The author of across the wire offers brilliant investigati. Three years later, luis alberto urrea wrote about what happened to them. Jeff salamon, austin americanstatesman urreas writing is wickedly goodoutrage tempered with concern channeled into deft prose. Urrea s border landscape is murderous one, and the coyotes that lead the illegals across are predators and gangsters. The following version of the book was used to create this guide. A true story 2004, luis alberto urreas creative nonfiction book that describes the harrowing may 2001 attempt of 26 men to cross the mexican border into the desert of southern arizona, a region known as the devils highway. The question and answer section for the devils highway is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the devils highway. The devils highway by luis alberto urrea little brown 2004. The devils highway, written and read by luis alberto urrea. Urrea begins by recounting briefly some of the history of the haunted desert which is home to the cabeza prieta or darkhead national wildlife refuge, and the particularly treacherous strip of desert known as the devils highway. It takes a single tragic incident, refracts it through history and mythology, and uses the result not only to examine the relationship between the rich and the poor, the weak and the powerful, but to illuminate the nature of human beings at their most.
Luis alberto urrea s book the devil s highway is a. The book deals with the background to such journeys. The book was adopted as the 2010 one book for sac state. Innumerable lives have been claimed by this desert, in a manner similar to or even worse than the way the wellton 26 are currently suffering. The devils highway summary from litcharts the creators of. He examines the complexities of illegal border crossing, admits to an initial bias against border patrol agents, and confronts the effects of extreme. The devils highway, written by journalist luis alberto urrea, is a true story about mexican migration into the united states. The devils highway won the 2004 lannan literary award, the border regional library associations southwest book award, and was a finalist for the pulitzer prize and for the pacific rim kiriyama prize. 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. Why the devils highway by luis alberto urrea still matters 15. The devil s highway raised a lot of questions could you please help me answer these book discussion questions.
The devils highway is a retelling of the true story about immigration into the united states. Five men, burned nearly black by the sun, stumble through a mountainous desert. A finalist for the pulitzer prize for his landmark work of nonficiton the devils highway, luis alberto urrea is also the bestselling author of the novels the hummingbirds daughter, into the beautiful north, and queen of america, as well as the story collection the water museum, a penfaulkner award finalist. As internationally known as a tragedy, in may 2001, a group of mexican men decided to cross the u. Three years later, luis alberto urrea wrote about what happened to. The devil s highway download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi.
Get all the key plot points of luis alberto urreas the devils highway on one page. The book comes vividly alive with a richness of language and a mastery of narrative element that solely probably the most gifted of writers are capable of obtain. Mexico border, but it is also about many other invisible borders. Excerpt from the pulitzer prizenominated the devils highway by luis alberto urrea. S border through the deadliest region in north america, the arizonian desert. Click download or read online button to get the devil s highway book now. The devils highway is a devastating story, but urrea also makes it a humane one, a short book about hope and death, which presents an enduring argument for the need for u. While many readers get turned off with the grotesque details, i feel leaving out those details discounts the. In 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. A political analysis of the devils highway mission. Describes the attempt of twentysix men to cross the mexican border into the desert of southern arizona, a region known as the devils highway, detailing their harrowing ordeal and battle for survival against impossible odds. The devils highway, urrea writes, has always had the mythic and seemingly vengeful atmosphere it possesses to this day.
Mexico border through a lonely landscape of cactus, desert flats, drifting sand dunes, ancient lava flows, and searing summer heat. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in the devils highway, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. This means relating the various biographies of the walkers themselves and discovering what drove them north, from the. The devils highway on the other hand is the story of a group of people who, driven on by poverty, come to disaster in the infernal heat of the desert in an attempt to find work and to make things a little better for their families back home. If possible, also distribute the copy of faith based values for immigration reform to the class as an example of work done by an organization in tucson, arizona. The devils highway describes the deadly journey of 26 mexicans who, for a variety of compelling reasons, decide to cross the border into one of the most barren and brutal deserts on the continent. Describes the attempt of twentysix men to cross the mexican border into the desert of southern arizona, a region known as the devil s highway, detailing their harrowing ordeal and battle for survival against impossible odds. Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the kindle edition of this book.
Urreas border landscape is murderous one, and the coyotes that lead the illegals across are predators and gangsters. Stories that make undocumented people seem like completely uncivilized criminals. The devils highwayel camino del diablocrosses hundreds of miles and thousands of years of arizona and southwest history. Kathleen johnson, kansas city star urrea writes about u.
Article on trip along route 491, which winds from gallup, nm, through colorado and ends in monticello, utah. Jun 01, 2011 from a pulitzer prize finalist, the single most compelling, lucid, and lyrical contemporary account of the absurdity of u. The devils highway raised a lot of questions could you please help me answer these book discussion questions. Urrea could easily expand on those twenty pages and write a new book the current state of things mexican and american. The devils highway, written and read by luis alberto. He has won the lannan literary award, an edgar award, and a 2017 american academy. Its a haunting and harrowing read, much like cormac mccarthys the road. The devil s highway describes the deadly journey of 26 mexicans who, for a variety of compelling reasons, decide to cross the border into one of the most barren and brutal deserts on the continent. Luis alberto urrea describes the attempt of twentysix men to cross the mexican border into the desert of southern arizona, a region known as the devil s highway, detailing their harrowing ordeal and battle for. The devil s highway is a devastating story, but urrea also makes it a humane one, a short book about hope and death, which presents an enduring argument for the need for u. Luis alberto urrea is the author of the devils highway, winner of a lannan literary award, across the wire, winner of the christopher award, and the forthcoming the hummingbirds daughter. From a pulitzer prize finalist, the single most compelling, lucid, and lyrical contemporary account of the absurdity of u.
The result was a national bestseller, a pulitzer prize finalist, a book of the year in multiple. Mexico border through a lonely landscape of cactus, desert flats, drifting. Excerpt from the pulitzer prizenominated the devil s highway by luis alberto urrea. Jun, 2003 article on trip along route 491, which winds from gallup, nm, through colorado and ends in monticello, utah. A fine, humane, beautifully paced book and unhesitatingly recommended. You dont have to answer them all, but can pick and choose if you want. Reviews in may 2001, 26 mexican men scrambled across the border and into an area of the arizona desert known as the devils highway. As long as there have been people, there have been deaths in the western desert. American book awardawinning writer and poet urrea across the wire. Apr 02, 2004 american book awardwinner urrea wandering time, 1999, etc. This means relating the various biographies of the walkers themselves and. So while the book is an older one, it still paints a valid.
What are important quotes from chapters in luis alberto urrea s book the devil s highway. The devil s highway won the 2004 lannan literary award, the border regional library association s southwest book award, and was a finalist for the pulitzer prize and for the pacific rim kiriyama prize. It was also optioned for a film by cdi producciones. At its heart, the devil s highway is the story of a journey in the hope of starting a better life.
In may 2001, 26 mexican men scrambled across the border and into an area of the arizona desert known as the devils highway. The devils highway summary from litcharts the creators. This heritage trail follows a torturous route along the u. The devils highway, by luis alberto urrea, is a deeply evocative story about the border conflict between the united states and mexico. Urrea sees no sacred cows except for perhaps the poor individuals who dare to cross over to the u. Why the devils highway by luis alberto urrea still matters. If you could give the devil s highway a new subtitle, what would it be. The the devils highway community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Please use the link provided below to generate a unique link valid for 24hrs. Published in 2004 to great acclaim, named a best book of the year by dozens of publications, and shortlisted for the pulitzer prize for nonfiction, urreas story of. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the devils highway. As long as there have been people walking the devils highway, there have been deaths.
These twentysix men would look the devil in the eyes and some of them would not blink. Specifically, journalist luis alberto urrea chronicles the devastating journey of a group of men as they attempted to cross the u. The devil s highway on the other hand is the story of a group of people who, driven on by poverty, come to disaster in the infernal heat of the desert in an attempt to find work and to make things a little better for their families back home. In 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 devils highway. His tone, pitch, mood, and command of the story was flawless.
In the devils highway, author luis alberto urrea describes the events surrounding the deaths of 14 mexican migrants in the desert in may of 2001. Every family in the united states arrived here from somewhere else. Urrea invokes ancient religious texts which mention a vast desert known as desolation, beneath which. The devils highway was originally published in 2004, and while much has changed in the sixteen years since, many things have remained the same, in particular the reasons why many migrants choose to make such a treacherous journey as well as the criminal dealings of many coyotes. The devils highway is a saddening narrative about the reallife perils of mexican immigration. The devils highway is a story of astonishing courage and strength, of an epic battle against circumstance. This study guide consists of approximately 42 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the devils highway. More specifically, it follows the lives and experiences of illegal immigrants, smugglers, and u. The devils highway is a story of astonishing courage and strength, of an epic.
A true story kindle edition by urrea, luis alberto. The author of across the wire offers brilliant investigative reporting of what went wrong when, in may 2001, a group of 26 men attempted to cross the mexican. The men, disoriented by dehydration and hyperthermia, see god and devils all around themthey have resorted to. Luis alberto urrea describes the attempt of twentysix men to cross the mexican border into the desert of southern arizona, a region known as the devils highway, detailing their harrowing ordeal and battle for. What other book might you compare the devils highway to and why. American book awardwinner urrea wandering time, 1999, etc. He is also the recipient of an american book award, a western states book award, and a colorado book award, and he has been inducted into the latino. What are important quotes from chapters in luis alberto urreas book the devils highway. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. It retells the tragic story from may of 2001 when a group of men. Aside from the physical border itself, what other borders separate the people in.
He explains his desire in writing the book was to bear witness to the stories of all involved in the complicated, dangerous world of the border. The devils highway by luis alberto urrea overdrive. The devils highway isnt just a great book, its a necessary one. In other words, urrea is suggesting that the story he is about tell is timeless. The devils highway audiobook by luis alberto urrea. The devils highway by luis alberto urrea book club. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. The devils highway summary and study guide supersummary. It is a wasteland where any green vegetation is grey and were temperatures rise up to the triple digits. Urrea tells of the desperation of the immigrants the desperation that drives them into the hands of cruel and businessminded smugglers. At its heart, the devils highway is the story of a journey in the hope of starting a better life. Mexican border culture with a tragic and beautiful intimacy that has no equal. The devils highway is a name that has set out to illuminate one notion. Nov 16, 2008 from a pulitzer prize finalist, the single most compelling, lucid, and lyrical contemporary account of the absurdity of u.