In May 2001, the nation learned that 14 of a group of 26 Mexican men migrating to the U.S. for work had suffered hideous deaths in a part of the Arizona desert known as the Devil’s Highway. 
   
This year’s selection for Waldo Reads Together – One Book, One Community – is Luis Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway, a riveting account of this episode, according to Literacy Volunteers of Waldo County, in a news release. By tracing the lives of these men, the decisions of their “coyote” guides, and the Border Patrol agents they encountered along the way, Urrea humanizes the controversies swirling around the U.S.-Mexican border.    

The Atlantic called this Pulitzer Prize finalist “the single most compelling, lucid, and lyrical account of the absurdity of the U.S. border policy.”
   
Sponsored by Literacy Volunteers of Waldo County, group discussions of the book, led by trained facilitators, will be held from March 28 to April 29. Eight discussion programs will be offered as morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. Each discussion group will have two sessions spaced a week apart. Zoom vs. in-person discussions will be determined by each group.

“One Book, One Community,” created by the American Library Association, is a book discussion program that offers a community-wide read of one designated book over the same period of time with discussions and related activities about the book’s themes.

“Waldo Reads Together is our local version of this program, offered last year for the first time through the initiative of Aging Well in Waldo County and partner organizations to help alleviate some social isolation and connect community members,” said Literacy Volunteers.

For anyone who has a passion for social justice and a desire to deepen their understanding about the difficult complexities of the U.S. - Mexico border conditions, please visit waldoreads.org to sign up for a discussion group or for more information.