This is recommended to those who are interested in even a general way about the issues surrounding the US-Mexico border. For people living in the area who feel that the subject matter may be a little too up-close-and-personal, I understand that, but the author did a very good job of getting through the bad parts very quickly so that you had a sense of it but weren't overhwelmed by it. Which didn't stop me from skimming some of that anyway.

The book had quite a bit more to offer than just that with brief but cogent discussions of some of the larger issues causing the border problem in the first place and both the harm and good being done by the governments on both sides. ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1250727...

This is a gruelling, horrible account of how a group of Mexicans crossing the border into Arizona in 2001 were killed. In the first place, they were killed by the high temperatures of the desert, and by their lack of water and supplies; in the second place, they were killed by their guide's losing the way and bringing them into the hostile, homicidal wilderness; but basically they were killed by the policies of the American and Mexican governments trying to prevent poor Mexicans from getting jobs in the USA. As a citizen of three states myself, I have never been a fan of tough immigration laws, and this awful story is a vivid demonstration that such measures promote human trafficking and ensure sordid deaths for those who are unlucky in the lottery of evasion. Urrea is merciful to all the humans involved with the story; the problem is with the system and the failure of political leaders to tell the truth about the labour shortage in the developed world and the true effects of pandering to domestic xenophobia. ( )

I gave this one away. ( )

Extreamly well written non-fic book about the difficulties of the US-Mexico border. To do so Urrea retells the story of 26 mexicans as they try to cross the border, only 12 of them make it out alive. Amazing and I would recommend it to anyone. ( )