Luis Alberto Urrea's The Devil's Highway: A True Story has been named the 2008 UW Common Book. A finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize, it tells the story of 26 men who attempted to cross the Mexican border into the desert of southern Arizona. Abandoned by their guides, 14 of the men died.
This is the third book in the UW Common Book project, which aims to introduce freshmen to the academic community through a shared reading experience. Urrea will give a reading at the UW on Oct. 22.