Dead in Their Tracks: Crossing America's Desert Borderlands (Paperback)

~ (Author) "DUST DEVILS whirl around us as the raw sun torches the bleak landscape..." (more)
Key Phrases: Camino del Diablo, Tinajas Altas, John Doe Mexican (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

On assignment for Newsweek, noted photojournalist John Annerino journeyed deep into one of the least hospitable spots on the planet — the scorched 4,100-square-mile "empty quarter" that straddles Mexico and Arizona. There he met four Mexican nationals determined to cross a 130-mile trail illegally to find work to feed their families. Dead in Their Tracks is the record of their experience. Annerino’s unflinching camera and sensitive text capture the lives of these men, along with the ranchers, Border Patrol trackers, and drug runners whose livelihoods also depend on this grim realm. Dead in Their Tracks’ unforgettable images of anonymous travelers who may survive, and the bleached bones of those who did not, show the ultimate price sometimes exacted by an unforgiving nature — and by those who make policy in this area. 70 photographs and maps are featured in this harrowing chronicle of the dangers and struggles fought for a better way of life.

About the Author

Photojournalist John Annerino has written for Time, Newsweek, Scientific American, and the New York Times. The author of eight books, he lives on the edge of the desert in Arizona.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (September 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568582676
• ISBN-13: 978-1568582672
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #197,430 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #28 in	Books > History > United States > State & Local > Arizona
  #66 in	Books > Travel > United States > States > Arizona
  #72 in	Books > History > United States > State & Local > Southwest

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another terrific work from Annerino, November 15, 2000

By	Christopher May (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dead in Their Tracks: Crossing America's Desert Borderlands (Hardcover)

A story like this demands a great deal from an author. Although Annerino has obviously spent many hours researching the borderlands of the Southwest, the key to this monumental work is the extent to which he is willing to live the story he writes. He has taken immense risks, walking side by side through the desert with Mexican immigrants, and coming face to face with the coyotes and narcotraficantes and Border Patrol agents and ranchers of this volatile area. With Annerino's books, you always learn tons of local history, but never at the expense of that vivid sensation of dust and sweat and heat and imminent danger that keep it an interesting read. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to learn more about the little-known wilderness along the Mexican border and the human cost it extracts due to current immigration policies.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS is a remarkable, tremendously important, August 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Dead in Their Tracks: Crossing America's Desert Borderlands (Hardcover)

August 11. I sat down this evening to read DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS, and just finished it. All in one sitting. I really couldn't put it down. I think it's a tremendously important book. It should be required reading for those planning to cross the border, and track and control the border through immigration policies. The author did a huge amount of research, and legwork. I commend Annerino's efforts and results. His photographs, along with the maps, work well together to give the reader a first hand encounter with the land and people who cross it. I like the pacing of the chapters, the inclusion of both the men who cross the border and the Border Patrol agents, and Annerino's very thoughtful reflections on the value of Mexicans killed in the killing fields in search of a paycheck to send home to their families. It makes me feel real bad. It is hard to read at times only because it's so sad. Boy, am I glad I wasn't the photographer on those trips! Thank you for the remarkable book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good immersion book, April 7, 2004

By	Koby (AZ, USA) - See all my reviews

The photos in this book alone will move you. It was great to read about the author's journeys and firsthand experiences in the border desert of AZ. What I like most about the work is that we get a firsthand view of what it's like to cross those barren deserts just to get a job. It's amazing to hear those stories.

At one point in the book we read about his travels from the Mexican border to the I-8 in the US. Elsewhere we read about his week-long journey through those same deserts at the peak of summer, stopping at wells and water-holes along the way just to stay alive.

While John's text is really disjointed, unorganized, and at times flat out confusing, he's not writing to impress-- but to take the reader to the places he's been and help them to feel the feelings he has. This work is a great exposition of something that happens in our southwestern deserts almost every day.