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jdintr's review against another edition
4.0
Last summer, I took my sons and nephews on a road trip along the US-Mexico border. We ate lunch in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, drove to Sierra Vista, Arizona along the border, often coming as close as 50 yards to the metal fence that separates the two nations. After a visit to Tucson and the Mission San Xavier del Bac, we left the Tohono O'odham Reservation and drove to Ajo, camping for a night in Organ Pipe Cactus National Park.
In other words, we traveled the Devil's Highway.
But it wasn't until I had read Urrea's book that my head understood the landscape and the people that my eyes had scene.
One of the most fascinating aspects to Urrea's narrative is just how populated the border region seems to be. He fills in gaps of history, profiles Native Americans, Border Patrol agents, and right-wing patriots, and places the reader among a broad cast that operates in one of the most desolate areas of North America.
I most enjoyed the journalism Urrea demonstrated here. He had looked up the families of the Yuma 14 and filled in fascinating details about many of the men--both those who died and those who survived. He details the landscape. The narrative almost shimmers with dry heat.
The book reminded me a little of Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea in its ability to stretch a long, harrowing trip into an almost encyclopedic look at the context. Urrea goes into detail about the steps of "hyperthermia," i.e. overheating, that lead to death. Only once--when he speculated about the religious visions of the victims--did I feel that he went too far in filling in the details.
A final chapter, written ten years after the events covered in TDH (May of 2001) look at how the border has changed since that terrible, deadly summer.
Having been to Organ Pipe Cactus recently, I can attest that there is an 18-foot-high metal fence separating the park from Mexico. There seem to be Border Patrol vehicles every mile or so. And the regular inspection stations give the border area the feel of a police state.
In other words, we traveled the Devil's Highway.
But it wasn't until I had read Urrea's book that my head understood the landscape and the people that my eyes had scene.
One of the most fascinating aspects to Urrea's narrative is just how populated the border region seems to be. He fills in gaps of history, profiles Native Americans, Border Patrol agents, and right-wing patriots, and places the reader among a broad cast that operates in one of the most desolate areas of North America.
I most enjoyed the journalism Urrea demonstrated here. He had looked up the families of the Yuma 14 and filled in fascinating details about many of the men--both those who died and those who survived. He details the landscape. The narrative almost shimmers with dry heat.
The book reminded me a little of Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea in its ability to stretch a long, harrowing trip into an almost encyclopedic look at the context. Urrea goes into detail about the steps of "hyperthermia," i.e. overheating, that lead to death. Only once--when he speculated about the religious visions of the victims--did I feel that he went too far in filling in the details.
A final chapter, written ten years after the events covered in TDH (May of 2001) look at how the border has changed since that terrible, deadly summer.
Having been to Organ Pipe Cactus recently, I can attest that there is an 18-foot-high metal fence separating the park from Mexico. There seem to be Border Patrol vehicles every mile or so. And the regular inspection stations give the border area the feel of a police state.
callieisreading's review against another edition
4.0
Rightfully a classic, this telling of the deadly journey a group of men took to cross the US-Mexico border in 2001. Of the 26 who started the walk, only 12 made it to the other side, the rest succumbing to the desert heat. The fault rests on the shoulders of many, which the book also goes into- the draconian US immigration policies, the gang violence in Mexico, the coyotes who guide these groups across, the Mexican policies that result in extremely poor wages. To me, the most important takeaway is that while this story made headlines when it happened, it was only because so many died at once. This (and worse) continues to happen, and it isn't really ever acknowledged. I'll be thinking about this probably forever.
kymme's review against another edition
5.0
This story is haunting and poetic and engrossing and upsetting. Definitely a beautiful crash course in the power of the desert, in addition to gently explicating the myriad problems of the Mexico/U.S. border. I learned so much about where I'm from, and thoroughly enjoyed the read despite its distasteful topic.
sweetsam1011's review against another edition
5.0
One heck of a journey, the book but also the read. Following the long and hard journey of those seeking a better life is a hard one to imagine, but this book describes it perfectly. Thank you Luis Alberto Urrea for this remarkable read.
trekbicycles's review against another edition
5.0
Edifying! A thoughtful, clarifying read that highlights the chain of complacency that results in hundreds of deaths along the US-Mexican border annually. Urrea approaches the case study of the Yuma 14 with all the rigor of journalism, without losing the humanity, symbology, and mythology of the border region. Can't recommend enough!
kathystl's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars.
An engaging analysis of a tragic incident as a microcosm of a problem with a thousand intractable causes. There were flashes of brilliant writing but some questionable organizational choices.
An engaging analysis of a tragic incident as a microcosm of a problem with a thousand intractable causes. There were flashes of brilliant writing but some questionable organizational choices.
thriftarchives's review against another edition
5.0
This book destroyed me. It is haunting, maddening, and heartbreaking. All Americans need to read this and they need to read it soon.
chazmo1431's review against another edition
2.0
Reads like a textbook or like someone describing a math equation. Clinical!
I found The Devils Highway nearly impossible to slog through. Not to make light of the level of human suffering the author was attempting to expose but I found it repetitive and exasperating. The author felt it necessary to wallow in the details and belabor the point by taking each individual involved and describe their role in the account or suffering separately and in meticulous detail. I wanted to shout at the author “I got it already” now get on with the story or as my daughter in law is fond of saying “WTMI” (Way too much information)
I found The Devils Highway nearly impossible to slog through. Not to make light of the level of human suffering the author was attempting to expose but I found it repetitive and exasperating. The author felt it necessary to wallow in the details and belabor the point by taking each individual involved and describe their role in the account or suffering separately and in meticulous detail. I wanted to shout at the author “I got it already” now get on with the story or as my daughter in law is fond of saying “WTMI” (Way too much information)
tracithomas's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! A devastating story written with so much compassion and depth. Poetic. Smart. Haunting. This book is great.