Traveling 2,555 Kilometers through Mexico Illegally: Each year, thousands of people, and thus thousands of fates, are linked to freight trains: they are trying to cross the border illegally in order to get to the United States, the Promised Land. They take any risk for the slim prospect to have a life at least halfway in dignity. The journalist Hans-Joachim Loewer set out on a more than adventurous journey by train with Latin American refugees trying to escape the poverty of their home countries. He joined them in a difficult phase of life, shared all their hardships in order to be close to them. “You must experience that first-hand, I told myself – that’s the only way to really know what you’re writing about.” With his spellbinding report Loewer manages to tear the fate of nameless Latinos from the anonymity of our torrent of news.
- He succeeds in writing highlights that can sometimes say more than astute analyses and TV spots. dpa
- The shrewd and knowledgeable reporter succeeds in doing a balancing act on the edge of a knife whose result will convince many male and female readers. Suedwest Presse
- A trip full of dangers, the captivating report of an eye witness
- With numerous photos full of directness
Hans-Joachim Loewer, born in Aschaffenburg in 1948 worked for many years as a foreign correspondent for the “Stern” magazine in the Near East, South Central Asia, Africa, Asia, Latin America. Since 1999, he has been working as an editor for “National Geographic Deutschland”. He lives in Hamburg with his Mexican wife and daughter.
