Author Luis Alberto Urrea visited Hood River to discuss his recently published book “Into the Beautiful North” which is Hood River County Reads book of the year. Into the Beautiful North tells the story of Nayeli, a nineteen year old Mexican girl who longs to see her father who has gone to the United States to work. Because her small village is being overrun by drug dealers, Nayeli and her three friends go to the United States in search for Mexican men to defend their village. Urrea has won many awards for his captivating work.

He discussed his book and talked about his personal experiences and how they contributed to writing his novel. He based his characters on real life people that he met while living in Mexico, and they influenced his life so much which lead to this amazing novel.