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The Devil's Highway: A True Story
The Devil's Highway: A True Story | Luis Alberto Urrea
n May 2001, a group of men attempted to cross the Mexican border into the desert of southern Arizona, through the deadliest region of the continent, the "Devil's Highway." Three years later, Luis Alberto Urrea wrote about what happened to them. The result was a national bestseller, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a "book of the year" in multiple newspapers, and a work proclaimed as a modern American classic.
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Suelizbeth
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Pickpick

This is a brutal book. It describes, in relentless detail, the death one suffers from desert heat. This is the daily reality for some who walk from Mexico to the United States. What is the solution? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

currentlyreadinginCO I read this approx 2009 & heard the author talk around then. It really left an impression on me and has stuck with me all of these years later! 6mo
Suelizbeth @currentlyreadinginCO It‘s powerful. 📚❤️ 6mo
38 likes1 stack add2 comments
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CaitZ
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Pickpick

This was hard to read. There's so much corruption, crime, and tragedy in the story. 26 men from poverty-ridden areas of Mexico just wanted to make a better life for their families but were exploited by many and paid a high price. #ReadingTheAmericas2023 #UnitedStates #JoyousJanuary @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB @Andrew65

Librarybelle I would imagine this is a hard read. I have this on my to read list. 1y
JamieArc This author is one of my favorites. He‘s a great human being and writes both fiction and non-fiction so well. I l really liked the tagged of his. 1y
Andrew65 Well done on completing this 👏👏👏 1y
35 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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MarshmallowAdventures
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Pickpick

A must read, a skillfully executed narrative of one example of the daily tragedies occurring along the United States / Mexico border.

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Bookboss
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Pickpick

I had the great pleasure of meeting the author at a book event. He is an engaging speaker! I have read some of his fiction and loved it. This nonfiction account of the tragic deaths of immigrants crossing the southern border is excellent. Urrea describes the people who make the dangerous crossing with insight and compassion. This is a powerful book.

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Jessieleah
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January books! I feel like I never have much time to read anymore so I‘m pleased with 5 total 👏🏻. There were more so-so novels than amazing ones this month. I gave Devil‘s Highway 4 ⭐️ as it was so interesting, and definitely saved the month! Fallen Skies was one of the worst books I‘ve ever read 😅 hoping things look up in February!

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Jessieleah
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“Cutters read the land like a text. They search the manuscript of the ground for irregularities in its narration. They know the plots and the images by heart. They can see where the punctuation goes. They are the landscape grammarians, got the PhD in reading dirt.”

Absolutely love Urrea‘s style of writing. Incredibly interesting read; also quite disturbing. Have a glass of water handy.

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steph_phanie
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I started a new book this morning, then my cat tried to eat it. 😼📚🥺 #catmom #bookdamage #currentlyreading

KristenDuck That is so funny! I used to have a cat who would chew the corners of my books too!! 4y
JamieArc Great book! 4y
BarbaraBB I am curious about that book! 4y
9 likes3 comments
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Sasstronaut
Devil's Highway: A True Story | Luis Alberto Urrea
Pickpick

Well written. Full of details, yet still stark in the telling. A story of one group, but also of many. Tells us if all the complicated lines intertwined in a group making a crossing and why.

3 likes1 stack add
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Sasstronaut
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Five men stumbled out of the mountain pass so sunstruck they didn‘t know their own names, couldn‘t remember where they‘d come from, had forgotten how long they‘d been lost.

#FirstLineFriday

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BookmarkTavern
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Pickpick

The true, harrowing story of 26 men from Mexico who attempted to enter the USA through the desert of southern Arizona in May, 2001, and the 12 that survived.

This was a tough listen. Urrea does not shy away from any of the harsh realities. He speaks about the harsh conditions immigrants are trying to escape, he speaks about the compassion of US citizens, but also the abuses and cruelty. Lots of heart, data, and story. All well done. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

46 likes1 stack add
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JeniReadABook
Pickpick

🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Lauren.Archer
Pickpick

I read this in conjunction with American Dirt. While I stand by American Dirt as a great fiction story, to read this own voices non fiction account really completed the narrative for me. This is a harrowing story of a migrant group crossing the border in Yuma. I am so very glad that I got to read this, I don‘t think I would have, if it wasn‘t for American Dirt.

56 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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BookmarkTavern
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This afternoon, I want to wish a happy #Thanksgiving to anybody who celebrates. A peaceful day for those who don‘t. And for those working today and/or tomorrow, I wish whatever good forces may exist in the universe provide you with a calm, low stress, well compensated day.

And to this community, I want to express my profoundest thanks. This app has been a safe harbor for me. You are all some of the most thoughtful, lovely, and amazing people. ❤️

Sace Beautiful pies! Happy Thanksgiving! 4y
ljuliel I hoe you had an enjoyable day 🍁 4y
AmyG Happy Thanksgiving 🦃 4y
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BookmarkTavern @Sace Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving to you! @ljuliel Thanks! I hope you did too! @AmyG Happy Thanksgiving to you too! 4y
Julsmarshall What lovely words and sane to you! 4y
58 likes6 comments
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BookmarkTavern
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It‘s pie time y‘all!

#audiobaking

ljuliel What kind are you making ? We‘re having pecan and pumpkin. 4y
BookmarkTavern @ljuliel Sounds delish! For me, one apple and one pumpkin! Not a lot of people this year. I haven‘t quite mastered the art of the pecan yet! 🥧 4y
ljuliel It sounds good. Pecan isn‘t hard. You can do it ! 4y
BookmarkTavern @ljuliel Thanks! My mother loves pecans, so I‘ll have to give it a try soon! 4y
Megabooks Pie o‘clock is a great time of day! I hope it turned out well! 4y
42 likes5 comments
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SconsinBookyBadger
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Another book on the tbr stack. 📚 Along the #borderline of US and Mexico is the Sonoran Desert where a group of men attempted to cross through in 2001.

#MOvember @Cinfhen

Cinfhen I‘ve seen this book on lots of lists ~ it‘s meant to be excellent 4y
SconsinBookyBadger @Cinfhen I‘ve been seeing reviews it‘s good and a heartbreaking story. (edited) 4y
KT1432 I have this! Still sitting in my TBR line... 4y
SconsinBookyBadger @lele1432 so many tbrs so little time to read them 4y
27 likes4 comments
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bourne.shell
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Pickpick

Part exhilarating, part heart breaking. Luis ALberto Urrea's recounting of this true story plays out like a Dateline investigative report. He beautifully shows the story from each angle making sure to represent all sides including the Boarder Patrol, the Coyotes, and the hopeful souls that went into the desert and never came out. I can't say enough about how well written this book was.

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bourne.shell
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Love the irony of this last paragraph listed in the “Reading Guide“ after the last chapter ... great way to end such a well written book.

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Daisey
Devil's Highway: A True Story | Luis Alberto Urrea
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Pickpick

After finishing All the Pretty Horses, I just couldn‘t jump back into my current audio so I went looking for something else in my available listens. This story of a group of men who attempted to walk across the border from Mexico to the U.S. in 2001 seemed a perfect complement to the story I had just finished. It is a harrowing story of persistence, death, and the situation at the border in the early 2000s.

#nonfiction #audiobook #AudiobookSync

Daisey Also second book finished for #ReverseReadathon #DeweysReadathon 5y
Lola I LOVE this author. One of my favorites from last year was 5y
Daisey @Lola Good to know! I really enjoyed the style of the book so I may need to check out another by him at some point. 5y
59 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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AnneFindsJoy
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#nonfiction2019 #unlikeablecharacter for the smuggler Jesus Lopez-Ramos who led 26 Mexicans over the border and through Arizona‘s remote Devil‘s Highway, through a heatwave of temps and lacking water... 14 died.

This author is an incredible writer , and does a superb audio narration too. I can see how this was nominated for Pulitzer Prize! The story is riveting, and harrowing, and great insight to all the sides of this tragedy.

Riveted_Reader_Melissa That sounds like an important read right now. 5y
jb72 Wow you‘re doing great! I‘m currently halfway through my next nonfiction read. 5y
AnneFindsJoy @jb72 thanks! I have 8 left to fill the card :) I love nonfiction so this is a happy challenge for me! I hope you are enjoying it too! (edited) 5y
AnneFindsJoy @Riveted_Reader_Melissa it is! The author wrote an updated chapter in 2011 with current goings on then, amazing how long the border stuff going on, but certainly in the limelight now with Trump . 5y
37 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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Mindyrecycles
Devil's Highway: A True Story | Luis Alberto Urrea
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Pickpick

Beautiful, touching migrant stories. #nonfictionreads #riotgrams

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lauralovesbooks1
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Pickpick

Urrea looks at the Devil's Highway -- a trecherous area of the Arizona/Mexico desert where many immigrants die trying to come into the US, despite the extremely hazardous conditions. He explores the particular case of the Yuma 14 and the prosecution of the "coyote" that guided the group of 30 across (14 died in the attempt). Heartbreaking on so many levels. #nonfictionNovember

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JamieArc
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I‘m a little in love with this author/human being. Great recommendations here. https://electricliterature.com/pulitzer-finalist-luis-urrea-recommends-five-book...

JanuarieTimewalker13 Sincerely, it‘s unavoidable to read women...there are so many female authors. I‘d say 3/4 of the books I‘ve read thus far this year are by women. I‘m sure if you go back 50 years that wasn‘t the case, but today‘s world shows that tomorrow‘s world will keep getting better for women in all aspects. 6y
JamieArc @JanuarieTimewalker13 Me too. Sometimes I struggle to get in male authors, actually. I just think these are great recommendations. 6y
JanuarieTimewalker13 Ok, I‘ll take a gander!! 6y
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JanuarieTimewalker13 Ughhh, men are so astute at promoting men...especially the older generation...but now women are promoting women and we are an undeniable force. We‘ve been thwarted for too long. Oooh, I like that Linda Hogan book!! Thanks for posting this! 6y
batsy Ooh, he recommends May Sarton's Journal of a Solitude! I like him already (and should read his book :) 6y
JamieArc @batsy I had never heard of that book but am completely drawn to it! The tagged book is a great journalistic work on immigration, but he writes beautiful fiction too. The Hummingbird‘s Daughter is a favorite. 6y
JamieArc @JanuarieTimewalker13 The Linda Hogan rec is what pulled me in to this list. I haven‘t read that one, but loved another of hers - Power. 6y
JanuarieTimewalker13 Oooh, good to know! Thank you! 6y
lynneamch Yes, I love this amazing author/human, too. I got to see him speak at the Southern Festival of Books #sfob2018 and look forward to this one inspired by a family gathering of all his relatives honoring his aging older half-brother. 5y
lynneamch I still need to read Hummingbird, am listening to the tagged book and really enjoyed, 5y
48 likes10 comments
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Traci1
Devil's Highway: A True Story | Luis Alberto Urrea
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Pickpick

🌟🌟🌟🌟
This was a heartbreaking and intense true story of 26 men who attempted to cross the border from Mexico into Arizona in May 2001. It was very well told, though the narration for the audiobook could have been improved with a different narrator.

TheBookStacker I just got this book! Glad to hear you enjoyed it! 6y
Traci1 @TheBookStacker it was terrific. Though it took me about a month to get through it because I could only listen in small doses. It was very intense. 6y
88 likes1 stack add2 comments
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howjessicareads
Devil's Highway: A True Story | Luis Alberto Urrea
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I read 16 books in June! My 4 favorites are in the top row. I reread three Heyers, read a handful of romances and YA books on vacation, a couple of sci fi/fantasy on audio, and then several mysteries & thrillers for review. It was a well-mixed month! #jesshowreads2018

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howjessicareads
Devil's Highway: A True Story | Luis Alberto Urrea
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“The guards watched over Mendes with the tenderness of law enforcement agents who have hold of valuable prey.”

The only problem with this amazing audiobook is that it‘s hard to mark up my favorite lines. Urrea has such a way with words!

JamieArc He does! This was the first book I read by him, followed by The Hummingbird‘s Daughter, and I was impressed that his fiction and non-fiction are equally great. 6y
67 likes1 stack add1 comment
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CoffeeK8
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I only finished 9 books this month, I found myself starting and stopping a lot of books I usually would have found unputdownable
2 audiobooks
3 nonfiction
7 books by women
#bestofmay

SledgeReader @CoffeeK8 I too had a hard time reading in May. I‘m hopeful it‘s related to the weather. We didn‘t really have spring this year slamming right in to summer. 😉 6y
CoffeeK8 @SledgeReader yes that is part of it for sure, school gets so busy too. But summer reading is so fun! 6y
49 likes2 comments
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CoffeeK8
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Pickpick

This book was a harrowing read. A fair and nuanced story of the hardships, deaths and culture surrounding the process of crossing (or preventing the crossing) of the Mexican/American border illegally. It focuses on one the tragedy of one specific group‘s crossing. #audiobook

Tamra TBR! Litsy is an awesome/terrible reminder of all there is to read! 6y
53 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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CoffeeK8
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1 tagged audiobook & Making Up by Lucy Parker
2 a play date for my son and then just getting ready for the week
3 berry 🥧
#manicmonday

JoScho ❣️💙❤️ 6y
36 likes1 comment
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BookArt
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Pickpick

I loved this book. It's a great read for anyone who really wants to understand Mexican immigration and all the gray bits that go along with it. Clearly, it was difficult for Urrea to write this book but he did an absolutely amazing job and still continues to educate people about immigration, the BP, and the Devil's Highway to this day.

3 likes1 stack add
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Christine
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I usually check out the weekly free summer audiobooks from Sync to find some good titles for my kids (or at least to save for when they are teens). This week there is one that‘s long been on my own TBR. ❤️ Looking forward to it. (And their other selection is Kwame Alexander‘s Solo, which I‘ve read and loved!) https://audiobooksync.com/

bnp Cool! I hadn't heard about the sync program. Now I wish I had a teenager in the house. 6y
42 likes1 comment
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Godmotherx5
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My weekend is pretty busy. Any reading I do during #deweysreadathon will involve one of these two books.

63 likes1 comment
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rebeccarvincent
Devil's Highway: A True Story | Luis Alberto Urrea
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Pickpick

A fitting dedication at the beginning of The Devil‘s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea. The true story of men getting lost in the brutal desert and the Border Patrol men and women who found them. It is a carefully crafted book nevertheless filled with context and perspective that gives space for compassion and thoughtful consideration on a topic often reduced to click-bait headlines. Reading at its best.

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rebeccarvincent
Devil's Highway: A True Story | Luis Alberto Urrea
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Just started The Devil‘s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea and need to finish it before Tuesday (due date at library!). Shouldn‘t be a problem with such a compelling (albeit horrifying) subject told by an incisive but compassionate writer.

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Liz_M
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I is the hardest letter! #lrc2017 #bingo

The Devil's Highway -- about immigration
Spring Torrents -- on tbr for over a year
Matigari -- set in Africa

Incidentally, all three books got the same rating from me, good but flawed.

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Mindyrecycles
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Pickpick

An important, heart-breaking, yet very readable work. #setnearwhereyoulive #riotgrams

73 likes3 stack adds
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BeckyWithTheGoodBooks
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Investigative reporting on the May 2001 attempt of twenty-six men to cross the Mexican border into the desert of southern Arizona, a region known as the Devil's Highway. More than half of the men did not survive the journey. By focusing on each man and the circumstances that caused them to make the decision to cross the border and risk death, Urrea humanizes a population too often vilified. #maybookflowers #mexicanamericanauthors

8 likes2 stack adds
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LindsayReads
Devil's Highway: A True Story | Luis Alberto Urrea
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I try to avoid the dread dogear, but in books I love, with passages I cannot live without--like the 6 stages of death by hyperthermia--I relax the rules a bit. #booktober #bookmarks

Lupita.Reads Try not to be mad but I've never read anything by Luis- where do I start?! 7y
LindsayReads @Lupita.Reads Oh my! I need you to get on the Urrea train with me! I'd start here if you want non-fiction...Into the Beautiful North if you want fiction. 7y
Larkken Yesss! Thank you for admitting it! I was worried I'd get banned from litsy. My favorite books and I interact, too. 7y
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Lupita.Reads Fantastic! Thanks so much!! I'll add Beautiful North to the stack and this one as well :) 7y
LindsayReads @Larkken Your secret's safe with me. 😉 7y
LindsayReads @Lupita.Reads I can't wait to hear what you think!! 7y
17 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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KtG
Devil's Highway: A True Story | Luis Alberto Urrea
Pickpick

Incredibly vivid. Puts a lot into perspective. As a person working in immigration law, I believe this should be required reading for my profession right now.

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Arbol
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Pickpick

This is an incredible account of just some of many who risk their lives crossing the border in hopes of a better life. Urrea writes magnificently about these men and women and the hardships they endure.

3 likes2 stack adds