Luiselli provides some historical background in order to explain “hemispherically” what she posits as unexplainable in the sense of being inexhaustibly complex. She focuses on how gang violence in the

Luiselli provides some historical background in order to explain “hemispherically” what she posits as unexplainable in the sense of being inexhaustibly complex. She focuses on how gang violence in the US was exported back to Central American cities. In addition to this “big picture” move, she also focuses in the connotations of words (refuge, alien, removable).  She also see-saws back and forth between big picture politics/policy and the close-up experience with Manu Lopez. How is this dynamic being used to counter what she calls “the attitude in the US toward migrants [which is based on “misunderstand and voluntary ignorance” (85)?

readings chap I and II of the book “tell me how it ends”