A Land of Hard Edges

A Land of Hard Edges: Serving the Front Lines of the Border is a series of true stories and personal reflections by Peg Bowden, a retired nurse, who volunteers at a migrant shelter on the Mexico border. The author lives in the Arizona borderlands, a sort of third country, with one foot in Mexico and the other in the United States. She joins a group called the Samaritans, traveling weekly to a shelter known as el comedor, providing clothing, medical supplies and counsel to migrants seeking the American Dream. Investigating why thousands of people are willing to risk their lives crossing the Sonoran Desert into the U.S. where they are despised by so many, Peg begins to understand the complexities of human migration. She reflects on the power of love and family that drives people into the treacherous landscapes of southern Arizona.