In his books, author Luis Alberto Urrea explores the push and pull that is Mexican migration. His newest novel Into the Beautiful North follows the journey into what many people south of the border consider the Promised Land. But from her vantage point, working at a taco shop in Tres Camarones, Mexico, 19-year-old Nayeli sees things differently. She’s watched men from her town leave for the U.S. and never return. When a drug cartel tries to take over Nayeli’s hometown she and some friends decide to cross the border to bring back help. When we talked to him earlier this year, Urrea said it was this less well known story about immigration that inspired his novel.

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Complete Interview with Luis Alberto Urrea