Juan Herrera, Notebook of a Chile Verde Smuggler
Pg.5

“Show Mama my right big toe infected and swollen. Ven aqui, she says. Ok, mom. Just put your foot in this pan of hot water. Hold the toe up, Juan, come on. Ok, now, give me that razor. What razor? Your papi’s brand new Gillette. It’s not brand new, Mama. ‘S ok, the hot water and the salt will burn the germs. You ready, Juan?

This was an interesting and new way to set the scene. This raises many questions to what kind of life style this boy had. Most likely in poverty, also they are Mexican. I choose this quote for I thought it was unique how he started the book off with such little words but yet it shows a lot about what the person and the family was like, with out any description.

Pg. 20

“The Father guitar cuento song eternal
The mother no longer sacrificial, yet holy
The son, now walking, always walking
The house, gone up in tribal ashes, gone
South to emptiness
Gone to the earth sky river melody
No chain
No shame
No name. “

This was said after he was talking about his mother, being pregnant. This short quote shows the life of that family, how the relationships of the mother, father, son and house interrelated. As time progressed the family has grown up too and many things had changed, the son was on his own, the mother was no longer having children, the father found a hobby and the house had burned. The family had moved on to the rest of their lives.