A Disagreement in Idaho by Holt E. Glenn

It's tough to review a book that deals so openly with such a serious problem in our nation.  Illegal immigration is such a hot topic.  Regardless of where you are, you'll hear someone talking about it.  Not only that, you'll hear several different points of view.  Of course, I have my own personal views.  That's what makes reviewing this book difficult.  It's hard to sit back and say what I thought about this book without bringing my own personal views into it.  So, I'm going to attempt it, but please don't judge me too harshly.

This novel takes several fictional characters and shows how they're affected by the immigration laws.  We start off with Juan, an illegal immigrant who's family still lives in Mexico.  Juan just wants to make enough money to take care of his family so that he can move back to Mexico and be with them.  On the opposite side, we have Governor Seabon who's watching his state fall into despair over the extra costs coming from illegal immigrants.  He believes the right thing to do is take on the federal government, attempting to force them to enforce illegal immigration laws by denying health care, education, and closing off the borders.  In addition to these, we have a cast of haunting characters that are immersed in the illegal immigrant controversy in one form or another. 

The writing is smooth and the characters are realistic.  Even though a large amount of the book is political, it's formatted to be reader friendly and isn't bogged down with political jargon.  My only complaint with the entire book is that I now know more about the state of Idaho than I'd ever hoped to know.  I'm impressed with Glenn's research, but it really slowed me down. 

This would be a great book for reading clubs and discussion groups.  There are so many different points of view that are represented in a personal manner.  It's easy to see where each person is coming from and difficult to find the solution.  I believe any two people discussing this book could spark upon an amazing debate.