''¡Calexico! True Lives of the Borderlands'' is a 2011 book by

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

Peter Laufer Peter David Laufer is an independent American journalist, broadcaster and documentary filmmaker working in traditional and new media. He is the James Wallace Chair in Journalism at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. ...

. It covers Laufer's encounters and experiences during his week-long stay in

Calexico, California Calexico () is a city in southern Imperial County, California. Situated on the Mexican border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California. It is about east of San Die ...

, a city on the Mexico–California border. He asks citizens there various questions about life on the border, such as what draws them to border towns and if "English-only" would be a realistic policy.

Overview

''¡Calexico!'' covers the events that Peter Laufer watches occur over one week spent in

. Calexico and its adjacent sister city

Mexicali Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California. The city, seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali metropolitan area is home to 1,000, ...

are two cities that lie on the Mexico–California border. (Both the cities' names are

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsMexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

and

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

.) Laufer asks citizens of Calexico what draws them to border towns like Calexico and Mexicali, how they feel about border security and fences that may, at some point in the future, run through their very backyards, if "English-only" is a realistic policy, why some towns on the border have flourished while others have declined, and what it means to be Mexican or American in a place on the border. {{DEFAULTSORT:Calexico Books about Mexico 2011 non-fiction books Books by Peter Laufer Calexico, California University of Arizona Press books