I selected Everything Is Far from Here by Cristina Henríquez for my artist book. When I first read it, it really moved me. I remember hearing about the ICE detention camps but never really knowing a lot about them. Having this perspective from someone, although fictional, gave me a lot of insight into the issue and what it’s like in those camps. Her descent into hopelessness and desperation was written in a very blunt way, which I think really worked for this story. “The box” was so casually mentioned it was almost easy to glance over. Both her and the reader get their hopes up only for it to be crushed, like when she is told by someone else that they saw her son only to find out it isn’t. It feels like all hope is truly lost when she is wholeheartedly convinced that her son had finally shown up when in reality it was not and she was dragged away to yet again be put in the box. I think this is something everyone should read, and the format of a short story also drives the point home even more. For me, it being short gave it a lot more impact as it didn’t have to be fluffed up with anything like novels need to be.
I decided to work with cardboard, paper, pen, and crayons for my artist book. Although it may seem low effort, I did intentionally choose these materials. I wanted to convey what little is given to those in the ICE detention camps. Instead of blankets, I saw in some camps they were given foil to use instead. I feel as though the use of basic or even scrounged up material could convey that. I put a leaf on both the back and cover, both similar in shape but not in color to show the passing of time and that even as the days go on, not much changes. I depicted the main character as a silhouette in “the box,” with spiderwebs in the corners and dots on the wall. I wanted it to seem as though from left to right, the dots grow more sporadic and abundant to represent the dots she drew on her arm to keep track of the days and that so many have gone by that it’s hard to keep track. I drew a spiral around her to show her spiral into losing herself, and the gloomy cloud of hopelessness surrounding her. I chose a paragraph from page 4 as I felt it best showed her feelings towards time and her son, a big emphasis of the story.
