[DOC] Continental Divide: Wildlife; People; and the Border Wall by Krista Schlyer at Arts-Photography

Review

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. The Need to Scream -- LoudlyBy M. Paul HolsingerKrista Schlyer. in both writing and taking the often-beautiful photographs in this lovely volume. has crafted a polemic cry for change in the stupid policies that have. over the last several years. caused the United States to build its ugly and. largely inefficient. border wall for hundreds of miles along the border between this country and Mexico to the south. Even the most cursory read of this books text make it clear that Schlyer is bitterly opposed to "The Wall." as both its proponents and its opponents have dubbed it. as well she should be. There is no question that as long as this nation continues its equally inane drug or immigration policies. the border will remain under attack. as it were. by smugglers trying to get their illegal burdens into the United States but. as Schlyer clearly shows. The Wall. from the moment it was planned until the present day as it rapidly takes shape. was always wrong-headed and. indeed. inherently racist in its conception. No-one has ever suggested. for example. a 3000-mile long fence to separate the USA from Canada though that border has always been an easy one for persons and drugs and. indeed. in the days of Prohibition. for tens of thousands of gallons of illegal alcohol to be brought into this country with almost no impunity.Besides the human element connected with The Wall. there is. of course. the potentially irreversible damage that it is causing every day with the wildlife and aviculture that has. for millennia. lived on both sides of what has now become the boundaries of our two nations. Schlyer is undeniably a supporter of nature and less so of the politicians who have created the monstrosity that is The Wall. She shows us. again and again. how the wall is causing the destruction of the animals and birds which make the borderlands. among other things. a tourist magnet.Reading this book. makes one wants to scream. loudly. at the utter idiocy that has brought us to this point in our history. This is a superb book -- beautiful. especially for anyone who loves the border. but angry too at our seeming inability as a people to find a better answer than we have in building the eyesore that now so dramatically separates us from our friends south of the border.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. To understand this uniquely beautiful part of the country by way of this authors ...By Maureen DowdTo understand this uniquely beautiful part of the country by way of this authors textual imagery. stunning photography. and historical overview is an important journey well worth the taking. Krista Schlyers Continental Divide addresses the damage that militarization and waivers of protective laws have done to the plant. animal and human life along our southern border. while challenging failed governmental policy exemplified by the border wall. This is an award-winning book that begs to be kept. reread and referenced frequently in the context of political efforts to further militarize the region.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Informative. thought provoking and emotionalBy Kenneth HanceLiving on the border is an education in culture. acceptance. diversity. biology. and humanity. Some of my best friends come from the "other side" and we should welcome their friendship. warmth. and culture into ours. The flora and fauna of the Sonoran desert are some of the most interesting in the world. The pictures in this book really are what it is like here every day. A few days in this place would change anyones mind about building walls. We should be building bridges and friendships instead.