No ones mind will be changed by karls book, but its a valuable report from the scene of an. The devil s highway by luis alberto urrea character outlines. As long as there have been people walking the devils highway, there have been deaths. In may 2001, 26 mexican men scrambled across the border and into an area of the arizona desert known as the devil s highway. Luis alberto urreas book the devil s highway is a biographical account of 26 mexicans crossing the us border quitobaquito in arizona and traversing the devil s highway. In this book, luis alberto urrea paints a harrowing true story of twentysix men who took the forty mile death march across the arizona desert in. Many of them would later report that their feet were full of thorns at that point. The fiends highway is a strict name of a way they are strolling staggeringly cruel spot loaded with perils and furthermore a delineation of the general circumstance. This deadly desert and fascinating book is titled the devils highway. From a pulitzer prize finalist, the single most compelling, lucid, and lyrical contemporary account of the absurdity of u. Many souls that attempted to cross this died whether it was for pleasure or for opportunity. Stuck in the desert for days, literally baking in their own skin.
Highway serving the four corners region of the united states. Reviews in may 2001, 26 mexican men scrambled across the border and into an area of the arizona desert known as the devils highway. In may 2001, a group of men attempted to cross the border into the desert of southern arizona. A finalist for the pulitzer prize for his landmark work of nonficiton the devil s highway, luis alberto urrea is also the bestselling author of the novels the hummingbirds daughter, into the beautiful north, and queen of america, as well as the story collection the water museum, a. The devils highway succeeds in teaching readers about every aspect of the border issue, even if it doesnt provide a convincing solution. This heritage trail follows a torturous route along the u. This 32page guide for the devils highway by luis alberto urrea includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 16 chapters, as well as several. The devils highway is a journey that you will remember for the shear stress of having gone through it yourself via this book. Urrea s border landscape is murderous one, and the coyotes that lead the illegals across are predators and gangsters. Apr 02, 2004 the rueful, fatewracked tale of 26 men who tried to cross into the us from mexico but chose the wrong time, place, and guide. In sonoita in luis alberto urreas the devils highway.
It was a fictional account of 26 men who lost their way along the camino. The devils highway topic 1 luis alberto urrea is an author who wrote a book based on an investigative report concerning the twenty six men who attempted to cross the mexican border in 2001. The devils highway by luis alberto urrea book club. Robin dale jacobson, the new nativism pp48 thus once inside the united states, these mexicans are faced with cruel inhuman racial abuses. Another more terrible stretch of desert cuts through the cabeza prietathe devils highway. Urrea is a frightfully honest portrayal of the hazard that the outcasts are happy to take for a risk to find a good pace of the usa. The devil s highway study guide contains a biography of luis alberto urrea, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Jan 20, 2018 the devils highway accounts for some thousands of years of human history in very slightly more than 200 pages, a feat of compression managed by three interwoven timelines, alternating chapter. He examines the complexities of illegal border crossing, admits to an initial bias against border patrol agents, and confronts the effects of extreme. It is a wasteland where any green vegetation is grey and were temperatures rise up to the triple digits.
Please provide a short summary of chapter one of the devil s highway by luis alberto urrea. Reviewed by brian class of 2014 out of energy, out of water. In may 2001, 26 mexican men scrambled across the border and into an area of the arizona desert known as the devils highway. The devil s highway on the other hand is the story of a group of people who, driven on by poverty, come to disaster in the infernal heat of the desert in an attempt to find work and to make things a little better for their families back home. Luis alberto urrea describes the attempt of twentysix men to cross the mexican border into the desert of southern arizona, a region known as the devil s highway, detailing their harrowing ordeal and battle for. This study guide consists of approximately 42 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the devil s highway. The single most compelling, lucid, and lyrical contemporary.
The men are in the cabeza prieta darkhead national wild life refuge, at the southernmost end of the us air forces barry goldwater bombing range. Most of the time is spent walking through rough patches of saguaro trees. A fine, humane, beautifully paced book and unhesitatingly recommended. The devils highway, written and read by luis alberto urrea. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. Excerpt from the pulitzer prizenominated the devil s highway by luis alberto urrea. The devils highway by luis alberto urrea overdrive. The devils highway english and literature paper instructions. It used to be called highway 666 but was changed to highway 191 at the request of arizona department of highways so thats probably why its referred to as the devils highway. Published in 2004 to great acclaim, named a best book of the year by dozens of publications, and shortlisted for the pulitzer prize for nonfiction, urreas story of. In chapter 16, home, the men are greeted as martyred heroes and mendez is charged with 25 smuggling counts and sentenced to years in jail.
Mexico border through a lonely landscape of cactus, desert flats, drifting. Call into the station with his report prompts the other patrol sectors and other agencies to come out in full force to search for the other members of the group. I was granted unusually generous access to documents and governmental reports from both mexico and the united states. Get all the key plot points of luis alberto urreas the devils highway on one. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the devil s highway. A true story a special thanks to the camerawomen who filmed this and those who participated in this federal government. The devils highway summary from litcharts the creators of. The single most compelling, lucid, and lyrical contemporary account of the absurdity. From american book awardwinning author ana castillo.
Many of the real life characters from urrea s devil s highway are from veracruz. The heat,the events these men endured and the sheer determination to get to their destination is clear and strongly evoked. It retells the tragic story from may of 2001 when a group of men. A political analysis of the devils highway mission. Throughout american history, immigration policy has been a topic of intense debate. Why the devils highway by luis alberto urrea still matters 15. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the devils highway. A finalist for the pulitzer prize for his landmark work of nonficiton the devil s highway, luis alberto urrea is also the bestselling author of the novels the hummingbird s daughter, into the beautiful north, and queen of america, as well as the story collection the water museum, a penfaulkner award finalist. Dec 01, 2017 marc campos, cindy deleon, daniela vasquez, araceli merino, mauricio mata, jose perez, alejandro robledo, juan martinez, cristian lopez. The devils highway is a story of astonishing courage and strength, of an epic battle against circumstance.
Download the devils highway, written and read by luis alberto urrea an audiobook excerpt. The title the devil s highway has reference to the oldest track to cross over to the united states from the mexican boarder. After paying don garcia the head of the business deal they depart and begin. Three years later, luis alberto urrea wrote about what happened to. Ask members to share with one another to report back to the. Chapter 7 summary a pepsi for the apocalypse chapter 7 begins on may 19. The devils highway summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Luis alberto urrea the devils highway similar books. Chapter summary the trees and the sun before nightfall, the walkers are able to walk between 10 and 12 miles. Feb 03, 2006 the devil s highway on the other hand is the story of a group of people who, driven on by poverty, come to disaster in the infernal heat of the desert in an attempt to find work and to make things a little better for their families back home. The devil s highway critical praise the book s rare power is that it is both epic in scopea trek through the wilderness in search of the promised landand intensely personal. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Highway system, it was created in 2003 as a renumbering of u. The book comes vividly alive with a richness of language and a mastery of narrative element that solely probably the most gifted of writers are capable of obtain.
The following version of the book was used to create this guide. Ask them to share with one another a time when parents, relatives, a friend, or a colleague. All twenty six men met up in the state of veracruz, mexico and traveled on a charter bus to a specific out of town area to begin their journey north. Return from the devils highway alan olee book report. In 1992, arizona requested a new number for its portion of us 666, arguing.
The devils highway isnt just a great book, its a necessary one. Specifically, journalist luis alberto urrea chronicles the devastating journey of a group of men as they attempted to cross the u. Devils highway roadtrip part 1 alan olee book report. In the devils highway, author luis alberto urrea describes the events surrounding the deaths of 14 mexican migrants in the desert in may of 2001. The devil s highway is a name that has set out to illuminate one notion. Please use the link provided below to generate a unique link valid for 24hrs. Luis alberto urrea is a journalist who did extensive research on a tragic incident for his book the devils highway. Luis alberto urrea talked about immigration and his book, the devil s highway. The devil s highway describes the deadly journey of 26 mexicans who, for a variety of compelling reasons, decide to cross the border into one of the most barren and brutal deserts on the continent. A political analysis of the devils highway daily nova. The devils highway is a saddening narrative about the reallife perils of mexican immigration. Throughout his book, urrea laments the misguided use of the term illegal immigrants and speaks about border security with cynicism. The devil s highway is a devastating story, but urrea also makes it a humane one, a short book about hope and death, which presents an enduring argument for the need for u. We had stopped at quite a few places on the way up to springerville, the end of our journey on us highway 191.
The devil s highway is a very interesting book about the hardships of crossing the border. In an afterword written in 2014, ten years after the books initial. Urrea sees no sacred cows except for perhaps the poor individuals who dare to cross over to the u. Urreas border landscape is murderous one, and the coyotes that lead the illegals across are predators and gangsters.
With the 666 designation, this road was nicknamed the devil s highway because of the significance of the number 666 to many christian denominations, which. 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. A surprising aspect of the devils highway is learning about the border smugglers, called coyotes, and the u. As long as there have been people, there have been deaths in the western desert. The devils highway, written and read by luis alberto.
He is not afraid of anyone, but he is nervous about the desert. Book discussion one of the questions this study will ask is how important the value of hospitality is to the. The devils highway by luis alberto urrea little brown 2004. Marc campos, cindy deleon, daniela vasquez, araceli merino, mauricio mata, jose perez, alejandro robledo, juan martinez, cristian lopez. Mar 22, 2016 we had stopped at quite a few places on the way up to springerville, the end of our journey on us highway 191. Mike reports the situation to the wellton station, and within ten minutes, a rescue mission is underway. American book awardwinner urrea wandering time, 1999, etc. Mendez wakes and prepares for his day, trying to shake off his hangover from the night before. At its heart, the devil s highway is the story of a journey in the hope of starting a better life. Users who like the devils highway, written and read by luis alberto urrea an audiobook excerpt.
The final chapter in the book discussed the fate of mendez. Grab the best paper we use cookies to create the best experience for you. The devils highway chelsey sands university of arizona lrc 516 ssi 2012. And just when they need them the most, the guides rob them and leave. Oct 26, 2016 the devils highway succeeds in teaching readers about every aspect of the border issue, even if it doesnt provide a convincing solution. The devils highway by luis alberto urrea hachette book group. Urrea could easily expand on those twenty pages and write a new book the current state of things mexican and american. The the devils highway community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context.
On both sides, people tend to simplify the issues by identifying good guys and bad guys. And yet, they open up to urrea, and in turn urrea creates a fair and accurate book. Luis alberto urrea is a journalist who did extensive research on a tragic incident for his book the. An english teacher once told me that reading the devils highway would open up a whole new world and cause students to develop a completely new mindset towards political affiliations. This means relating the various biographies of the walkers themselves and. The devils highway summary and study guide supersummary. These twentysix men would look the devil in the eyes and some of them would not blink. Mar 08, 2016 it used to be called highway 666 but was changed to highway 191 at the request of arizona department of highways so thats probably why its referred to as the devils highway. The devils highway summary from litcharts the creators. Aside from the physical border itself, what other borders separate the people in. The devils highway, written by journalist luis alberto urrea, is a true story about mexican migration into the united states.
This track goes through the arizona desert, and is one of the most inhospitable places for humans. The agents themselves are often overlooked in the great debate over border policy. The rules of the game in luis alberto urreas the devils highway. Nov 16, 2008 from a pulitzer prize finalist, the single most compelling, lucid, and lyrical contemporary account of the absurdity of u. Users who reposted the devils highway, written and read by luis alberto urrea an audiobook excerpt.
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