The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant

The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail

One day a few years ago,Â 300 migrants were kidnapped betweenÂ the remote desert towns of Altar, Mexico,Â and Sasabe, Arizona. A local priest gotÂ 120 released, many with broken anklesÂ and other marks of abuse, but the restÂ vanished. Ã“scar MartÃnez, a youngÂ writer from El Salvador, was in AltarÂ soon after the abduction, and his accountÂ of the migrant disappearances is onlyÂ one of the harrowing stories he garneredÂ from two years spent traveling up andÂ down the migrant trail from CentralÂ America and across the US border. MoreÂ than a quarter of a million CentralÂ Americans make this increasinglyÂ dangerous journey each year, and eachÂ year as many as 20,000 of them areÂ kidnapped.

MartÃnez writes in powerful,Â unforgettable prose about clinging toÂ the tops of freight trains; finding respite,Â work and hardship in shelters andÂ brothels; and riding shotgun with theÂ border patrol. Illustrated with stunningÂ full-color photographs, The Beast is theÂ first book to shed light on the harsh newÂ reality of the migrant trail in the age ofÂ the narcotraficantes.

From the Hardcover edition.
Country USA
Manufacturer Verso
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2013-10-08
Format Kindle eBook

The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail