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mzlzee15's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
This book is revealing. I particularly found the physiology of death by extreme heat and dehydration compelling. We hear about death every day. People die. People die by auto accident, bombing, weaponry, all manner of ways. But how our bodies die is not a gentle process. We don't just gently pass into another conciousness.
The border is not just a place that is mine or yours to control. We need to find our humanity again.
I also found the border economics of the border states, in this case Arizona,, revealing.
The border is not just a place that is mine or yours to control. We need to find our humanity again.
I also found the border economics of the border states, in this case Arizona,, revealing.
praetorian333's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
2.0
hilaryannbrown's review against another edition
4.0
Very intense experience reading about an infamous migratory trail that runs through the desert where I live. Grateful for the thorough investigative reporting on a complex issue close to home. Yuma County is a place few understand - this will help.
applegnreads's review against another edition
4.0
Mostly the story of a group of people who tried to cross the border. Also a story of the desert where they tried. At times hard to follow, but perhaps that's intentional.
book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
Digital audiobook read by the author.
From the book jacket: In May 2001, a group of men attempted to cross the border into the desert of southern Arizona, through a place called the Devil’s Highway. They entered a desert so harsh and desolate that even the Border Patrol is afraid to travel through it. For hundreds of years, men have tried to conquer this land, and the desert has stolen their souls and swallowed their blood. Along the Devil’s Highway, days are so hot that dead bodies naturally mummify almost immediately. And that May, twenty-six men went in. Twelve came back out.
My reactions:
This was a horrifying episode and Urrea’s reporting of it in this book earned a nomination for a Pulitzer. He handles the details of the journey with competing emotions: hope, outrage, compassion, frustration, despair. He is honest about what happened and fair when reporting both the positions of “The 26” and of the Border Patrol agents.
Urrea has spent time in this landscape, and he writes poetically about the colors of the desert at dawn, the flora and fauna, the beauty of this incredibly dangerous place. I could feel the searing heat (just writing about it now, I keep reaching for my water bottle), the grit in my socks, the pain of a cactus spine in my finger. The author’s detailed descriptions of the affects of such heat on the human body are clinically accurate … and horrifying to imagine going through.
I found these two video interviews with the author:
(short video about Devil’s Highway) https://billmoyers.com/content/luis-alberto-urreas-change-of-heart/
Longer expansive interview with Urrea about his background and his work: https://billmoyers.com/segment/luis-alberto-urreas-border-crossing-journeys/
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author. I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job of the narration.
From the book jacket: In May 2001, a group of men attempted to cross the border into the desert of southern Arizona, through a place called the Devil’s Highway. They entered a desert so harsh and desolate that even the Border Patrol is afraid to travel through it. For hundreds of years, men have tried to conquer this land, and the desert has stolen their souls and swallowed their blood. Along the Devil’s Highway, days are so hot that dead bodies naturally mummify almost immediately. And that May, twenty-six men went in. Twelve came back out.
My reactions:
This was a horrifying episode and Urrea’s reporting of it in this book earned a nomination for a Pulitzer. He handles the details of the journey with competing emotions: hope, outrage, compassion, frustration, despair. He is honest about what happened and fair when reporting both the positions of “The 26” and of the Border Patrol agents.
Urrea has spent time in this landscape, and he writes poetically about the colors of the desert at dawn, the flora and fauna, the beauty of this incredibly dangerous place. I could feel the searing heat (just writing about it now, I keep reaching for my water bottle), the grit in my socks, the pain of a cactus spine in my finger. The author’s detailed descriptions of the affects of such heat on the human body are clinically accurate … and horrifying to imagine going through.
I found these two video interviews with the author:
(short video about Devil’s Highway) https://billmoyers.com/content/luis-alberto-urreas-change-of-heart/
Longer expansive interview with Urrea about his background and his work: https://billmoyers.com/segment/luis-alberto-urreas-border-crossing-journeys/
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author. I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job of the narration.
drbatfcc's review against another edition
5.0
EXCELLENT! Illegal immigration and the complexities related to it are clear as the author discusses the fate of a group of walkers who made their way through the desert to reach the USA.
analyticalchaos's review against another edition
5.0
"They were aliens before they even crossed the line."
Urrea's prose is threads of silk weaving together to form a tapestry. It has been months since a book has gripped me like this. From the first few paragraphs, I was enraptured in a detailed, well-rounded story that truly takes all perspectives of a case. Though Urrea mentions his bias towards the end, the majority of the novel takes into account the border patrol workers, the coyotes, and the undocumented migrants. Even the foreign relations negotiated between Mexican towns and American governments is provided to give the reader adequate background.
What truly makes this book standout is the nuance and humanity. Instead of pointing fingers and condemning individuals, Urrea presents context to further the reader's understanding. He makes us stand in the grey area. Even in the most heartbreaking parts of the novel, he doesn't soften the truth to make it digestible. The tragedies of the desert are on full display.
Urrea's prose is threads of silk weaving together to form a tapestry. It has been months since a book has gripped me like this. From the first few paragraphs, I was enraptured in a detailed, well-rounded story that truly takes all perspectives of a case. Though Urrea mentions his bias towards the end, the majority of the novel takes into account the border patrol workers, the coyotes, and the undocumented migrants. Even the foreign relations negotiated between Mexican towns and American governments is provided to give the reader adequate background.
What truly makes this book standout is the nuance and humanity. Instead of pointing fingers and condemning individuals, Urrea presents context to further the reader's understanding. He makes us stand in the grey area. Even in the most heartbreaking parts of the novel, he doesn't soften the truth to make it digestible. The tragedies of the desert are on full display.