La Linea

Chapters 1-12

Reading Check

1. A pair of jeans (Chapter 1)

2. “[T]hose who weren’t afraid to see his ugliness” (Chapter 5)

3. Because he is not good with farming or ranch work (Chapter 6)

4. That they will be the first man and woman in the family to graduate from school (Chapter 7)

5. A soccer jersey and a carving knife (Chapter 9)

6. Because he had never seen her take off her Virgen de Guadalupe medallion in his “whole life” (Chapter 10)

Short Answer

1. Miguel wakes up on his birthday morning expecting to see a few presents from his grandmother; instead, he sees an envelope on the ground with a letter from his father telling him it is “time” for him to cross the border. (Chapter 1)

2. Before, Miguel dreamed that he would become a famous, rich soccer player. Now, he believes that his dream is “dead” since he lost a spot on the local team. (Chapters 2-5)

3. Elena is Miguel’s 13-year-old sister whom he worries about because she never really had a relationship with her mother. He is dreading telling her that he has been summoned to cross la línea; however, when he summons the courage to tell her, he realizes that she already guessed the news, and she runs away crying. (Chapters 2-4)

4. Miguel learns from Don Clemente that his father has already sent him the money for Miguel to make the journey across. Miguel is surprised to learn that because Don Clemente previously owed Papá a favor, Don Clemente had offered to help Miguel and Elena across the border in the years prior; however, his father was too proud to accept this offer. (Chapter 5)

5. Miguel’s going-away party is small, with a few friends and neighbors. The guests tell scary stories about La Llorona and chupacabras as well as suspicious rumors regarding people they knew that crossed la línea, but Miguel reflects that this was merely because no one wanted to share the true stories they knew of close relatives or friends who were injured, kidnapped, or died trying to cross the border. (Chapter 8)

6. Miguel observes that many of the passengers are young, single men, trying to cross the border as well. Unfortunately, when Captain Morales stops the bus to check people’s papers and take bribes, the bus is turned around and Miguel’s schedule is delayed. (Chapter 12)

Chapters 13-25

Reading Check

1. Money (Chapter 14)

2. Juanito (Chapter 15)

3. They are robbed while asleep at the bus station. (Chapter 16)

4. “Tengo SIDA” (“I have AIDS” in Spanish) (Chapter 19)

5. That the mata gente had derailed and killed many of the passengers (Chapter 24)

Short Answer

1. Javi informs Miguel that he has an escape plan for when the bus stops. He feigns a seizure, and the passengers use this moment to escape. (Chapter 14)

2. After running from the bus with the other passengers, Miguel and Elena rest in a small town where they wait for the bus back to San Jacinto the following morning. They see a movie and sleep in the bus station. (Chapters 15-16)

3. Elena and Miguel decide to call Don Clemente to see if he had their parents’ new phone number in California; however, Jacinto answers the phone and informs them that Don Clemente is dead and that he will be taking over the operations himself. (Chapter 17)

4. The mata gente, or “people killer” is a train that people try to jump on in order to cross the border; however, many people have died or been injured trying. Most of those who jump on the mata gente are children who are trying to reunite with their parents across the US border. Elena, Javi, and Miguel find the train trip exhausting. (Chapters 18-20)

5. After Javi injures his ankle jumping off the train, Elena thinks they should stay and wait for him to recover, while Miguel thinks they should continue. While Miguel steps away, Elena hires an Indigenous couple to take them to the border in their truck. Elena and Miguel argue about who is right, and eventually, Miguel tells her that the only reason they were forced to wait so long was because of their father’s pride. (Chapter 22)

6. El Plomero (i.e., Moisés) is Don Clemente’s contact at the border town. He provides the group with new clothes and supplies and leads them personally to the border. (Chapter 25)

Chapter 26-Epilogue

Reading Check

1. Reuniting with his parents in California (Chapter 26)

2. They crossed the border in the middle of the night. (Chapter 26)

3. Miguel (Chapter 28)

4. They were covered by sand in the sandstorm. (Chapter 30)

5. They play a game that they used to play as children. (Chapter 30)

Short Answer

1. At the group’s resting point, Moisés investigates a noise. He is shot and captured by the US border control agents. As the agents’ car drives by the group’s hiding place, Moisés discreetly drops his backpack with his and Elena’s remaining water for the group. (Chapter 27)

2. Without Moisés, the group has trouble navigating the desert terrain. In addition to rain, they have sunburns, blisters, splinters from cacti, and a low water supply. (Chapter 28)

3. The trio discovers the bodies of a woman and her child. They decide not to bury the bodies, and instead wait out the impending sandstorm to keep their strength. (Chapter 29)

4. The Epilogue centers on an annual phone call between Elena and Miguel, 10 years after they left San Jacinto. The reader learns the following: in this decade Elena has moved back to San Jacinto and married Chuy and has a baby with him, Miguel lives in the US, Abuelita died one year after they left, and Miguel believes he is responsible for Papá’s aging. (Epilogue)