milpita—Little corn plot.
momia—Mummy.
monstruo—Monster.
morral—Bag.
muchas gracias—Many thanks.
¡Muévete, güey!—Move it, moron!
niño—Child.
no problema—Spanglish for no problem.
nopales—Prickly pear cactus.
novia—Girlfriend.
órale—Hurry up.
oye, chavo—Listen, kid.
palomitas—Popcorn.
panza—Belly.
papas—Potatoes.
Pásale—Come in.
pelo—Hair.
pelón—Bald.
pena—Embarrassment.
¡Pendejo!—Moron, dummy.
pesitos—Little pesos.
peso—Mexican money.
petate—Woven mat.
picantes—Spicy.
Pingüinos—Penguins (brand name).
poco a poco—Little by little.
polis—Police.
pollito—Chick.
popó—Dung.
por Dios—For God’s sake.
pueblito—Small village.
¡Púfalas!—Poof!
pulgada—Inch.
pulpo—Octopus.
Que Dios lo bendiga a usted—God bless you (formal).
Que Dios te bendiga—God bless you (informal).
qué guapo—How handsome.
¡Qué lástima!—What a pity!
¡Qué rico!—How delicious!
ramo—Bouquet.
rateros—Thieves.
relámpago—Lightning.
Río Bravo—A river that is a natural border between parts of Mexico and the United States (where it is called the Rio Grande).
ruedacacas—Dung beetles.
sarape—Shawl.
Señor—Mister.
Señora—Lady.
sí—Yes.
simpático—Likeable.
¡Socorro!—Help!
solamente sal—Only salt.
¡Suerte!—Good luck!
tamal—Tamale, cornmeal mixture with filling like pork.
Tejas—Texas.
tejas—Tiles.
tiendita—Small store.
tipos—Guys.
tlayudas—Large, chewy tortillas.
tortas—Sandwiches.
trabalenguas—Tongue twister.
tren—Train.
un—One (masculine).
vaqueros—Cowboy movies.
Vaya con Dios—Go with God.
Váyase, señora—Go, lady.
velas—Candles.
viajando de mosca—Traveling like a fly.
Vida—Life.
vocabulario—Vocabulary.
AUTHORS’ NOTE
La Bestia, The Beast, is a network of freight trains that move from southern Mexico to the U.S. border. The routes spiderweb out in many directions. Each year thousands of people from Central America and Mexico, fleeing gangs, drug dealers, poverty, or all of these, leave their families and ride the rails seeking refuge and jobs in the United States, which they call the Promised Land. Some desperate riders take their young children along. Sometimes children go alone. Some, like Manuel of this story, are searching for family members who left them behind for similar reasons.
La Bestia is a deadly way to travel. Getting on and staying on are hard in themselves. Sometimes a rider goes to sleep and falls from the train, to be maimed or killed. Sometimes people fall from the lurching motion alone—or are pushed off. Gangs swarm the tops of train cars looking for victims to rob. Assaults on girls and women are common. Along the way are checkpoints patrolled by Mexican immigration authorities. Thugs working with police roam train stops where riders jump off to find food, water or to change trains. Forced to be forever vigilant, riders suffer from constant exhaustion.
Not everybody is a villain. Most travelers on this cruel trip help one another, sharing food and keeping watch for danger. One town in the state of Veracruz is known for its goodness. When a train slows down there, locals toss food, clothing, water, diapers, sweaters to the Beast Riders.
We, the authors, know places like this, for over the forty-eight years we have been friends, we have traveled with our families extensively, from large towns to remote villages.
Border problems have gone on for some time, but this book began to take shape as we realized the plight of Latinos fleeing to The North was worsening. We read about it in newspapers and books, but also heard accounts through designated third parties because the Beast Riders were too terrified to speak with us directly for fear of being sent back to their countries. We heard about children far from their families, forever scarred by travels that never should have had to be taken.
The actual train routes do not pass exactly where Manuel lives. We have changed them to include a part of Oaxaca that we know well and love. For in the end this is a work of fiction, of imagination, tracing the journey across the tender landscape of a boy’s heart.
TJ
MER
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many people generously offered their skills and time in the creation of Beast Rider. We would like to thank Ashley Johnston, Bernice Yeung, Carmen Rodriguez, Armida Garaygordobil, and Armando Colina of Galería Arvil, S.A., who have improved the story in all stages. Throughout the process, Ashley facilitated the exchange of documents between writers and publisher. Thanks, too, to Duncan Tonatiuh, author of Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote, for sharing his deep knowledge of The Beast. Our gratitude goes to Ingeniero Francisco Gorostiza Perez of Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (the Mexican national railroad) for his expert input on the history of The Beast, route changes, and other details about Mexican railroad operations. To James P. Folsom, Director of the Gardens, the Huntington, San Marino, California, for sharing his formidable knowledge about plants, particularly those of the region of Oaxaca where the story begins. To Danielle Rudeen, assistant to James Folsom, a gracious and tireless link between us and our information sources in Oaxaca. To S. Gomez for having the courage to relate firsthand experiences at the U.S. border. To Yolanda Castrellón for her efforts in connecting us with those who assist Beast Riders. To Lorenzo Perez for his excellent translations. To María Fierro O’Campo and Tey O’Campo of Kidsland, Berkeley, California, magnificent teachers, who supplied us with the memorable “Lesson of the Octopus.” To agent Susan Cohen of Writers House, Inc., for keeping our spirits up when things got tough. And to her capable assistant, Nora Long. To editor Howard Reeves, at Abrams, for his careful readings and insightful questions, always offered with a light touch. To Emily Daluga, Howard’s assistant, who kept us on schedule in her graceful way. To Edel Rodriguez and Hana Anouk Nakamura for creating the stunning jacket and internal graphics. To Marie Oishi for her eagle eye to detail. To Diane Aronson for her careful copyediting. To Tamara Arellano for her painstaking proofreading. To Ana Paula Margain de Rhoads, founder and head of REEDUCA, an NGO dedicated to environmental education projects with schools. Her stories from personal experience as a volunteer at shelters for Beast Riders have been of great value.
Three contributors to the Beast Rider project cannot be thanked enough. The Lunch Bunch, the band of writers to which Tony Johnston belongs includes: Eve Bunting, Jennifer Johnston, Lael Littke, Jane Olson, Luisa Perkins, Susan Goldman Rubin, and Martha Tolles. Without the guidance, dedication, and expert critiquing of this group throughout the writing process, the final result would have been weakened. Jennifer Johnston, architect and engineer, born and raised in Mexico, used her sharp organizational skills, her relentless demand for accuracy, and her natural writing ability to keep us on track. And Dr. Alejandro de Ávila Blomberg, Advisor and Curator of the Textile Museum of Oaxaca and originator and Director of the Botanical Gardens of Oaxaca, gave generously of his remarkable energy and spirit and of his awe-inspiring knowledge in countless areas. His scholarly input on all levels greatly enhanced this story.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
TONY JOHNSTON has written o
ver one hundred books for children. For ten years she was a master student of renowned children’s poet Myra Cohn Livingston. Three of Tony’s twenty-three books about Mexico and Latin America are volumes of poetry. She lived in Mexico for fifteen years, where she and her family went on countless outings, collecting handwoven sashes and learning about the country. This collection is now housed in the Textile Museum of Oaxaca. Her children were born and raised in Mexico. They return when they can. Mexico is their second home.
MARÍA ELENA FONTANOT DE RHOADS, PhD, is a psychotherapist specializing in both individual and family issues and a simultaneous translator of Spanish, English, and French. She is also trained in social work. Her understanding of loss—of family and self—to a person forced to leave his home, to struggle against fearful odds, and to become “someone else” in a new place in order to survive has been a key in creating the character of Manuel. She has offered details of Mexican life, especially in Oaxaca. But most valuable is her insight into the psychological trauma produced by the Beast experience.
TONY AND MARÍA ELENA have combined their knowledge and skills to create a story about the ordeal of one fictional boy to draw attention to the plight of all real Beast Riders.
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