Author Guide · Fiction & Nonfiction
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In May 2001 twenty-six men crossed from Mexico into one of the deadliest stretches of the Arizona desert, known as the Devil's Highway. Fourteen of them died. Luis Alberto Urrea, born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and an American mother, reconstructed what happened from both sides of the border, and the book became a Pulitzer Prize finalist. He is also a novelist and poet: his great-aunt was a young healer revered as a saint in nineteenth-century Mexico, and he spent twenty years writing her story. This guide covers his thirteen books of prose in order, plus his poetry, and where to start.
By Lisanne Swart · 13 books · Fiction and nonfiction · 1993–2023 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Luis Alberto Urrea has published thirteen books of prose since 1993, besides several collections of poetry: nonfiction about the border, including The Devil's Highway (2004), a Pulitzer Prize finalist; memoir; and novels, from The Hummingbird's Daughter (2005) to The House of Broken Angels (2018) and Good Night, Irene (2023).
Where to Start with Luis Alberto Urrea
If you want nonfiction
→ The Hummingbird's Daughter (2005).
If you want a novel
→ Into the Beautiful North (2009).
If you want the most recent
→ Good Night, Irene (2023).
If you want a family story
→ The House of Broken Angels (2018).
All 13 Luis Alberto Urrea Books, in Order
Across the Wire
His years doing relief work among the poor of Tijuana's garbage dumps and border neighbourhoods.
In Search of Snow
His first novel, set in the deserts of Arizona in the 1950s.
By the Lake of Sleeping Children
A return to the border communities of Across the Wire.
Nobody's Son
His childhood between Tijuana and San Diego, as the son of a Mexican father and an American mother.
Wandering Time
A year of journal entries written while travelling through the American West.
Six Kinds of Sky
A collection of short stories.
The Devil's Highway
In 2001 a group of twenty-six men tried to cross the Arizona desert from Mexico; fourteen died. Urrea reconstructs their journey and the world of smugglers and Border Patrol agents around it. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and won the Lannan Literary Award.
The Hummingbird's Daughter
The story of his great-aunt Teresa Urrea, a young woman in late-nineteenth-century Mexico revered as a healer and saint, known as the Saint of Cabora. It took him twenty years of research and writing.
Into the Beautiful North
Nayeli, a young woman in a Mexican village emptied of its men, heads north to the United States to bring some of them back. It was chosen for the National Endowment for the Arts' Big Read.
Queen of America
The sequel to The Hummingbird's Daughter: Teresa Urrea in exile in the United States.
The Water Museum
A collection of short stories.
The House of Broken Angels
Big Angel, the dying patriarch of a Mexican-American family in San Diego, throws one last birthday party, and his whole family arrives. It was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist.
Good Night, Irene
Inspired by his mother's service with the Red Cross in the Second World War: two young American women drive a coffee and doughnut truck behind the front lines in Europe.
How Many Books Did Luis Alberto Urrea Write?
Thirteen books of prose between 1993 and 2023, besides several books of poetry and a graphic novel.
- Nonfiction and memoir — Across the Wire, By the Lake of Sleeping Children, Nobody's Son, Wandering Time and The Devil's Highway. Read the entries →
- Novels and stories — from In Search of Snow (1994) to Good Night, Irene (2023). Read the entries →
- Poetry — listed further down. See the full list →
In What Order to Read Luis Alberto Urrea
Most of his books stand alone. The Hummingbird's Daughter and Queen of America are a pair and should be read in that order.
A reading path
1. The Devil's Highway (2004)
2. The Hummingbird's Daughter (2005)
3. The House of Broken Angels (2018)
4. Into the Beautiful North (2009)
Everything Else Luis Alberto Urrea Wrote: The Full List
Beyond his prose, poetry and a graphic novel.
Open a form with the + to see every book in it.
Poetry and other books
5
5 books · 1994–2015
- 1994The Fever of Beingpoems; Western States Book Award
- 1997Ghost Sicknesspoems
- 2000Vatosa poem, with photographs by José Galvez
- 2010Mr. Mendoza's Paintbrushgraphic novel
- 2015Tijuana Book of the Deadpoems
Quick facts about Luis Alberto Urrea
- Born
- 1955, Tijuana, Mexico
- Family
- Son of a Mexican father and an American mother
- Teaches
- Creative writing at the University of Illinois Chicago
- Honours
- Pulitzer Prize finalist; Latino Literature Hall of Fame; Guggenheim Fellowship
- Books
- 13 of prose, 1993–2023
How Luis Alberto Urrea Writes: Both Sides of the Border
Urrea writes about the border as someone who belongs to both sides of it. His nonfiction draws on his own years doing relief work in Tijuana and on long reporting, and he tries to see every person involved, including smugglers and Border Patrol agents.
His novels mix family history, legend and humour, and often begin with the stories of his own relatives.
Frequently asked questions about Luis Alberto Urrea's books
How many books has Luis Alberto Urrea written?
Luis Alberto Urrea has published thirteen books of prose, from Across the Wire (1993) to Good Night, Irene (2023), as well as several books of poetry.
What is The Devil's Highway about?
The Devil's Highway (2004) is the true story of twenty-six men who tried to cross the Arizona desert from Mexico in 2001, fourteen of whom died. It was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
What is Luis Alberto Urrea's newest book?
His most recent book is the novel Good Night, Irene (2023), inspired by his mother's Red Cross service in the Second World War.
Footnotes
Bibliography last verified 1 October 2026.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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