El Paso

Five Families and One Hundred Years of Blood, Migration, Race, and Memory

By: Jazmine Ulloa

Narrated by: Frankie Corzo, Jazmine Ulloa

From New York Times reporter Jazmine Ulloa, a sweeping human history of El Paso, revealing violence, power, and privilege at play in America's most famous border town.

El Paso has been called the “Ellis Island” of America’s southern border, a mountain pass cum border town cum bifurcated metropolis where past meets future, and disadvantage meets opportunity, or so the promise goes.

El Paso is an extraordinary, can’t-look-away reported history; it uses deep research and dozens of new interviews to blow away the myth of this place, where Mexico’s Juarez and America’s El Paso intertwine. It charts the history of El Paso through five families. From the Mexican Revolution and the Mexican Repatriation, to the shifting immigration laws under Reagan and Trump and the violence and bloodshed brought on by the drug war, El Paso captures a place often misunderstood or forgotten by the rest of the country, and the world.

El Paso is a brave new work of narrative nonfiction that gives new voice and perspective to history that has long been checked at the border, or told through the lens of white men alone. Ulloa draws upon meticulous research and reporting and stunning historical detail to craft the intimate narratives of an unforgettable cast of characters.

Great Pride

Thank you for writing this book about these five families. I learned so much about my hometown through the stories and history you shared. Your pride in both your heritage and this community comes through clearly on every page. The way you captured the details, traditions, and experiences of these families made the history feel personal and alive.

As part of the Martinez family, your story brought me both happiness and tears as I reflected on all that we are and all that we have because of the sacrifices and strength of my great-grandparents. Even when describing the deaths, struggles, and hardships they endured, you were still able to weave it all into a beautiful and meaningful story that honors their lives and legacy. Your book is a heartfelt tribute to the families who shaped this hometown and to the history that connects us all.

Hard to get through

No storyline just fact after fact . The timeline didn’t flow. Couldn’t finish the book. Nothing to draw me back into.