Rubén Martínez

Over the last decade the West has undergone a political and demographic upheaval comparable only to the opening of the frontier. Now, in "Desert America," a work of powerful reportage and memoir, Rubén Martínez, acclaimed author of "Crossing Over," evokes a new world of extremes: outrageous wealth and devastating poverty, sublime beauty and ecological ruin.

Follows the Chavez family from the small Mexican town of Cheran to the fields of Missouri and California and the slaughterhouses of Wisconsin offering a portrait of immigrant life in the U.S.

"A highly imaginative exploration of one of the most intriguing epochs in human history: when the 'Old World' first encountered the 'New World.' Travel from Granada in Spain to Machu Picchu in Peru, and from Mexico to Madrid in Spain. Explores how the collision of these two sophisticated but different worlds led to the birth of an entirely new Latino culture." --

Part of a stunning boxed set that is both the perfect introduction to opera for the novice and a must-have treasure for the established aficionado.