"A collection of non-fiction ... stories that help illuminate all that Mexicans seek when they come north, how they change their new country, and are changed by it."--Publisher description.
As an adult book, Sam Quinones's Dreamland took the world by storm, winning the NBCC Award for General Nonfiction and hitting at least a dozen Best Book of the Year lists. Now, adapted for the first time for a young adult audience, this compelling reporting explains the roots of the current opiate crisis. In 1929, in the blue-collar city of Portsmouth, Ohio, a company built a swimming pool the size of a football field; named Dreamland, it became the vital center of the community. Now, addiction has devastated Portsmouth, as it has hundreds of small rural towns and suburbs across America. How that happened is the riveting story of Dreamland. Quinones explains how the rise of the prescription drug OxyContin, a miraculous and extremely addictive painkiller pushed by pharmaceutical companies, paralleled the massive influx of black tar heroin--cheap, potent, and originating from one small county on Mexico's west coast, independent of any drug cartel. Introducing a memorable cast of characters--pharmaceutical pioneers, young Mexican entrepreneurs, narcotics investigators, survivors, teens, and parents--Dreamland is a revelatory account of the massive threat facing America and its heartland.
Apple Best Books of 2021 Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal * Shortlisted for the Zocalo Book Prize From the New York Times bestselling author of Dreamland, a searing follow-up that explores the terrifying next stages of the opioid epidemic and the quiet yet ardent stories of community repair. Sam Quinones traveled from Mexico to main streets across the U.S. to create Dreamland, a groundbreaking portrait of the opioid epidemic that awakened the nation. As the nation struggled to put back the pieces, Quinones was among the first to see the dangers that lay ahead: synthetic drugs and a new generation of kingpins whose product could be made in Magic Bullet blenders. In fentanyl, traffickers landed a painkiller a hundred times more powerful than morphine. They laced it into cocaine, meth, and counterfeit pills to cause tens of thousands of deaths-at the same time as Mexican traffickers made methamphetamine cheaper and more potent than ever, creating, Sam argues, swaths of mental illness and a surge in homelessness across the United States. Quinones hit the road to investigate these new threats, discovering how addiction is exacerbated by consumer-product corporations. “In a time when drug traffickers act like corporations and corporations like traffickers,” he writes, “our best defense, perhaps our only defense, lies in bolstering community.” Amid a landscape of despair, Quinones found hope in those embracing the forgotten and ignored, illuminating the striking truth that we are only as strong as our most vulnerable. Weaving analysis of the drug trade into stories of humble communities, The Least of Us delivers an unexpected and awe-inspiring response to the call that shocked the nation in Sam Quinones's award-winning Dreamland.
Beyond Borders: A History of Mexican Migration to the United States details the origins and evolution of the movement of people from Mexico into the United States from the first significant flow across the border at the turn of the twentieth century up to the present day. Considers the issues from the perspectives of both the United States and Mexico Offers a reasoned assessment of the factors that drive Mexican immigration, explains why so many of the policies enacted in Washington have only worsened the problem, and suggests what policy options might prove more effective Argues that the problem of Mexican immigration can only be solved if Mexico and the United States work together to reduce the disequilibrium that propels Mexican immigrants to the United States
Dozens of selections from firsthand accounts, introduced by David J. Weber's essays, capture the essence of the Mexican American experience in the Southwest from the time the first pioneers came north from Mexico.
What If Your Weight Wasn’t Your Fault? If you are like most, you have tried to find an easy, enjoyable, permanent weight loss solution. One that doesn’t make you give up too many of your favorite foods, have you working out like a maniac, and won’t fail you in the long run. But long-term success is awfully hard if you don’t address the hidden culprit behind the excess fat we carry: the toxic burden our bodies have accumulated. Whether you have just a few pounds to lose or are battling more, this new plan from health pioneer Suzanne Somers will give you the knowledge you need to easily combat these toxins and become slim, vibrant, healthy, and sexy . . . forever. Within the pages of Sexy Forever you will discover: Thousands of FDA-approved chemicals and toxins surrounding us every day that sabotage our health and weight—and how to conquer these enemies. A simple-to-follow three-phase weight loss program, filled with rich, delicious foods. Plus, a special Detox Phase that has been designed to release your toxic burden and blast off those first—or last few—pounds. All-new delicious recipes, with menus for fabulous eating every day. A moderate (hint: fast and easy!) exercise program to keep you fit and healthy. Ways to jump-start your success: cutting-edge, natural tools and products to make every step of the plan faster, easier, and more convenient. Includes amazing supplements and weight loss products to help catapult your success. A simple test that could unlock the hidden secret to your personal food demons—food sensitivities or intolerances that could silently be keeping you overweight or even chronically ill. How to achieve natural hormonal balance: the missing ingredient for every person over forty that must be added to make any plan successful. An all-access pass to revered doctors, experts, and nutritionists who helped Suzanne craft the plan. YOU CAN WIN THIS BATTLE. YOUR GOALS ARE ACHIEVABLE. Stay the course and you’ll be on the path to regaining the vibrant health you were born to have. Sexy Forever is your ticket there.
The story of low-wage workers rising up around the world to demand respect and a living wage. Tracing a new labor movement sparked and sustained by low-wage workers from across the globe, “We Are All Fast-Food Workers Now” is an urgent, illuminating look at globalization as seen through the eyes of workers-activists: small farmers, fast-food servers, retail workers, hotel housekeepers, home-healthcare aides, airport workers, and adjunct professors who are fighting for respect, safety, and a living wage. With original photographs by Liz Cooke and drawing on interviews with activists in many US cities and countries around the world, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Mexico, South Africa, and the Philippines, it features stories of resistance and rebellion, as well as reflections on hope and change as it rises from the bottom up.