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58 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"They did not have enough items to fill a carry-on bag", May 31, 2004
Urrea delivers a moving novel based on the true story of the Yuma 14, fourteen Mexicans (from a group of 26) that tried to cross the border and enter the US illegally through the Arizona desert and succumbed in the attempt. The author presents the facts efficiently and his conclusion follows: Mexicans trying to cross the border are human beings like everyone else that had the bad fortune of facing tough economic condition; they should be respected. The author describes the conditions and historic events that lead to the beginning of the illegal immigration into the US and draws a clear parallelism with our times, when there are several tasks in the US that Americans are reluctant to do, thus illegal immigrants are needed for this. When price changes in international markets adversely affected the Mexican economy and overpopulation became a problem, some Mexicans decided to come to the US. They ended up with a comfortable life, so when others found out, a growing interest in crossing the border developed. Organizations of coyotes were formed to provide supply for the growing demand, and the poor people seeking a better future became just a means to an end. These individuals in their attempts have to fight against the heat of the desert, thirst, exhaustion, "la migra" (Border Patrol) and the coyotes themselves. On top of this, the control at the border has intensified throughout the last years, so the groups seeking a new future have to go through more dangerous paths each time. In the case of the twenty-six Mexicans that are the center of this story, the point of entry was the Devil's Highway, a deadly desert in Arizona that has claimed numerous victims through the years. Urrea shows his outstanding knowledge of the topic in question and uses this in his descriptions with no holes barred. One of the most shocking passages of the book was the explanation of the different stages of death by heat, which go from Heat Stress to Heat Stroke. The realism and brutality of this account left me absolutely breathless. Overall, the quality of the novel is outstanding and even though it is a tough read at some points, in the end it is extremely satisfying and enlightening.
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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gonzo Outrage, July 9, 2006
"The Devil's Highway," is a pretty good book. Urrea sees no sacred cows - unless discussing the poor individuals who dare to cross over to the U.S. The border landscape is murderous, and the "Coyotes" that lead the illegals across are predators and gangsters. It's all about money. Urrea does his best to give each of those who suffered through the 2001 ordeal (the Yuma 14 (those that died), or Wellton 26 (the entire party), take your pick), faces, lives, hopes. They are people, and not just rotting bodies found in the desert. Still, I get the sense that "The Devil's Highway," is a bit padded. There are also a few inaccuracies (Department of Interior police as a separate body from the BLM? An inaccurate description of a Tarantino movie), which left feeling that Urrea was shooting from the hip. Given the subject matter, he can't help but hit his target (which is extended to both sides of the border), but when I see mistakes (even nitpicky ones), I wonder, whatever the book, what other ones am I missing? Further, Urrea's style will remind you of Hunter Thompson, or even James Ellroy. This is high-risk writing, that hooks a reader, but can also annoy when unnecessary slang is used. At its worst, it seems like the writer is more interested in being hip than telling the story. It's a high wire act. Urrea for the most part stays on that wire, but there were a few times where the slang gets to be annoying.
But even with a slightly padded feel to it, it's the last twenty or so pages of the "Devil's Highway" that deliver the goods. Urrea could easily expand on those twenty pages and write a new book the current state of things Mexican - and American. There were some real revelations for me - such as Mexico losing jobs to China - just like everyone else, which of course contributes to the lure of going North. How illegal immigration contributes to suppressing wages in the U.S., which is why Industry just loves the current situation. The sheer violence (and weirdness) of the border: Mexican law enforcement crossing over in pursuits and shootouts; a very disturbing wave of what seems to be connected murders of women in Juarez (it's been going on for ten years!); and of course the deadly trek north, with Hope and Death sitting in the balance, while Money holds the scales.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting, but "nonfiction" does not mean "pure fact", April 18, 2011
I live in southern AZ and checked this book out because I was curious to see what the rest of the U.S. and world is reading about this desolate land. I have had numerous interactions with "undocumented" crossers as well as many people in our daily world who are Border Patrol/ICE, etc. It is a way of life here. My take on this book is that the author chose this sad incident to illustrate his personal views on the border situation. It is not representative of most crossings. People cross all day, every day, and rarely is there news attention like there was for this ill-fated group. Of course it is nasty conditions that they are crossing and of course people do die, but this tragic tale is romanticized so that the average reader (without firsthand knowledge) is led to believe that it is representative of ALL crossers and their travel experiences.
I suspected that the author was biased toward the immigrants and against the "pinche migra" early on, and my suspicions were confirmed when at the end of the book there is a QandA section where he is asked point blank about bias, and answers in the affirmative. So the reviewers who praise him for being unbiased, I can only assume have a bias of their own that agrees with his. In the QandA section he reveals his own surprise at having befriended one or two B.P. agents. What I found disturbing is that no one in this book is really portrayed favorably. He romanticizes the lives of the dead and yet gives them no real credit for being intelligent people. A gang boss drives into town and cons them into the long, expensive journey in three sentences. While he mentioned "feeding their families" as one of the reasons people cross, there are no examples of people in this group who really were in hard times. They wanted to buy more toys for their ever-growing number of kids, add on a room to their mother's house, etc. Not exactly life and death forcing them to cross the desert. He also leaves out the example of the convicted criminals (perhaps there were conveniently none in this group?). I worry every day about my children playing outside when there are convicted felons walking though the hills, and sometimes hiding in vacant houses, nearby. I'm not saying all of them are, of course, but he neglects to mention a single example of criminal records being a major reason why people choose to risk their lives to cross, rather than apply for a work/student/shopping visa. I see Sonora plates at our shopping center every day. You don't have to be a citizen to come here for the weekend. But you can't have a criminal record. The B.P. is portrayed as giant Aryan soldiers who are hated by all. And the gangsters/coyotes got mixed up in a world they didn't understand. I think the author believes the world to be full of idiots; those in the story and the rest of us reading about it.
I also find it interesting that one of the statistics the author uses to illustrate the "undeserved American bias" toward immigrants is one study stating that there would be a surplus of jobs by 2008 (obviously stated before 2008) and in fact unemployment was at record highs and I have many friends and neighbors who could not find even the simplest job (that Americans supposedly won't do). I can only assume that employers saw their work history and worried that they would not stick around for a low paying job, therefore they got no job at all.
I would have liked to see a true to life portrayal of the border, rather than this romanticized version, but it was interesting none the less.
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