When we think about the origins of the United States and places which witnessed its development, we rarely think about El Paso.

Yet, as Richard Parker has well demonstrated in The Crossing: El Paso, the Southwest, and America’s Forgotten Origin Story, perhaps we should.

The author began and ended with the 2019 mass shooting event at an El Paso Walmart; the author grew up in El Paso and felt compelled to write to show how the story of El Paso is integral to the story of America.

The author began with how Indigenous people have lived in the areas around El Paso for perhaps an incredibly long time. In terms of more modern history, the author began with the Oñate expedition of the late sixteenth century. While they would pass through the El Paso area heading to what is now New Mexico, El Paso would become the territorial capital after the revolts against the Spanish among the Pueblo peoples.

The author then focuses more primarily on El Paso itself: its development on the south side of the river, independence from Spain, early white settlement, the Mexican War and the establishment of the border, and the Gadsden Purchase and how many who had been in Mexico were now in the United States. The story of El Paso as part of Texas and the Confederacy is told with the events of the Civil War which took place in the general area; how El Paso and Juarez would develop through the late 19th and 20th centuries; and the modern story of both towns, the border, migration, economic development, and economic challenges. The author spoke of the challenges El Paso has experienced, but also its multi-cultural nature and how well people actually live among one another there. He very much emphasizes how the 2019 Walmart shooter came from outside of El Paso and was fueled by narratives foreign to the lived experience of El Paso.

This is a great read about the history of El Paso and the southwest in general.

An #ownVoices historian and journalist in El Paso uncovers the hidden stories of the land that became known as the United States of America. The well-researched truths of exploration and colonization long before and far away from the Plymouth Rock story shook my world view. Within a few pages I was deep into a story far different fron the 'official' versions, complete with the heinous conquistador inhumanity toward the tribes living on the land they came to plunder.

There are good surprises, fascinating details about the earliest prehistoric peoples and the tribes living in the region during the invasions from Spain, and an effective frame that highlight the danger of hate-based ideologies.

The documentation is excellent, making this an authoritative history to stand against the misinformation and erasures aimed against diversity. A sweet thing, the more I read about multiculturalism in El Paso, Texas, the more hope I felt for a future where cooperation, respect, and human values will triumph over fear-mongering, ignorance, and greed.

Highly recommended for all mature readers. You don't need a background in history to be grabbed by this story.
Thank you, @Mariner Books, for the E-ARC via @NetGalley for consideration. These opinions are solely my own.
Review posted:
March 2, TikTok
March 5, GoodReads

The Crossing: El Paso, the Southwest, and America's Forgotten Origin Story by Richard Parker tells the rich story of El Paso, Texas and its pivotal role in the origin story of American History. It describes how this city plays a pivotal role in the origin story of the Untied States and was a battleground for early American democracy and equality. Like a People’s History of the Untied States by Howard Zinn, it exposes a portion of American History that many are either not familiar with or are willing to acknowledge. This book is a must read for those who want to understand the complex narrative of our American History.

Thank you Mariner Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. All Opinions are my own.

Rating: 5 Stars
Print Pub Date: Mar 4 2025

Tags:
Mariner books
@marinerbooks
#TheCrossing
#RichardParker
#YarisBookNook
#netgalley

“The Crossing” recenters American history west to El Paso, Texas. It’s a great argument; it is the bridge between South and North. A feast between the Spanish and Indigenous peoples took place in El Paso decades before the pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock. It’s where Immigrant America starts—more immigrants have passed through El Paso than Ellis Island—and where crucial battles for Civil Rights were fought.

If you were around when I took a Modern Mexico class, you would have learned a lot of new history while I did. This book felt like a sequel to the class. SO well researched…and I made so many highlights and notes. Richard Parker, I do agree, our history starts in El Paso, Texas. Anyone who has a slight interest in American History, make this a must read.

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books #TheCrossing #NetGalley

Many thanks for the ARC of this excellent new work. Readers interested in a deeper understanding of American history will love this book. This is one of those books that change how you think. The East-to-West version of how the USA was built is challenged here. This is a new way of looking at how our country really came together. Highly recommended. This is a very original piece of work.

Even with all the US history books I’ve read as an adult in an attempt to make up for all of the things that weren’t taught to me back in school, one thing that has still proven particularly hard to shake as a New Englander is the very skewed perception that the country as it is all began heavily originated with European settlements popping up on the East Coast. Suffice to say, as a result I have developed a strong appreciation for all the works that I’ve read that remind me that the country also has very, very heavy origins in the Spanish-influenced southwest, and “The Crossing” now joins the ranks of those books. El Paso is a city that tends to lie completely off my radar, I must confess, so I really enjoyed being able to learn about its history in such depth. Even more appreciated is author Richard Parker’s unapologetically strong stance that his home city is emblematic of the United States, providing this Yankee an almost radical new point of view that I’ll be happily mulling over for quite some time now.

Detailed, engaging, intensely thought-provoking….”The Crossing” really just proved to be a major treat of a history read!