To begin, I feel the need to state that this book was slightly difficult to digest. I realize I should elaborate on whether or not I agree with Joseph Nevins' thesis, but to be honest, I was quite confused as to what that thesis was. The author jumps around quite a bit, giving the reader extensive background information and history and geography lessons, yet manages to tie everything back to the main story of Julio Cesar Gallagos. I think that, perhaps, the extraneous information may have taken too much attention away from Julio's story, and so I found myself becoming detached and uncertain about Nevins' central argument. I basically concluded that Nevins is a humanist. I believe the main point of this book is not necessarily about better border control/security or immigration policy. Most likely, I think Nevins makes a real effort to educate the reader on an ever-prevalent issue of human rights, and this is an argument I'm inclined to agree with. While I haven't been directly affected by the tragedy that often goes hand in hand with immigration, I think it's important to remember that I grew up in Southern California. Because of this, I felt completely engrossed in the chapter four book, “Juchipila, MexUSA.” While I've always loved that California is a melting pot, I'm ashamed to say that many of my friends don't feel the same way. I have found that, despite the fact that these people do not consider themselves racist, they show disrespect towards immigrants and fear that “illegal aliens” will take jobs away from “white people”. Nevins does a really good job of explaining the context of the vast majority of Americans, the wrongness of unauthorized immigration and the need to prevent it are simply beyond question. The law and its defense become an end in itself” (Nevins, p. 176). I realize that in writing this article I haven't touched much on Julio's true story or the history and geography that Nevins focuses on in the first two chapters of “Dying To Live.” However, I believe it is through a couple of my own experiences that I am able to identify and relate to some of the themes in Nevins' book. As I said before, I really feel that although this novel is driven by the tragic story of Julio Cesar Gallagos, Nevins simply wants the reader to recognize the inhumanity and inequality that many people face. This does not only apply to those who, like Julio, have attempted or succeeded in emigrating to America.