Billy’s furthest trek south was to the town of Cuauhtemoc, which was verified as once being called San Antonio. San Antonio is plotted on the 1922 map. Billy’s path to Cuauhtemoc and subsequently to La Nortena, however, are speculative. In what ways does The Crossing resemble classic myths and fairy tales? How do Billy and Boyd Parham compare to the figures that Joseph Campbell describes in The Hero with a Thousand Faces? About this Author There are some rough scenes in this book: man’s cruelty to man, man’s cruelty to animals, and man’s cruelty to himself. Those are themes that run through this novel, but in the people’s stories and in their actions there are also many acts of kindness, of compassion, and of caring. What role do animals play in this book? Why, for example, does Billy endure such great danger and hardship for the sake of a wolf? Do any of the characters he meets in Mexico share his feelings about animals?

For the enmity of the world was newly plain to him that day and cold and ameliorate as it must be to all who have no longer cause except themselves to stand against it.

READERS GUIDE

Voi cosa dite? Voi che parole pronunciate di fronte a un foglio e dell'inchiostro? Che potere avete voi, che potere abbiamo noi, davanti a un libro scritto in questo modo? Voglio solamente dire a chi è arrivato fino in fondo, che questi libri vi distruggono. Non vi cambiano la vita, non vi salvano. Vi distruggono. La bellezza ha quest'effetto.

The novel mentions other locations in the US where Billy visits. However, these locations were primarily used to establish a sense of time between his second and Third Mexican journeys. Other places in the US are also mentioned during the end of the book, but again, these mentions are more to set the mood rather than serve as an actual part of the plot. As such, these extraneous locations are not shown on the map. The tone is dark. Billy suffers many hardships. His motivations are not always apparent. Sometimes he just “decides to do something” without thinking it through, and the consequences are dire. Along the way, Billy encounters many other travelers and inhabitants of the land who relate in a sophisticated dialogue their deepest philosophies. Take, for example, a Mormon who converts to Catholicism and describes his vision of reality in this way:

Success!

I spent a good amount of time in early 2014 in southern Mexico. It was a learning experience and it helped me to appreciate what's in this novel. Not only was I able to follow along with much of the Spanish dialogue (it's basic stuff, trust me, I'm not bragging here), but the portrayal of the life and the people rings true and brings to mind images, scenes and people I saw and met during my time in that parched land.