Learning by Doing

I think that it's remarkable that Nazario, the author of our text of focus, put herself in the shoes of Enrique (and boys like Enrique) who made the perilous journey to America. Though the reliability of her journey seems to be of debate (how could she possibly have gone through the same experiences and come out in one piece?), the fact that she gained knowledge behind the story by attempting to take a first hand look at the truth of Enrique's journey is quite astounding. Here is a link to an online article ("The Train of Death"), including an interview with the author, that provides more insight into her research as a writer. By learning through doing, in this case, Nazario was better able to capture the emotions and hardships commonly faced during such feats.

http://www.motherjones.com/interview/2006/03/sonia_nazario.html