Jon Sack

An undocumented immigrant father has been bussing tables at the famous Windows on the World restaurant to support his family in Mexico. Then, tragedy strikes. His family hears no word for weeks. Refusing to give up hope, they send young Fernando on a quixotic mission across the border to find his father and bring him home. Along the way, Fernando experiences a warm embrace from fellow immigrants and a cold shoulder from The City That Never Sleeps. Told with empathy and nuance, this emotionally resonant story reflects on how the pains of our recent past have shaped the character of America.

The Mexican border state of Chihuahua and its city Juarez have become internationally notorious for violence, as drug cartel battles and official corruption have colluded to produce more murders annually than in war-torn Afghanistan. Ninety-seven percent of the killings in Juarez remain unsolved, contributing to a culture of impunity for perpetrators. In the midst of this climate of fear, a small group of human rights activists, exemplified by the Chihuahua lawyer and organizer Lucha Castro, continue to point fingers at the killers and their official enablers. This is the story this book tells, rendering in graphic detail the stories of families ripped apart by disappearances and murders - especially gender-based violence - and the remarkably brave advocacy, protests, and investigations of ordinary citizens who turned their grief into resistance.