CRITICAL READING RESPONSE OF THE BOOK FRESH FRUIT, BROKEN BODIES 1 FRESH FRUIT, BROKEN BODIES FRESH FRUIT, BROKEN BODIES: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States is as ethnography compiled by anthropologist Seth M. Holmes during his two-year stay with the Triqui people. The Triqui people are an Indigenous group from Oaxaca who often move to Washington to take up farmworker positions during the harvesting season. In his ethnography, Holmes takes up a farmworker job and works together with the Triqui people while actively collecting information about their experiences at work and in their homes. Through his ethnography, Holmes highlights the plight of the Triqui people and their disconnect from American society. Some of the issues that the Triqui people have to put up with include their poor living conditions in makeshift structures, substandard working conditions with poor wages and health conditions which develop due to the nature of their occupation. The ethnography also explains how farm work shapes the lives of the Triqui people. The author’s main argument is that a combination of social and political structures has contributed to the social justice experienced by Triqui people. In this case, political instability, illiteracy, transport problems, corporate greed, unaffordable health services, and racial discrimination are contributing factors. These factors combined contribute to the poor living conditions that the Triqui people have had to put up with for years. While this community may be willing to take positive action to improve their lives, the odds are stacked heavily against them. We can only deal with this issue if a systemic approach is adopted to deal with each of the contributing factors (Reed-Sandoval, 375). The Triqui people do not choose to work in the United States. They simply lack better options. Their home lacks viable employment opportunities to support their families. They 2 are forced to move to Washington to work as farm workers (Holmes’ 186). Due to lacking financial resources, these individuals have to put up with substandard shelter and poor transport to and from work. At the farms, the language barrier makes it difficult for the workers to negotiate for better wages. Since their wages are little, these individuals have to work at unrealistic rates to make reasonable wages. They then end up developing recurring medical conditions since they have to keep on working regardless of their state of health (Holmes, 125). They are also unable to afford quality healthcare. In some cases, the problems that these workers experience manifest back home. Some of the workers adopt coping mechanisms such as taking alcohol only to physically assault their spouses. Due to the injustice, the Triqui people are stuck doing farm work all their lives (Holmes,144) “Holmes adopts a hands-on approach when compiling his ethnography as an anthropologist, Holmes spends two years living with the Triqui people”1. During this period, Holmes actively takes part in the activities that the Triqui people engage in”. Some of the activities that he participates in include sharing shelter in camps occupied by the Trique people during harvest, sharing public transport used to reports to the farm. On one occasion, Holme’s visits the community ancestral home in Canada. On another occasion, he also attempts to cross the border illegally as the Triqui people sometimes do. At the farm, Holmes takes up as a position as a farmworker where he harvests fruit. During his time as a farmworker, Holmes interviews people who work at different levels within the farms. Some of his interviewees include administrative staff, farm owners and casual farm workers who include the Triqui people, and locals. Holme's choice of research methods is therefore commendable. By being actively involved in the lives of the Triqui people, he can get a first- 1 3 Dr. Gabriella Djerrahian. Lecture on Ethnography. January 24 th, 2020 hand experience of what the Triqui people go through, the information he obtains is therefore reliable. Holmes’ ethnographic piece is fairly easy to read and understand. In his book, Holmes employs various stylistic devices and relatable examples that make it easy for his reader to paint a clearer picture of the experiences of Triqui people. Since this book presents different points of view on the subject, the book has no specific target audience. The book may appeal to the general audience who are interested in American society and how the American system can marginalize certain communities while allowing others to prosper. Since the book also explores how different factors such as language barrier, ethnicity, and racism can affect and shape a community's livelihood. This may appeal to academics and specialists who are interested in learning how different factors directly or directly impact society. Other specialists may use the book as a guide into how certain social problems and social injustices can be deal with. By compiling this ethnography, Holmes hoped to raises awareness about the social justice experienced by the Triqui people every day. The Triqui people are a little-known community who due to an unstable environment back home are forced to work exploitative jobs, under poor working conditions for meagre wages. Due to the nature of their occupation, theses laborers have developed injuries and painful medical conditions. unfortunately, they are unable to afford healthcare. They also have to put up with poor living standards, and social problems which develop among their families. By raising awareness about the Triqui people, Holmes hopes that their issues can be addressed and measures and solutions can be implemented to improve their lives (Pombo, et al 138). Holmes presents a comprehensive argument about how multiple factors progressively contribute to social injustice towards certain communities. He, however, “Holmes fails to 4 factor in various factors important factors such as gender. he also fails how different genders are affected by social injustice.”2 Holmes gives the example of one farm worker who due to the nature of his work has developed recurring migraines. The farmworker responds by getting drunk and physically assaulting his wife. Holmes fails to hold the victim accountable for his actions and instead blames the system for the man's violent actions. Holmes also fails to explain how each gender is affected by social injustice. While he indicates that some workers experience medical complications, he only emphasizes on what men experience while only highlighting what women experience ( Holmes. 101). Since social injustice affect both men and women, I believe that it would be important to explore how social injustice affects men and women 2 Dr. Gabriella Djerrahian. Lecture on Sex and Gender. March 27 th, 2020 5 Works cited Amy Reed-Sandoval. Locating the Injustice of Undocumented Migrant Oppression. Journal Of Social Philosophy, Vol. 47 No. 4, Winter 2016, 374–398. Seth M. Holmes. FRESH FRUIT, BROKEN BODIES: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States. University of California Press, 2013. Pombo, María Dolores París, and Mariana Ortega Breña. “Breaking the Spiral of Violence: Politics and Migration in the Lower Triqui Region.” Latin American Perspectives, vol. 41, no. 3, 2014, pp. 137–153., www.jstor.org/stable/24573920. Accessed 12 Mar. 2020. 6