I cannot recommend this book enough. The story takes place in a small rural Mexican town made of mostly women. All the men have traveled north to the...moreI cannot recommend this book enough. The story takes place in a small rural Mexican town made of mostly women. All the men have traveled north to the United States. When bandits arrive in Tres Cameron, it's up to three young women and man to head north and bring men back to their Mexican town to protect them. Taking inspiration from the movie the Magnificent Seven (and an obsession with Yul Brenner) the women set to find seven men to bring back to Mexico. The characters are hilarious and very real. It's part travelogue of northern Mexico, a discussion of border crossing, and the experience of rural Mexicans going to the big city and finally the United States.
I really enjoyed the travel. The experience of the cities and by telling this story, telling the story of Mexico and putting faces on Illegal Immigration. It was interesting to see how easy it was for the characters to cross (Urrea also wrote The Devil's Highway, a non-fiction account of crossing into the United States from Mexico). I loved how I can see the same things through their eyes, Tijuana, San Diego, and the cross country drive to find Nielli's father. The truth of the story was how fewer people are crossing and that more want to return to Mexico. Leading the exciting and surprising conclusion. A wonderful story and with today's politics, a story many should read.(less)