Both Sides: Stories From the Border by Gabino Iglesias

Both Sides: Stories From the Border Reviews

• 
  Michelle

  This anthology edited by Gabino Iglesias features 15 authors primarily of Latinx descent. All of the stories follow the same over arching theme: borders that keep us bound or borders that have been breached. They may all deal with the immigrant experience but not all are centered on crossing over into the United States. Borders here take on more figurative meanings: overcoming prejudice, chemical dependency, living with the guilt of past sins, re-entering society with a criminal record or even karma from beyond the grave. As with any anthology, especially those with multiple authors, there are always some you favor more than others. Both Sides was a very strong collection. There was not one in the bunch that I didn't enjoy.
  
  If I had to pick my 5 star favorites though it would be:
  Fundido by Johnny Shaw
  She Loved Trouble by Sandra Jackson-Opoku
  Waw Kiwulik by J. Todd Scott
  Buitre by Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason
  Certainly I have a host of new authors to add to my TBR.
  
  Special thanks to NetGalley, Polis/Agora Books and Gabino Iglesias for access to this book.
• 
  Tracy Robinson

  
  https://www.scifiandscary.com/both-si...
  
  I cannot pretend to truly understand the feelings and pain that are interwoven with hope and love within these stories. What I can recognize, however, is that Iglesias has curated truly poignant and excellent pieces. I have found new authors to seek out work from, I have sat in shock, and gasped at the sheer emotion and power of these pieces. What follows are a few of my favorites.
  
  “The Letters” by Rios de la Luz is a stunning opening story. This is speculative fiction at its best as it crosses between light and danger, sadness and revenge. Rios de la Luz’s lyrical writing is spellbinding. This author also has an amazing novella, Itza, and it is definitely worth checking out.
  
  “Los Otros Coyotes” by Daniel Olivas: This story blurs the lines between reality and fiction as Olivas paints a world that is so close to the current situations many people find themselves in, that it takes one’s breath away.
  
  “American Figurehead” by Shannon Kirk: This is a unique look into a future timeline that is both scary and fascinating. Kirk works some magic here and after this story and her novel I read last year, Gretchen, I will show up for whatever she writes next.
  
  “Colibrí” by Nicolás Obregón: This one broke my heart. Entirely. No more on this one from me, except to say I immediately went to social media to look up other pieces by this author.
  
  “The Lament of the Vejigante” by Cina (Cynthia) Pelayo: This story is powerful and made me gasp in shock by the end. The narrative voice is strong, the message unflinching, and the reader is completely invested from beginning to end.
  
  “The Other Foot” by Rob Hart: Fathers and daughters. Hope and danger. Hart’s entry in this anthology is wonderfully written.
  
  El Sombreron by David Bowles: This turn to story drenched in legend and fantasy. Entertaining and dark, Bowles is yet another author I need to read more of.
  
  “Grotesque Cabaret” by Isaac Kirkman: I do not have the linguistic capability to review this story. It seems trite to call his story merely gorgeous, but it is. The words breathe on the page just as it does in his poetry. Unfortunately, Kirkman passed on January 2nd of this year and so many mourn the loss. There are several, but there is a great article in the Tuscon Weekly in memory of him.
  
  This is a must-read anthology. These stories will resonate with people from all walks of life. It highlights own voices, tells stories that MUST be heard, and, as Iglesias mentions in his Introduction, “the most important thing fiction can do is tell the truth, and that truth is crucial right now.”
• 
  Michael Hicks

  My review of
  BOTH SIDES: STORIES FROM THE BORDER can be found at
  High Fever Books.
  
  Both Sides: Stories from the Border is a spiritual cousin to ¡Pa’Que Tu Lo Sepas!, last year's anthology from Down & Out Books to benefit the people of Puerto Rico following the tragedy of Hurricane Maria. Both anthologies exist in response to the heartlessness and cruelty of the Trump administration, borne out of frustration toward the senselessness of American politics, and the abhorrent racism that drives Trump and his supporters to new lows on a daily basis.
  
  The title, Both Sides, of course comes from Trump’s comments following the alt-right white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, VA in 2017 that left 19 injured and one, Heather Heyer, dead, following an attack on protestors by Neo-Nazi James Alex Fields, Jr. In his remarks following the attack, Trump defended the white supremacists, Neo-Nazis, neo-Confederates, Klansmen, fascists, and their dehumanizing rhetoric by stating that there are “very fine people on both sides.” Trump's racism is further crystallized by his dream to waste a considerable amount of tax payer money building a wall across the US-Mexico border, a literal monument to his intolerance, bigotry, and xenophobia, all of which is wrapped up in narcissism and egotistical tendencies so large that if ever made physical Trump himself would not be able to hold it in both of his own tiny hands. We've seen Trump's racism toward Mexico escalate from his 2016 campaign stops where he called Mexican immigrants rapists and murderers to actual genocide, tearing children away from their parents and locking them in cages to die of disease and to suffer physical and sexual abuse at the hands of their jailers.
  
  In his introduction to Both Sides, editor Gabino Iglesias notes that the border is a humanitarian crisis, one that has been both militarized and politicized, and that this anthology is "a tool that will help us do a little bit of the most significant thing contemporary American fiction can do: rehumanizing la frontera." It attempts to turn Trump's own words against him, to show the humanity of the human beings living on both sides of the border, and the human experience we all share.
  
  To that end, Iglesias has assembled 16 authors to tell 15 stories about living on the border, borders that are physical, as well as emotional, literal, and also abstract. The stories share the border as a conceptual theme, while the stories themselves roam across a variety of genres. You'll find here stories of magical realism (like Rios de la Luz's "The Letters"), revenge narratives (such as Buitre," from the Sisters of Slaughter, Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason), horror, crime, dystopian near-futures, and noir. This is a transitory anthology, discontent to remain in one place for too long, preferring instead to spread its wings and explore the various corners and elements literature has to offer.
  
  Daniel A. Olivas serves up a look at the Mexico-California border during Trump's second term (and possibly beyond) in "Los Ostros Coyotes." After the Great Wall has been built, Mexican children seek to escape the tyrannical US through a 21st Century Underground Railroad in order to be reunited with their deported parents.
  
  Johnny Shaw delivers what might be the best opening line in the entire antho: "Gordo should have been in bed with his wife, but instead he was driving a van full of corpses to a demonio necrofago's lair." "Fundido" explores body disposal for the Cartels, but it's also got plenty to say about family and sacrifice. In "American Figurehead," Shannon Kirk takes us to France after the US has fallen into total anarchy after a series of catastrophes coalesce to close borders all across the world and liars are the worst kind of criminal.
  
  "Colibiri," by Nicolás Obregón, recounts a sheriff deputy's attempt to ID a dead migrant. I found myself really attached to Deputy Milagros and her mission, and I couldn't help but wonder if she's featured in any full-length novels. Obregón is an author whose works I'm going to have to explore more of in the near future, because this story was pretty damn good!
  
  Cina Pelayo writes about self-imposed borders built for the sake of conformity and the attempts to reclaim and carve out one's own cultural identity in "The Lament of Vejigante." Pelayo bleeds onto the page here, and there's such raw honesty that it at times feels more like a personal reckoning from this Chicago-based Puerto Rican author. She does a marvelous job illustrating the borders that surround her female protagonist, from her mother's attempts to raise her as a monolingual English-speaker to the racism she confronts on the regular. This story is an emotional powder keg, wrapped up in Puerto Rican myth and culture, and told with vivid realness. It's an honest slice of life, and potent as hell.
  
  Christopher David Rosales tells a really good story about a father seeking revenge against the gangbanger that put his son in the hospital. "Fat Tuesday" plays with the literal borders between California and Mexico, but the real borders here are all about the father's separation from the life he once led as a gang member to his current life as a professor.
  
  Rob Hart's "The Other Foot" was a personal favorite of mine and it involves a near-future catastrophe. A powerful solar flare has wiped out the US's electrical grid, making Mexico the place to be. A father and his daughter attempt to cross the border to rebuild their life, but a US militia, for whom "the cruelty is the point" has other plans...
  
  J. Todd Scott is a writer that's been in my TBR for a while, so it was good to finally get introduced to his work in "Waw Kiwulik," which explores a DEA agent's attempts to track down a Mexican drug runner across Native American tribal land. Sandra Jackson-Opoku delivers a surprisingly funny detective romp in "She Loved Trouble." She's another new-to-me author and like Obregón and Scott's work, I really dug the hell out of what I read and need to check out more of her stuff! Her ex-convict and his Afro-Latina cousins who run a digital investigations firm were an absolute blast to read about and I'd love to meet up with this crew again.
  
  "90 Miles" closes out the anthology, and Alex Segura delivers a hell of an emotional capper. There's 90 miles of shark-infested waters separating Florida and Cuba, and Segura explores the perilous, hope-fueled journey and the natural and man-made dangers a small family of refugees must confront. It's a potent finish, one that fully crystallizes Iglesias's aim to humanize the migrant experience and tell truth through fiction.
  
  These stories are about borders, yes, but - more importantly - they're about people, first and foremost. Both Sides is a powerful anthology, filled with a diverse mix of authors who travel across the borders of literature to deliver an eclectic collection of stories and experiences, all with the singular purpose of demolishing the lines and boundaries that exist between them, their stories, and us.
• 
  Alexander Pyles

  Took me long enough, but this was a rather startling and deep anthology of stories that are not just about sides of the border, but the people who live "in between."
  
  I'm excited to write the full review for this one, but for now, this will have to suffice.
• 
  Alan (Notifications have stopped) Teder

  Terrific Variety of Noir Shorts
  Review of the Agora Books hardcover edition (April 2020)
  
  This was an excellent variety of short stories each of which had some plot element in relation to immigration, minorities and/or borders (primarily the one between the U.S. and Mexico). Most had a crime or law enforcement theme, but not all were noir and some even had a lighter humorous aspect. I had not heard of any of these writers previously, but there were several that I now intend to follow up on further thanks to this introduction.
  
  The outstanding 5-star reads for me were:
  The Lament of the Vejigante by
  Cynthia Pelayo was a very compelling read about growing up as a Puerto Rican immigrant to Chicago. It had a folklore superstition element and a shocking twist ending.
  Waw Kiwuluk by
  J. Todd Scott was a cat-and-mouse chase with a group of officers and native trackers trying to find a spotter for the drug cartels on native lands in Texas.
  She Loved Trouble by
  Sandra Jackson-Opoku was a detective agency story with the T. Robles (i.e. pronounced Troubles for effect) Sisters Detective Agency pairing up with their n'er-do-well cousin. This one especially had all the makings of a possible future series with its characters exchanging one-liners throughout.
  
  Trivia and Links
  Both Sides: Stories from the Border is one of the initial titles from Agora Books, a new imprint of independent publisher Polis Books which will be "a diversity-focused imprint devoted to crime and noir fiction." Other initial releases from Agora Books are
  Three-Fifths (September 2019) by John Vercher,
  Remember (October 2019) by Patricia Smith,
  The Ninja Daughter (November 2019) by Tori Eldridge,
  Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (February 2020),
  Matthew Henson and the Ice Temple of Harlem by Gary Phillips (February 2020), and
  Line of Sight by James Queally (March 2020). Watch for further releases from Agora Books at the
  Polis Books website.
• 
  Debbie Hope

  This was spectacular. Five stars. Changed me, allowed me to see a different perspective.
• 
  Ann Marie

  This sho st story book was definitely one of the better short story books I have read, because let's face it short story books are hit or miss. Or I should say anthology because there are 15 great stories by different authors. I would give this book normally 4 stars but as an anthology, it deserves 5 stars. I'm glad I had an extra star hiding in my pocket leftover from a book that I won't name here.
  
  Anyway these stories are about the border into the good ole US of A. They are violent, heartbreaking, full of vengeance and much more, even paranormal for those who love the supernatural. Stories are told from both sides and it is kerr=azy what people will do to get themselves and their loved ones across, often resulting in drug smuggling and human trafficking, which is amazing to me the lengths people will go to. It is truly a special, informative, eye=opening book to what goes on daily at the border. Most stories of the 15 in this book, I gave 4 to 4.5 stars rounding this anthology to 5 shiny stars! I definitely recommend this to friends and neighbors. Told from both sides, it is a great and haunting, literally at times, read.
  
  A special thanks to Polis Books, Agora Books and NetGalley for providing me with this awesome eye opening ARC copy and A special thanks to Gabriel Iglesias for finding such great authors to write these stories.
• 
  Scott Cumming

  Agora Books releases its first anthology with this collection of border stories edited by Gabino Iglesias. The border in question doesn't just relate to Mexico, but Puerto Rican and Cuban based stories feature also. I'll talk mostly about the stories that stood out for me here.
  
  "Los Ostros Coyotes" by Daniel A. Oliva is the second story and my favourite of the bunch, which set a high bar for the rest of the stories to strive for. In this piece of speculative fiction, he creates fully formed characters and manages to quickly build the world around them via the plot and small details within the prose. It's a masterful display of gripping short fiction.
  
  Johnny Shaw follows with "Fundido" about a Cartel body disposal expert, in which is easily the darkest and most noir in the book. "Colibri" by Nicolas Obregon features a detective digging into the case of a child's body being found just across the US border that carries an intriguing mystery and a well written main character where you can really feel the heaviness of her woes.
  
  "The Lament of Vejigante" by Cynthia Pelayo is a tale that interlinks a demon looking over a young girl-cum-woman dealing with casual racism stemming from her Puerto Rican roots. It's not your ordinary type of short story, but is gripping and emotional nonetheless. One of my faves, Rob Hart, comes in hot with "The Other Foot", but it doesn't quite reach the high marks of the earlier and similar spec fic tale.
  
  "Waw Kiwulik" by J. Todd Scott added another author to my tbr list as he writes of Native Americans displaced across the Mexican border and the single gate that they can now gain access to their ancestrol lands. David Bowles brings the creepiness factor with his tale of Mexican folk horror in "El Sombreron".
  
  "She Loved Trouble" by Sandra Jackson-Opoku is a longer comedy noir story that subtly blends from one type of crime story to the next with each chapter and is skilfully done. The late Isaac Kirkman brings dark poeticism to the tale of a 60 year old white Cartel enforcer, who continues to get by on his invisibility to law enforcement. Nick Mamatas writes of three Luchador looking to get into the US for a show, but who refuse to remove their masks and favourite Alex Segura closes out with a story from a Cuban family looking to make their way to Miami.
  
  All in all this is a strong collection that hopefully finds a decent audience. It has lots to say on border politics and how they extend well beyond those that are identified on maps.
  
• 
  A

  I've been trying to expand my reading habits so I decided to read this book of short stories on a bit of a whim. Some stories were hard for me to get through because the emotions/thoughts/decisions of the characters got to me. I couldn't imagine having to go through these plots, but I'm glad I pushed on to finish them. Some stories had Spanish in them which I needed to translate but that did not deter me from finishing. What it makes me wonder is where fact and fiction came together. I can see some of not all of the stories being actual or fairly similar to what some individuals go through. The stories were intriguing enough to push through any other variables that would have prevented me from finishing.
• 
  Tim

  I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley to read and review.
  
  BOTH SIDES: STORIES FROM THE BORDER is a collection of short stories from both sides (but mostly south) of the border, and a common theme is the inequality and hostility that many of the characters face in crossing paths with those north of the border, particularly immigration and law officers as well as other government officials and U.S. citizens.
  
  Compilations usually result in the quality of the stories included to vary, and this book is no exception although some of the short stories are very well written, and it’s no surprise that the one by Johnny Shaw turned out to be my favorite one from the book, although others were very thought provoking and stayed with me for days after having read them.
  
  Recommended to those who have an interest in the the lives of those who live on both sides of the border and the difficulties faced as a result.
  
  4 stars.
  
• 
  Cande

  When I was offered an eARC of this anthology, I was excited. Fifteen different stories all about borders, their violence, and suffering. I was, sadly, very disappointed. I found these stories upsetting, not for their themes exactly, but for their unchallenged misogyny and homophobia. There's an incredible amount of violence against women and homophobic slurs. Its promotion led me to believe this was a Latinx anthology, which was confusing and not great, as this is an overwhelming white collection. I also don't understand the decision to include a federal agent when talking about borders, specifically the Mexico and United States border.
  
  Overall, these stories felt insensitive, unnecessarily cruel, and gave me nothing but disgust. Although I enjoyed some stories like Rio de Luz's The Letters and David Bowles's El Sombreron and I liked what Sandra Jackson-Opoku's She Loved Trouble and Isaac Kirkman's Grotesque Caberet did, I don't think Both Sides adds nothing new to the countess books about the violence of the border. There's a disconnected between the stories that frustrated me; we have authors calling out racism while also authors perpetuating Indigenous stereotypes for a white hero. It doesn't feel like all these stories can belong in the same collection. Or better said, I don't want these stories belonging in the same place. I closed this book with a feeling of exhaustion and anger, I may have enjoyed some of these authors but the overall feeling is underwhelmed.
  
  
  
  
  an earc was provided through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
• 
  Aaron Nash

  The letters: 3 stars for this tale about a curse placed upon the detention centre guards which causes their deaths. Great writing, but the story was a little lost on me.
  
  Los ostros coyotes: 4 stars for this story about two children in "The Presidents" refugee centres. Shows the horror of Trumps real life regime, from children being seperated from their parents, right down to his voice on a loop on the speakers talking about how Mexico are gonna pay for his wall. Real, in your face horror.
  
  Fundido: 5 stars. El Fundidor, the legend who gets rid of the cartels victims, has a crisis of faith when the latest delivery of corpses for him to dissolve in his acid baths has a young woman still alive amongst them. A great tale with a really brutal ending.
  
  American figurehead: 3 stars. This one slowed down the pace left from the excellent story before it. A political end of the world scenario that didn't really hit the mark for me.
  
  Colibri: 5 stars. A grieving woman investigates what happened to a young boy who's body is found in the desert. Her inquiries take her to the border crossing, where she discovers hope amidst the horror that comes with it. Some beautiful writing and imagery make this one a highlight.
  
  Buitre: 5 stars. A young man tries to follow in his missing father's footsteps and become a member of the cartel, but first he has to pass his initiation, to kill the cartels cleaner, Buitre. A brutal tale with more of a supernatural vibe than the other stories so far.
  
  The lament of the vejigant: 4 stars. A puerto Rican girl tries to find her identity in an America that won't accept her as their own. She's followed by The Vejigant, a protector of her people, while she reminisces with her father about the importance of her ancestors and heritage. A passionate story about family, protection and never forgetting your roots.
  
  Fat tuesday: 3 stars. A man seeks revenge after his son comes home unconscious after being battered by one of his father's ex acquaintances. I felt this story had a great build up and then fizzled out by the end. Still, not bad.
  
  The other foot: 4 stars. A man and his daughter face trouble trying to cross the border, but this time there's a twist. They are Americans trying to flee to Mexico after an incident that leaves the US with no power and in ruins. I enjoyed this one. As the title suggests, it was refreshing to read about the shoe being on the other foot, and the relationship between father and daughter felt very real.
  
  Waw kiwulik. 3 stars An agent hunts a drug smuggler through the mountains of the border whilst trying to persuade his colleagues to help track him as dark descends. This one was just OK. Didnt speak to me for some reason.
  
  El sombrero. 5 stars. This excellent short story is about a woman who has fled Mexico because the goblin El sombrero has raided her village and is looking for his next bride. A brilliant, creepy tale
  
  Trouble 5 stars. A man tries to redeem his past crimes by helping his cousin with her new private investigator business. His first job, what he thinks should be a simple summons delivery, goes pear shaped and eventually turns into a murder investigation. I loved this tale and the twist at the end was really clever. I really liked the narrator and his relationship with his cousins. It felt so real. Best story in the novel so far.
  
  Grotesque cabaret: 3 stars. An anthology of sorts that didn't really do it for me. The final story though, that tells of a family trying to cross the border on a raft was heartbreaking.
  
  
  Overall this collection was decent with some really standout stories. A lot of talent here.
• 
  Christopher Gonzalez

  Both Sides: Stories from the Border gives us another vital snapshot of the border and does what excellent fiction manages to do to readers. Rather than transport readers away from the pain and loss experienced by so many who have crossed the border and others who have lived there for years, this collection wrenches readers from their daily comforts and drops them into the heart of our contemporary darkness. Gabino Iglesias has assembled a strong lineup of accomplished authors who know where to apply pressure and tighten screws, and how to capture the often nightmarish and, at times, grotesque environs that give shape to our understanding of the border. At $4.99 for the Kindle edition, you owe it to yourself to get this one.
  
  My full review:
  https://thechrisgonzalez.com/both-sid...
• 
  Denice Langley

  I'm a dedicated anthology reader, the more diverse the genres, the better. This collection does more than provide entertainment to the readers, it offers education and enlightenment on a subject that we all hear in the news everyday, the border between the US and Mexico. No one doubts that there are huge differences in the life styles and standards of living between the two countries, but unless you have lived on one side or the other of the border, you really do not know the extent of that difference.
  The stories themselves span many genre. They touch upon lives, hopes and dreams on both sides and will hopefully provide readers with a reading experience worth discussion.
• 
  Barbara Tsipouras

  Anthologies with stories from different writers have a common problem: some stories are very good, others are not. Of course that's always a question of taste and anthologies won't leave you totally disappointed, because you'll always find something you like.
  Borders are an important issue in our times. Some are ridiculous, others dangerous. It's time to overcome these borders. These stories show how devastating they are.
  
  
• 
  Lisa

  Thank you Polis Books for this copy of Both Sides edited by Gabino Iglesias.
  
  Both Sides is a collection of short stories from both sides of the Mexico/US border. There are Mexican and American writers, English and Spanish writing a lot of different types of fiction and stories. Like most short story collections, there are some stories I loved and others that just were not working for me. I think this collection is a great example of some of the different viewpoints and more representative of what some of the border issues really are then some other things I have read. I really appreciated the depth and breadth of some of the stories and would highly recommend this collection to anyone trying to read more about the culture around the area. from both sides.
• 
  Istoria Lit

  An important and raw collection of short stories that doesn't shy away from the issues that surround immigration. A must read.
• 
  Kookie

  Good collection. I didn't love every story, but that's fine. There is something for everyone.
• 
  Cat Voleur

  Some of the most upsetting books I've read this year are from this collection -- and I mean that in the best way possible.
  
  The writing was outstanding in each story, never falling short on beauty or personality even in the face of extreme horrors and heartaches.
  
  This is an absolute must-read.