, Hobbs' details are spot-on, from the deadly lethargy of hypothermia to the body-clenching pain of starvation. Yet he's also good at describing the beauty of this lethal landscape and the satisfaction that comes from having seen a difficult task through to the end. One quibble, though--when a character is told he cannot have a dog on the island because it might breed with the local wolf pack, why didn't anyone think of suggesting that the dog be neutered? Overall, though, this is a superb piece of storytelling that should make young readers go back to the library or bookstore in search of everything else Hobbs has written. 2002, HarperCollins, $15.95. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Donna Freedman (Children's Literature).
Best Books:
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2003; Bank Street College of Education; United States
The Children's Literature Choice List, 2002; Children's Literature; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Ninth Edition, 2005; H.W. Wilson; United States
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Supplement to the Eighth Edition, 2003; H.W. Wilson; United States
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2003; National Science Teachers Association; United States
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, 2003; American Library Association-YALSA; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
Colorado Book Awards Finalist 2003 Young Adult United States
State and Provincial Reading Lists:
Blue Spruce Award, 2004-2005; Nominee; Colorado
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award, 2004-2005; Nominee; Colorado
Great Stone Face Award, 2003-2004; Nominee; New Hampshire
Lamplighter Award, 2004-2005; Nominee; Grades 6-8; United States
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award, 2004; Nominee; Illinois
South Carolina Junior Book Award, 2004-2005; Nominee; South Carolina
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award, 2003-2004; Nominee; Grades 3-5; Florida
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award, 2003-2004; Nominee; Grades 6-8; Florida
Volunteer State Book Award, 2004-2005; Nominee; Grades 4-6; Tennessee
William Allen White Children's Book Award, 2004-2005; Nominee; Grades 6-8; Kansas
ISBN: 0-688-17473-6
ISBN: 0-06-029810-3
Added 04/18/06
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If you’re interested in reviewing children's and young adult books, then send a resume and writing sample to marilyn@childrenslit.com.