This was a grand surprise. I picked it up out of a pile of free books at school because it looked intriguing. The back caption doesn't really do it justice, as it makes it sound more like a James Rollins novel than what it is, which I think is something else entirely. Essentially, it explores the lives of illegal immigrants living in southern Texas and working as fieldhands. The book covers a lot of time and a lot of characters, which can make it a quite a bit to take in at times, but the focus comes down to one family, which brings it all together. I can't speak to how realistic this is in either the forties or leading up to the seventies, but it Feels realistic. The characters certainly are real and individual, and the humor is constant. My only criticism is that perhaps the book went off on a few too many quick tangents--particularly for such a short book--and that I wouldn't have minded it being a bit longer so that I could get a fuller feel for some of the more minor characters and situations. It moved very quickly, though, making it both a pleasure to read and something entirely unlike what I've read in the past. In any case, I would recommend this overall, and it is certainly an interesting look into immigration and the state of illegal immigrants in the last century. ( )