The Border

About the Book

Age range 14 to 17

On a summer night in northern Mexico, four teens—Pato, Arbo, Marcos, and Gladys—have just snuck away from a quinceañera celebration when a gang of narcos attacks. After listening to their families being murdered, they narrowly escape, but are left with an awful truth. They've lost more than their loved ones—they've lost everything. And La Frontera, the gang responsible for the massacre, has put out a reward for their capture or death. They cannot stay in Mexico. As the teens flee through the desert, conflicts arise to divide them. But staying together will be their only hope of staying alive…and making it across the border.

About the Author :
Steve Schafer has spent years working, volunteering and traveling across Latin America. He now works as a marketing consultant to Fortune 500 companies.

Review :
"This opening sequence-one among a handful of equally suspenseful scenes, including a car chase in the border town of Sonoyta -makes the quieter, bleaker moments that follow seem all the more intense, stressing the desperate troubles these teens endure... brilliant." - Kirkus Reviews "This book is both eye-opening and terrifying. Schafer creates a compelling story about survival and wanting to create a better life far away from the violent Mexican drug cartel... Filled with chase scenes, dangerous situations, and a strange love story, the plot moves along at a rapid-fire pace and keeps the reader engaged." - School Library Connection "This is a thought-provoking adrenaline rush sure to satisfy fans of action and adventure. Pair with Marcus Sedgwick's Saint Death (2017) for another charged look at border tensions." - Booklist "This story is timely and controversial because it looks at the U.S./Mexico border issue on a humane level, not a political one. Schafer's cast of characters provides young adult readers with a variety of relatable characters to root for as he aptly demonstrates the ruthless realities facing those who cross the border between the two countries." - VOYA Magazine "Steve Schafer has given voice to a tragically common, but far too-infrequently told narrative of reality in  towns and villages in Mexico that are controlled by drug cartels and drug smugglers. Providing legal representation for three decades to immigrants in Dallas, I have heard this same account dozens of times... Lest anyone think Steve Schafer's account is exaggeration, I can attest to the realistic depiction he provides of innocent children, adults and families caught up in the dystopia of cartel-controlled areas in Mexico." - Vanna Slaughter, Director, Catholic Charities of Dallas (Dallas, TX) "Steve Schafer walks us through the ebbs and flows in the lives of ordinary immigrants, the dramatic moments at the border, the fear, the yearnings, and the hope for a better future. An engrossing narrative delivered in trepidant prose." - Mauro F. Guillén, Director of the Lauder Institute at the Wharton School (Philadelphia, PA) "In his book The Border, Steve Schafer deftly brings to life the drama of unauthorized border crossing and gives a human face to those often dismissed simply as "illegals." The story of how four young people compelled by circumstances beyond their control struggled and survived a perilous crossing of the Sonoran desert into the United Sates restores humanity and dignity to the 11 million undocumented migrants who now live among us." - Douglas Massey, Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University (Princeton, NJ) "Teenagers facing one of the most arduous, life-threatening journeys any person can endure is elegantly presented in this important book. Jolted from their home country by violence and thrown into an escape to save their lives, the four young people in this powerful story find hardship and humanity, ruthlessness and compassion without ever losing their own sense of optimism, hope, love, and goodness." - Luis H. Zayas, PhD, Dean and Robert Lee Sutherland Chair in Mental Health and Social Policy, The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX) "A riveting story of survival and perseverance along the unforgiving frontier of the Sonoran desert." - Summit Daily "An amazingly touching and heart wrenching story...Schafer gives an honest portrayal of the fear, grief, and the human condition as a whole of these young teenagers as they fight and struggle for their survival. Their journey is written in a beautifully harsh way that doesn't gloss over the reality of their desperate situation, but also allows these characters the room to grow and develop in a natural way as they adjust to their new and changing realities.

" - The Booklovers Magazine