The Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea is a true story about 26 men who attempt to cross the border from Mexico into the US. Only 12 survive.
If you've read this book, please leave a comment about it and whether you think it would be of interest to a wide audience of 30,000 university readers.
5 comments:
I think this is a fantastic book for the following reasons: 1) it's topical: this creative nonfiction follows 26 Mexican men, who in 2001, attempted to cross the Arizona/Mexico border. Their coyote got lost and half of the group died in the desert. The novel's point of view shifts continually between the men, their coyote, their families in Mexico, as well as the border agents, medical personnel, and vigilantes. The book, thus, provides a wide and diverse view on this type of immigration. 2) Despite the book's serious subject matter, the author (Luis Alberto Urrea) found points of humor, albeit dark humor, though nonetheless, this humor sustains much of the narrative. 3) It's not too long (228 pages) and it reads quickly. I think our students would finish reading this book and it would spark a lot of powerful conversations regarding the experience of immigration and the policies surrounding it.
While the book is interesting, it is difficult to get into and I'm concerned that students will not get into it the same way they would for an engaging novel, like The Kite Runner or Color of the Sea. The first few chapters seem to skip around with some historical references about the desert area and how the border patrol works that cause some confusion and distracts from the reader's interest in the 26 men.
I think the Reading Program would do better with a work of fiction or non-fiction that is more linear in telling a story and that is more engaging.
I have started to read this book and am having a difficult time getting hooked in. I am not quite sure what it is yet, but will comment after I figure it out. I would echo Annette's comments specific to students being able to relate.
I co-chair our campus/community-wide book read at the University of Arkansas which is doing its first annual event this fall and we are bringing in Luis and the community will be reading the book starting this fall. I think its as timely a book as you can get--particularly in our community where rants continue over immigration in the midst of an exploding Hispanic in-migration. It is inter-disciplinary and while I am sure there are other books out there that can educate an uneducated population--I think it s a great choice. I hear the concerns though but lots of great books are tough to get going with--the reward I think is substantial.
This was unlike any narrative nonfiction I've ever read. Urrea's lyrical, informal prose keeps the story moving quickly. My preference, I think, is for a novel, but this would have to be at the top of my nonfiction list.
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