The Devil’s Highway is honored as one of the most powerful analytical reports in recent years. Mr. Urrea follows the journey of twenty-six men who attempted to cross the Mexican border into the Arizona desert-commonly referred to as The Devil’s Highway-in May 2001. The journey would later end in the largest United States/Mexico border death event in history. The Devil’s Highway is a 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist and is a winner of the Lannan Literary Award. Mr. Urrea is also a best-selling author of thirteen books and a member of the Latino Literature Hall of Fame. Mr. Urrea is the Fall 2012 Convocation keynote speaker and will also host a meet and greet event for the UTSA community.
UTSA and Learning Communities initiate the Summer Common Reading Program for all first-year students. This initiative allows our newest Roadrunners to build an academic and social community at UTSA, and provides an opportunity for students to engage in meaningful discussion with peers and colleagues.
The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and can be found at most book stores and online book retailers. The University of Texas at San Antonio’s bookstores (Main Campus and Downtown Campus) is guaranteed to have copies. UTSA’s libraries also have several copies on reserve and most city public libraries have the book available for check out. Should you have difficulty acquiring a copy of the book, please contact Jessica Avalos-Alvarez by phone at 210.458.7509 or by email at Jessica.AvalosAlvarez@utsa.edu.
Luis Alberto Urrea is the author of thirteen books which include Queen of America, Into the Beautiful North, Mr. Mendoza’s Paintbrush, and The Hummingbird’s Daughter. For more information regarding works by Urrea, please visit his website at www.luisurrea.com.
The Devil’s Highway is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and won the Lannan Literary Award as well as the Pacific Rim Kiriyama Prize.
The Devil’s Highway is available in hardcover, paperback, and electronic form. Audio books are also available through many online retailers. The book is approximately 230 pages and has sixteen chapters.
UTSA joins The University of Florida, The University of Washington, The University of Arkansas, Louisiana State University, American University and others in selecting The Devil’s Highway as a common reading.
If a student joins a Learning Community he/she will continue to use the book as one of the texts in his/her Freshman Seminar course. Also, programming during Fall 2012 will derive from themes of the book.
If you have questions or comments please contact Jessica Avalos-Alvarez in the Learning Communities department by phone at 210.458.7509 or by email at Jessica.AvalosAlvarez@utsa.edu.
