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michrichter1's review against another edition
4.0
A collection of nonfiction essays that's powerful and affecting, and sometimes a little grisly, but always felt genuine and raw. Urrea is a terrific writer, but I think I hoped for a more connected narrative. Well worth the read.
extraspecialbitter's review against another edition
4.0
Like most of Luis Alberto Urrea's non-fiction ("Under the Wire" and "The Devil's Highway" come to mind), "By the Lake of Sleeping Children" pulls no punches. We're even warned in the Introduction that certain chapters might be best avoided by the faint of heart. To do so, however, would mean missing Urrea's eye for detail and always eloquent prose. Yes, it might haunt your nightmares, but that's entirely the point.
zzzzh233's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
imo this was written a bit better than the 1st (Across the Wire) which means ya this shit HURTED
kerrin's review against another edition
4.0
I was really struck by the stories in this book & the fact that it was published in the 1990s not long after I moved to Texas. I really wish I would've found it then.
lmurray74's review against another edition
5.0
The work of a generous and giving writer. Urrea tells the stories of people we know about in the shadows and that we most likely feel bad for, and that feeling doesn't really change, but we read about the lives they experience, their friendships, their families as well as their work and so no longer can we pretend not to see them smile and laugh.
lmurray74's review
5.0
A collection of short essays about the lives of people on the border. Luis Alberto Urrea never fails to capture what makes everyone he writes about tick. He has genuine empathy and compassion and I learn so much from reading his work.
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