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Interviews | January 24, 2012

Jill Owens: IMG Ben Marcus: The Powells.com Interview

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Ben MarcusBen Marcus's books The Age of Wire and String and Notable American Women were considered "experimental" fiction because of his unconventional use of... Continue »
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1 Beaverton World History- Mexico

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The Devil's Highway: A True Story

by Luis Alberto Urrea

The Devil's Highway: A True Story Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

"In May 2001, a group of men attempted to cross the border into the desert of southern Arizona, through the deadliest region of the continent, a place called the Devil's Highway. Fathers and sons, brothers and strangers, entered a desert so harsh and desolate that even the Border Patrol is afraid to travel through it. Twelve came back out."

Now, Luis Alberto Urrea tells the story of this modern odyssey. He takes us back to the small towns and unpaved cities south of the border, where the poor fall prey to dreams of a better life and the sinister promises of smugglers. We meet the men who will decide to make the crossing along the Devil's Highway and, on the other side of the border, the men who are ready to prevent them from reaching their destination. Urrea reveals exactly what happened when the twenty-six headed into the wasteland, and how they were brutally betrayed by the one man they had trusted most. And from that betrayal came the inferno, a descent into a world of cactus spines, labyrinths of sand, mountains shaped like the teeth of a shark, and a screaming sun so intense that even at midnight the temperature only drops to 97 degrees. And yet, the men would not give up. The Devil's Highway is a story of astonishing courage and strength, of an epic battle against circumstance. These twenty-six men would look the Devil in the eyes — and some of them would not blink.

Review:

"Superb....Nothing less than a saga on the scale of the Exodus and an ordeal as heartbreaking as the Passion....The book comes vividly alive with a richness of language and a mastery of narrative detail that only the most gifted of writers are able to achieve." Los Angeles Times Book Review

Review:

"The book's rare power is that it is both epic in scope — a trek through the wilderness in search of 'the promised land' — and intensely personal." Boston Globe
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
7cats, January 1, 2011 (view all comments by 7cats)
An absolutely OUTSTANDING book and one that shows the reader just what the plight is of the potential "undocumented worker" from Mexico really is!

This book examines one border crossing into Arizona that went terribly bad and many of the men died in the harsh sun of Southern Arizona.

For anyone with an interest in the problems this country has with "undocumented workers", as I am, this book is quite fascinating to read!
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Amahia, January 3, 2010 (view all comments by Amahia)
An American migration story for the 21st century.
Written by a journalist, Devil's Highway is interesting, balanced and informative. It is the tragic story of those who attempted but never became illegal immigrants. As Urrea narrates the story of the migrants lost in the desert, he provides all the background that brings them across the US-Mexico borderlands. Urrea teaches much about the region, border enforcement, the failure of policy, and the social and economic forces that propel migration.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780316010801
Author:
Urrea, Luis Alberto
Publisher:
Back Bay Books
Subject:
Emigration and immigration
Subject:
Mexico
Subject:
Emigration & Immigration
Subject:
Government - U.S. Government
Subject:
United States Emigration and immigration.
Subject:
Human smuggling - Mexican-
Subject:
Ethnic Studies-Immigration
Copyright:
2005
Publication Date:
20050931
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Language:
English
Pages:
239
Dimensions:
8.18x5.56x.81 in. .57 lbs.
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Related Aisles

The Devil's Highway: A True Story Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$9.50 In Stock
Product details 239 pages Back Bay Books - English 9780316010801 Reviews:
"Review" by , "Superb....Nothing less than a saga on the scale of the Exodus and an ordeal as heartbreaking as the Passion....The book comes vividly alive with a richness of language and a mastery of narrative detail that only the most gifted of writers are able to achieve."
"Review" by , "The book's rare power is that it is both epic in scope — a trek through the wilderness in search of 'the promised land' — and intensely personal."
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