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A review by tommyhousworth
Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea
5.0
From Veracruz to certain death, 26 Mexican men try to find their way to a new life in America. Fourteen of them - dubbed "The Yuma 14" - never made it. This is their story of hope, suffering and - for some - survival.
No matter what you believe politically about immigration - and make no mistake, these are 26 men trying to enter the U.S. illegally - this story is heartbreaking, beautifully told, and written with such an attention to experiential detail that I loved it for the language as much as for the compelling approach to the story.
It's brutal, it's populated with characters both noble and heartless, and it's told so well, I ordered a copy from Amazon to have, highlight, and read again - the DeKalb library wanted their copy back after six weeks, apparently.
This is a terrific - and horrific - book, and I want to read Urrea's "Across the Wire" next to learn more. What T.C. Boyle's "Tortilla Curtain" covered as a piece of fiction, and Bruce Springsteen captured on "Matamoros Banks" and "Across the Border" musically, Urrea captures here - and then some.
No matter what you believe politically about immigration - and make no mistake, these are 26 men trying to enter the U.S. illegally - this story is heartbreaking, beautifully told, and written with such an attention to experiential detail that I loved it for the language as much as for the compelling approach to the story.
It's brutal, it's populated with characters both noble and heartless, and it's told so well, I ordered a copy from Amazon to have, highlight, and read again - the DeKalb library wanted their copy back after six weeks, apparently.
This is a terrific - and horrific - book, and I want to read Urrea's "Across the Wire" next to learn more. What T.C. Boyle's "Tortilla Curtain" covered as a piece of fiction, and Bruce Springsteen captured on "Matamoros Banks" and "Across the Border" musically, Urrea captures here - and then some.