[HARDCOVER: US] To America! But only for the men

Urrea spent 20 years writing his previous novel, The Hummingbird’s Daughter. This book seems rushed. How else to explain lines like this one: “They were utterly alone in the vastness of this ridiculously immense land”? Or: “He ascertained to his satisfaction that she wasn’t begging for alms.” The Devil’s Highway, Urrea’s nonfiction work about a catastrophic illegal border crossing, was a finalist for a Pulitzer; it is serious, even harrowing in parts. With this book, what once was a terrible rite of passage for slews of dirt-poor Mexicans has become quick, easily digestible — even cute — fare. This is Border Crossing Lite.

VIEW THIS PAGE