Originally published in Mexico, Border to Border: The United States and Mexico, by renowned Mexican intellectual Jose E. Iturriaga Sauco, presents a comparative history examining the parallel development of the U.S. and Mexican republics. Often seen as adversaries in conflict for land and resources as well as political ideology, Iturriaga assesses their overlapping values, similar historical origins and conflicts. In spite of the disparity in their economic status--one is the world's largest industrial society, the other is a third-world nation--the United States and Mexico, according to Iturriaga, share more similarities than differences. He explores historical and contemporary issues such as Mexico's adoption of parts of the American Constitution in declaring itself independent of Spain, the loss of Mexcio's northern provinces to the United States in 1848, and the contemporary ebb and flow of immigration between the countries. But Iturriaga's approach goes beyond statistics and historical facts to consider the different concepts of race and ethnicity, community and the individual, religion and spirituality unique to each nation. The maestro's comprehension of the varying world views that exist on each side of the border serves as a backdrop for his discussion of the issues that separate Mexicans and Americans (a nationality that includes Mexican-Americans), including immigration, drug trafficking and violence at the border. The book also compares hot topics such as feminism, labor organizing, and the judicial system. Containing maps, graphs, and a bibliography of related works, Border to Border is an important guide to the development and interface of two parallel cultural systemsthat rely on--but frequently misunderstand--each other.