The Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea

The Devil's Highway

A True Story

Luis Alberto Urrea

Little, Brown and Company · Print & ebook · September 19, 2005

This important book from a Pulitzer Prize finalist follows the brutal journey a group of men take to cross the Mexican border: "the single most compelling, lucid, and lyrical contemporary account of the absurdity of U.S. border policy" (The Atlantic).

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Who it’s for
A true-story read that balances grit, clarity, and human scale.
Genres
Immigration & Emigration, Immigration Policy, Immigration & Emigration Law
Published
Little, Brown and Company, September 19, 2005

About this book

This important book from a Pulitzer Prize finalist follows the brutal journey a group of men take to cross the Mexican border: "the single most compelling, lucid, and lyrical contemporary account of the absurdity of U.S. border policy" (The Atlantic). Named a Best Book of the 21st Century by Kirkus Reviews.

Continue reading

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." Three years later, Luis Alberto Urrea wrote about what happened to them. 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 American classic.

Clear-Eyed Account

A true-story read that balances grit, clarity, and human scale.

Come here for

  • Urrea’s lucid, humane storytelling
  • Cultural context with a steady narrative pull

Expect

  • Biography shaped by borderland history
  • Insight that stays readable

Where it sits

Immigration & Emigration56%
Immigration Policy53%
Immigration & Emigration Law28%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Hispanic & Latino Biography
  • Personal Memoirs
  • Survival Stories
Authors
Luis Alberto Urrea
Publisher
Little, Brown and Company
Published
September 19, 2005
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Hispanic & Latino Biography