What CVRAN Members Are Reading (#2)
Here is the next installment of our book recommendations from fellow CVRAN members. If you have a suggestion for books covering topics related to migration, refugees, and asylum seekers, we’d love to hear it!
Non-Fiction
The Devil’s Highway – A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea documents the journey a group of men take to cross the Mexican border into the US. The Devil’s Highway crosses an area of southern Arizona desert that is deadly. Readers meet and follow this group of men who dare to make that crossing.
To learn more about The Devil’s Highway, take a look at these links:
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- Luisurrea.com – The Devil’s Highway
- “A bitter story told with bitter skill, highlighting the whole sordid, greedy mess that attends illegal border crossings” (Kirkus Reviews)
- Bill Moyers interviews Luis Albert Urea about The Devil’s Highway (YouTube)
Unfortunately, none of the local libraries appear to have this book, so you will need to request an interlibrary loan.
Fiction
Wandering Potatoes by Margaret M. Blanchard follows the the choices made by five women in an Irish-American family. Beginning with the Irish woman who chooses to immigrate to America in 1839, the book uses the stories passed on from mother to daughter to tell their history.
Read more about this book by a Vermont author at Bear Pond Books or on your favorite book store website. Unfortunately, none of the local libraries appear to have this book, so you will need to request an interlibrary loan.
Graphic Novel
The Most Costly Journey is a collaborative effort telling the story of Latin-American migrant farm workers in Vermont. The book focuses on the issues encountered by migrant workers everywhere and celebrates each storyteller’s healing narrative.
Read more about the Most Costly Journey from these sources:
This book is available from at least 3 local libraries – Kellogg Hubbard, Aldrich, and the Waterbury Public library.