"Crossing bridges and borders": Tahir Farooq Reviews The Border Between Us by Rudy Ruiz

Rudy Ruiz’s The Border Between Us (2024) is a powerful and emotionally rich Young Adult (YA) novel that captures the complexities of life along the U.S.- Mexico border. Rather than reducing the story to immigration laws or political headlines, Ruiz tells deeply personal stories, offering human faces to an issue often discussed through numbers and policies. His characters are not statistics; they are people with hopes, heartbreaks, and dreams. This novel is both timely and timeless—an exploration of family, identity, and resilience, all set against the harsh beauty of the borderland.

The Border Between Us book cover (left) and author Rudy Ruiz (right). Novel out now.

The story follows Ramon Lopez, a boy growing up in Brownsville, Texas—a region shaped by cultural richness and economic hardship. Ramon's father, Joe, runs a modest tire-recapping shop that barely pays the bills, supports Ramon’s disabled brother Ruben, and keeps Ramon enrolled at St. Mary’s Catholic School. Despite limited resources, Joe values education and hopes to shield Ramon from the materialism he sees in American society. Inspired by his father’s values and work ethic, Ramon dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. As Ramon reflects, “My dad dusted his hands off, which was pointless because the soot wouldn't come off until we washed them with Lava soap back at the house. This was the life of a tire man, he often declared. Dirty but honest. Humble yet proud”. Ramon’s early ventures—like selling chili powder at school—don’t always succeed, but they spark his ambition. Over time, he discovers a talent for art, which eventually takes him from Brownsville to New York City in search of a better future.

With affection and clarity, Ruiz also paints the city of Brownsville not as a mere backdrop but a living character—shaped by poverty and struggle, yes, but also by deep cultural traditions and everyday beauty. The streets, the mercado, and the Rio Grande all become part of Ramon’s inner world. In many ways, the novel gives voice to a region that is often misrepresented in national discourse.

While the border is commonly depicted as a site of danger or crisis, Ruiz shows it as a place of community and care. Families move between cultures with ease, switching between Spanish and English, crossing bridges and borders not in fear but as a part of daily life. This depiction honors South Texas as complex, vibrant, and deeply American.

Ruiz powerfully illustrates how storytelling can thrive within the Young Adult genre, using clear, evocative prose to explore bicultural identity. His layered, bilingual narrative mirrors the lives of many Mexican Americans in South Texas. Through sensory detail and humor—like Ramon’s attempt to earn enough money for an Evel Knievel bike - he brings Brownsville to life. As Ramon recounts, “If my calculations proved correct, in a couple of months, I’d have more than enough money to buy my Evel Knievel bike, which still gleamed like a beacon in the store window at Mac’s Toys. I began a weekly pilgrimage to pay homage to it. And I took pride in buying a growing number of bags of chili every Sunday at the mercado." This moment not only shows Ramon’s determination but also reflects the playful, youthful tone Ruiz uses to explore deeper themes like ambition, cultural pride, and resilience.

The Border Between Us vividly portrays daily life at the border, where crossing between the U.S. and Mexico is not just political but part of ordinary community life. These cross-border errands, filled with casual switches between English and Spanish, reflect a hybrid identity that defines the region. As shown throughout the novel, the experience of growing up Mexican American in Brownsville is shaped not by borders alone, but by everyday rituals of community life. Ramon’s growth is shaped not by dramatic events but by the accumulation of everyday experiences. These experiences influence Ramon's values and sense of self, and show how deeply the border shapes emotional and psychological identity. As Ramon reflects,

“In my mind and heart, the border ran through all things, including me. It was a wavering high wire I always balanced upon, my center of gravity invariably and incessantly shifting from one side to the other in an instinctive search for equilibrium”.

Importantly, The Border Between Us does not treat the border as a battleground, as many political narratives do. Instead, it portrays it as a place of contradiction, community, and quiet strength. Brownsville is not a place on the edge of America - it is America. Ramon’s journey is not merely about personal success; it’s about navigating multiple identities, languages, and values. Even as he leaves for New York, his connection to the border remains emotionally strong.

Alongside his shifting sense of place, Ramon’s growing relationship with art offers a path toward self-understanding. As he matures, art becomes a symbol of transformation and self-expression. But unlike stories that frame success as escape or total assimilation, his evolution is more nuanced. He carries Brownsville with him, and his father’s quiet strength continues to guide him. Joe Lopez, portrayed with subtle compassion, represents a generation of men who dared to dream despite looming failure. His hopes and heartbreaks offer a poignant contrast to Ramon’s ambition.

Ruiz’s prose is poetic yet grounded, capturing the complexities of dual identity and the tension between cultures. Though at times the writing may feel laborious, the novel’s emotional depth emerges through the authentic voices of its characters and their lived experiences. Ruiz’s background as a native of the border region and his academic accomplishments, including being longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, further enrich his storytelling with insider knowledge and empathy. His exploration of cultural identity, material struggles, and personal growth reflects his commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices, a theme also present in his other works, such as 7 for the Revolution and The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez.

As someone who immigrated to the U.S. and faced the challenges of adapting to a new culture, I found this novel especially moving. I’ve seen how immigrants and their children struggle to honor their roots while chasing new opportunities. Ruiz captures this tension with grace and authenticity.

Though a work of fiction, the novel feels profoundly true reflecting the lives of those who are bilingual, bicultural, and emotionally tied to both sides of a border too often simplified or demonized.

In today’s climate, where immigration is reduced to soundbites and fear-based narratives, The Border Between Us offers a vital counter-narrative. It reminds us that the border is not only a place of arrival or crisis - it is home. At a time when immigrants are deported without due process and students face forced removal from school or country, this novel offers empathy, nuance, and hope. It urges us not just to hear, but to truly listen - to stories that rarely make the headlines but deserve to be told.