The Crossing opens with the 2019 shooting in El Paso, Texas by a white nationalist who killed 23 people and injured 22 more. The shooter wanted to kill Latinos to stop the “Hispanic invasion”, because he believed that the only real Americans are those descended from white, northern Europeans.

This book reminds us that Americans have always been multiethnic, multicultural, multireligious, and multilingual. Instead of starting with the relatively late-coming English colonists on the Atlantic Coast, the author, Richard Parker begins in what is now El Paso, Texas.

In El Paso, Native Americans, Spanish, other Europeans, Africans, Jews, and Middle Easterners all lived together, married and had children from an early point. That was very different from the settlers in the English colonies who killed or drove out the Native Americans and attempted to keep enslaved Africans separate.

In 1846, the United States began the Mexican-American War and ended by taking massive amounts of land from Mexico. The book then goes on to show the mistreatment of the new U.S. citizens (former Mexican citizens) as well as the mistreatment of the Native Americans in the west. From that point, and up to the present, Anglo-Americans have denied Latinos their rights, persecuted them, and downplayed/forgotten their accomplishments and contributions.

The Crossing is an excellent book and should be read by all Americans to remind us who we really are. I know a lot about history but most of the information in this book was new to me. It has opened my eyes and changed my perspective.

I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator, Timothy Andrés Pabon, was excellent. The sound quality and production were great.

Thanks to HarperAudio through NetGalley who allowed me to listen to the book.

By showing the Southwest's role in US history, journalist Richard Parker reframes the nation's story. Including the country's earlist archeological evidence of inhabitants near El Paso, Texas, the long-term role of the region in indigenous trade routes and travel, and its position as an immigration hub, The Crossing offers a more inclusive and accurate version of key events.
This is a powerful and timely book that shows the value of cooperation and multiethnic communities.
Narrator Timothy Andrés Pabon gives an expressive vocal performance. I appreciated hearing the correct pronunciation for names and places. The audiobook has good pacing and perfect clarity.
The book is well-researched, and it's approachable for general readers. Parker's style is highly readable. The early chapters had me immersed in the early travels, conflicts, and betrayals.
I'm glad to have found this book during these dark times. It gave me a sense of hope rooted in the lived experience of El Paso, which has been ahead of the rest of the country on some of the most important issues were facing.
Highly recommended for all readers interested in history, social issues, current events, politics, and the future.
Thank you, Harper Audio for the ALC for consideration. These opinions are solely my own.
I'll add links.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the Audio ARC!

The Crossing is a comprehensive history of the El Paso, Ciudad Juarez, and the natives of that area. Beginning with the indigenous inhabitants of the area, Parker chronicles the changes of nationality and the variety of ethnic groups that have created the modern city of El Paso. I especially enjoyed the stories of the various achievements of the Mexican and Mexican-American troops that fought in the world wars. That was all previously unknown information for me, and very interesting. Definitely recommended for anyone with an interest in what really goes on along our southern border.

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.

The Narration by Timothy Andres Pabon is provide at a great pace, easy to follow and understand given the number of dates and stats that are provided.

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

Rating: 5 Stars
Print Pub Date: Mar 4 2025

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The Crossing: Rewriting America's Origin Story from the Borderlands
In the quiet corners of our library's Southwest collection, amid centuries-old maps and dusty chronicles, I've often traced my fingers along the ancient routes that crisscross the borderlands, wondering about the stories embedded in these well-worn paths. Richard Parker's "The Crossing" arrives like a revelation, giving voice to these silent trajectories and fundamentally challenging our understanding of American origins.

As a mathematician turned librarian, I'm drawn to patterns—the way numbers and stories reveal hidden truths when properly arranged.

Parker's work presents what mathematicians might call elegant proof: By shifting our historical origin point from East to West, from Plymouth Rock to El Paso, the entire equation of American history resolves itself with startling clarity.

Remapping American Origins
The book's central thesis is both simple and revolutionary: American history did not begin on the Atlantic seaboard but in the Southwest, specifically in El Paso—a natural crossing point of the Rio Grande that has served as a cultural confluence for millennia. Parker builds this argument with the precision of a master architect, laying one foundation upon another of historical evidence.

What makes this work particularly compelling is how it illuminates the fractal nature of borderland history. Like the recurring patterns in complex mathematical sets, we see similar dynamics of cultural exchange, resistance, and adaptation playing out across different scales of time and space.

The story of Esteban (or Estevanico), a Moroccan enslaved person who became "the first white man" seen by Indigenous peoples of the Rio Grande Valley, exemplifies the kind of categorical disruption that characterizes borderland histories.

A Mathematical Lens on Cultural Complexity
As someone who once dedicated years to studying topology, I am struck by how Parker's narrative reveals what we might call the "cultural topology" of the Southwest.

The region's geographic features—its mountain passes, river valleys, and desert corridors—have created natural pathways for human movement that transcend the artificial boundaries we've tried to impose on them.

The book depicts El Paso as a crucial hub within a vast cultural exchange network, echoing the idea of centrality in network theory—illustrating how specific nodes are vital for the entire system's operation.1

Parker demonstrates how El Paso's position at the intersection of North-South and East-West routes made it not just a geographical crossroads but a crucible for American multiculturalism.

The Violence of Artificial Boundaries
One of the most powerful aspects of Parker's work is his framing device: the 2019 Walmart massacre in El Paso. As someone who has spent years helping patrons navigate resources on social justice and civil rights, I find his connection between historical patterns of violence and contemporary manifestations of white supremacy both haunting and necessary.

The shooter's targeting of what he perceived as a "Mexican" invasion reveals the tragic irony at the core of borderland violence: the attempt to impose rigid categories and boundaries on a region characterized by fluidity and cultural synthesis.

Parker illustrates that this violence is not new; rather, it is a recurring pattern in the history of the Southwest, from the Spanish conquest to American expansion.

Beyond the Myths of Manifest Destiny
What Parker accomplishes here is nothing less than a complete reframing of American identity itself. By showing how El Paso served as a multicultural hub centuries before the concept of "diversity" entered our national conversation, he provides both historical precedent and a future blueprint for an increasingly pluralistic America.

The traditional narrative of Manifest Destiny—of civilization marching inevitably westward—crumbles when viewed from El Paso.

Instead, we see a complex web of civilizations, migrations, and cultural exchanges that defy simple directional narratives. Parker's work reveals how the Southwest has always been what America is becoming: a space where cultures meet, clash, and ultimately create something new.

A Personal Resonance
As I've watched patrons engage with our library's collections, I've observed how personal stories often provide the most powerful counter-narratives to simplified histories. Parker's work, while deeply researched and academically rigorous, never loses sight of the human dimension of borderland history.

His exploration of how El Paso processed more immigrants than Ellis Island challenges our national mythology about immigration while highlighting the ongoing relevance of borderland dynamics to contemporary American life.

The book demonstrates how the patterns of cultural exchange and adaptation that characterized early El Paso continue to shape American identity today.

Looking Forward Through the Past
What makes "The Crossing" particularly vital in our current moment is its vision of how understanding our true origins might help us navigate our future.

As our nation grapples with questions of identity, belonging, and the very nature of American society, Parker's work suggests that the answers might be found in the long history of borderland communities that have already navigated these challenges.

For those of us who work at the intersection of knowledge preservation and social justice, "The Crossing" provides both inspiration and instruction. It demonstrates how careful historical analysis can challenge dominant narratives while offering new frameworks for understanding both our past and our possible futures.

Conclusion
"The Crossing" is more than just a historical revision—it's a fundamental reconceptualization of American identity and origins. Like the best mathematical proofs, it achieves this through careful logic and attention to detail while arriving at conclusions that transform our understanding of the entire system.

For readers seeking to understand both America's past and its possible futures, "The Crossing" is an essential addition to their intellectual journey. It reminds us that the story of America isn't simply about East-to-West expansion; it's about the complex networks of cultural exchange, resistance, and adaptation that have always characterized our borderlands.

In these patterns of the past, we might find the key to our collective future.