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Train To Nowhere: Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation
Eleven undocumented immigrants are locked inside a baking railcar by smugglers and left to die a horrific death when no one comes to release them as promised. The railcar rolls on to the farming community of Denison, Iowa, where newspaper and television reporters descend after the bodies are discovered, all seeking the story behind the deaths. Train to Nowhere part crime story and part immigration perspective is an intimate portrait of those connected to the 2002 railcar deaths of eleven Central Americans and Mexicans. This piece of investigative reporting provides the full story, focusing largely on one victim s New York brother, a longtime immigration agent assigned to the subsequent criminal investigation, and a train conductor imprisoned for working with the smugglers. It breaks away from the standard immigration story in fully examining this wide range of viewpoints. Train to Nowhere is an amazing piece of investigative reporting that examines tough facets of the immigration problem the United States faces today and in doing so, examines the very heart of human nature itself.
- GenresNonfictionImmigration
190 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2011
About the author
Colleen Bradford Krantz
1 book22 followersColleen Bradford Krantz spent a decade reporting for daily newspapers such as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and the Des Moines Register. Now an independent journalist, Colleen has written her first book, "Train to Nowhere; Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation." The book was the starting point for an award-winning documentary, which Colleen wrote and co-produced. Colleen lives near Adel, Iowa, with her husband and three children. For more information, go to www.ColleenBradfordKrantz.com.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 17, 2011
Those of us who live on the Great Plains can tend to think we are removed from the nation's ongoing debate over illegal immigration. That couldn't be further from the truth. Just last year, Fremont, a town of some 25,000 in northeastern Nebraska, drew national attention when voters approved a law fining landlords and employers who house or hire illegal immigrants. (The law was suspended a month later pending a challenge to it in federal court.). In May 2008, authorities executed the largest immigration raid in the nation's history and made 400 arrests at a meatpacking plan in Postville, a town of maybe 2,500 in northeastern Iowa. And less than six years before, northwestern Iowa was where an immigrant smuggling tragedy was discovered.
On October 16, 2002, an employee of a now-defunct grain elevator in Denison, Iowa, (population 7,500 at the time) was checking the bays on grain hopper rail cars in preparation for loading. In one, he spotted what appeared to be two skulls. They were the first indication that the remains of 11 Central American and Mexican immigrants were in the hopper car, their bodies so badly decomposed they were in states of skeletonization and mummification. The story of what happened to those immigrants and how is the focus of a documentary and a book, Train To Nowhere: Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation .
The underlying story is almost as simple as it is sad. The 11 individuals, mostly from Central America, crossed into the United States in the hopes of finding jobs, some assisted by "coyotes" (smugglers). On June 15, 2002, they were among 26 illegal immigrants loaded into the bays of two grain hopper cars in Harlingen, Tex. The opening to the slope-floored bay in which these 11 ended up was locked from the outside. Although 15 immigrants in the other hopper were caught that night during a Border Patrol inspection, officials somehow missed this particular hopper. The train continued north. Trapped inside what one person described as essentially a humidor, the 11 died of dehydration and hyperthermia. The rail car sat in a facility near Oklahoma City for four months before being sent to Denison on October 15. The bodies were identified only through DNA tests.
Colleen Bradford Krantz, who wrote and co-produced the documentary, uses her journalistic background to take readers inside the tragedy. In her capable hands, Train to Nowhere explores not only the how and why of what happened but introduces the reader to some of the people who died and their families, details what must have happened in the rail car, follows the difficulty in the months-long effort to identify the victims, and examines the complexities of illegal immigration. This means the reader encounters and learns from the legal resident older brother of a young Guatemalan who died in the hopper car, a railroad conductor who sold information to one of the coyote networks, and the investigators on the case.
Using material gathered in creating the documentary, Krantz's book, published by Ice Cube Press in Iowa, adheres to standards she acquired as a reporter for daily newspapers in St. Louis, Milwaukee and Des Moines. Unlike much so-called creative nonfiction today, Krantz is careful in documenting conversations. If she was not present and is relying on someone's recollection of a conversation, any quotations appear in italics instead of quotation marks. This approach does not detract from the narrative or the flow. If anything, it may subtly enhance the book's verisimilitude.
In examining the various aspects of this tragedy, Krantz shows both the personal toll and both sides of the immigration debate. Unfortunately, actually preventing or resolving these problems is beyond the scope of this or any book.
(Originally posted at A Progressive on the Prairie.)
On October 16, 2002, an employee of a now-defunct grain elevator in Denison, Iowa, (population 7,500 at the time) was checking the bays on grain hopper rail cars in preparation for loading. In one, he spotted what appeared to be two skulls. They were the first indication that the remains of 11 Central American and Mexican immigrants were in the hopper car, their bodies so badly decomposed they were in states of skeletonization and mummification. The story of what happened to those immigrants and how is the focus of a documentary and a book, Train To Nowhere: Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation .
The underlying story is almost as simple as it is sad. The 11 individuals, mostly from Central America, crossed into the United States in the hopes of finding jobs, some assisted by "coyotes" (smugglers). On June 15, 2002, they were among 26 illegal immigrants loaded into the bays of two grain hopper cars in Harlingen, Tex. The opening to the slope-floored bay in which these 11 ended up was locked from the outside. Although 15 immigrants in the other hopper were caught that night during a Border Patrol inspection, officials somehow missed this particular hopper. The train continued north. Trapped inside what one person described as essentially a humidor, the 11 died of dehydration and hyperthermia. The rail car sat in a facility near Oklahoma City for four months before being sent to Denison on October 15. The bodies were identified only through DNA tests.
Colleen Bradford Krantz, who wrote and co-produced the documentary, uses her journalistic background to take readers inside the tragedy. In her capable hands, Train to Nowhere explores not only the how and why of what happened but introduces the reader to some of the people who died and their families, details what must have happened in the rail car, follows the difficulty in the months-long effort to identify the victims, and examines the complexities of illegal immigration. This means the reader encounters and learns from the legal resident older brother of a young Guatemalan who died in the hopper car, a railroad conductor who sold information to one of the coyote networks, and the investigators on the case.
Using material gathered in creating the documentary, Krantz's book, published by Ice Cube Press in Iowa, adheres to standards she acquired as a reporter for daily newspapers in St. Louis, Milwaukee and Des Moines. Unlike much so-called creative nonfiction today, Krantz is careful in documenting conversations. If she was not present and is relying on someone's recollection of a conversation, any quotations appear in italics instead of quotation marks. This approach does not detract from the narrative or the flow. If anything, it may subtly enhance the book's verisimilitude.
In examining the various aspects of this tragedy, Krantz shows both the personal toll and both sides of the immigration debate. Unfortunately, actually preventing or resolving these problems is beyond the scope of this or any book.
(Originally posted at A Progressive on the Prairie.)
September 14, 2011
After completing Train to Nowhere: Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation, a few days were needed to fully comprehend the senseless, traumatic occurrence that author Colleen Bradford Krantz features in her work of non-fiction. Without bias, Krantz unfolds various accounts and backstories of the people involved in the gruesome deaths of eleven undocumented immigrants. Not only does Krantz paint a vivid picture through the peppering of the text with actual photographs, but also provides legal documentation and historical backgrounds while detailing the politics involved in the immigration issue. By the end of this written account, I felt as if I, too, had made feeble attempts to preserve dirt floors, to search tirelessly for repeat immigrant offenders, and literally to bake to death while desperately searching for a better life.
On a grammatical note, tears welled in my eyes at the accurate punctuation of "20s" (35). Yet, my anal English-teacher self cringed at the repetitive use of the words "got" and "things" which (in my opinion) would have read much cleaner and clearer with the use of active verbs and concrete nouns respectively as replacements.
For the purposes of book club, no food or drink allowed. This meeting does not call for feasting and merriment. Instead, a productive talk about how an individual can act as an instrument of change regarding the immigration situation in this country. Furthermore, a viewing of the accompanying documentary Train to Nowhere: Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation will only further place the reader inside this journalistic must-read.
Train To Nowhere: Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation
On a grammatical note, tears welled in my eyes at the accurate punctuation of "20s" (35). Yet, my anal English-teacher self cringed at the repetitive use of the words "got" and "things" which (in my opinion) would have read much cleaner and clearer with the use of active verbs and concrete nouns respectively as replacements.
For the purposes of book club, no food or drink allowed. This meeting does not call for feasting and merriment. Instead, a productive talk about how an individual can act as an instrument of change regarding the immigration situation in this country. Furthermore, a viewing of the accompanying documentary Train to Nowhere: Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation will only further place the reader inside this journalistic must-read.
Train To Nowhere: Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation
January 7, 2012
Not my usual read but I was fortunate enough to win this through Good Reads. The book tells a compelling story of ordinary people trying to illegally get into the United States through Mexico in search of a better life. Colleen Bradford Krantz states the facts but manages to bring the individuals to life. Some of them are trying to reach relatives who are already legally in the U.S., the main motivation seems to be to get there, get a job in order to send money back to their families to help raise them out of poverty. The description of their harrowing last hours and deaths is something that will definitely stay with the reader. The waste of human life through this senseless tragedy is appalling especially as it could have been prevented. It seems clear that at an early point the people involved knew that something had gone wrong but didn't do anything because they didn't want to each caught. So eleven people could potentially have been saved from a terrible fate. The end with one family member highlighted who feels to blame for so many reasons but ultimately because he got out and sent money home and helped his family which prompted his brother to want to do the same is heart wrenching. The blame for what happened is passed around but a system that reduces people to these extreme measures in order to achieve a standard of living the majority of us take for granted ultimately seems to blame. A book that you are never likely to forget which is a rarity.
September 30, 2011
In 2002, a grain elevator employee in Denison, Iowa opened a grain hopper (train car) for a cursory check and discovered the skeletonized remains of eleven undocumented immigrants.
Colleen Bradford Krantz does an excellent job of making these victims come back to life. She tells their story with sensitivity and impartiality and leaves the reader to understand all sides of the ongoing issues of undocumented immigrants in the USA. The horror of the death of these eleven people is not sensationalized but the stark portrayal of their experience makes an indelible mark on the readers mind (and on my soul). Ms Krantz expands her readers' understanding of life outside of our first world complacency and we are forced to see the reality of life in the third world.
There were times when reading that I did skip over the statistics to get back to the story but that didn't take away from the story, and I know there are lots of people out there who like statistics. I also found the pictures to be very dark - as in colour not content. But they were a nice addition none the less.
As a bonus, especially for those that like to compare books and movies, there is a documentary based on the book. The DVD can be found at www.TrainToNowhere.com.
Colleen Bradford Krantz does an excellent job of making these victims come back to life. She tells their story with sensitivity and impartiality and leaves the reader to understand all sides of the ongoing issues of undocumented immigrants in the USA. The horror of the death of these eleven people is not sensationalized but the stark portrayal of their experience makes an indelible mark on the readers mind (and on my soul). Ms Krantz expands her readers' understanding of life outside of our first world complacency and we are forced to see the reality of life in the third world.
There were times when reading that I did skip over the statistics to get back to the story but that didn't take away from the story, and I know there are lots of people out there who like statistics. I also found the pictures to be very dark - as in colour not content. But they were a nice addition none the less.
As a bonus, especially for those that like to compare books and movies, there is a documentary based on the book. The DVD can be found at www.TrainToNowhere.com.
June 29, 2011
This portrait of a single tragic case of illegal immigration is excellent. Krantz takes what would normally be just a "statistic", eleven dead illegal immigrants, and delves into the individual stories of the immigrants, their families, and the investigators that try to piece together what happened.
The author delivers the human stories behind the decisions that drove eleven people to climb into a train car that ultimately cost them their lives. Her research and interviews with surviving relatives and the immigration officers working the case help develop this compelling story.
The book also deals (at a high level) with nationwide immigration policy, in the context of how it affects the principals of this individual story.
Last note - apparently there is also a documentary based on the same case, I'll have to try and DVR that if it winds up on our local PBS.
The author delivers the human stories behind the decisions that drove eleven people to climb into a train car that ultimately cost them their lives. Her research and interviews with surviving relatives and the immigration officers working the case help develop this compelling story.
The book also deals (at a high level) with nationwide immigration policy, in the context of how it affects the principals of this individual story.
Last note - apparently there is also a documentary based on the same case, I'll have to try and DVR that if it winds up on our local PBS.
January 31, 2012
I was working in a Des Moines newsroom in 2002 when the news broke about 11 bodies that had been found in a train car in Denison, Iowa, and I remember the media frenzy. The story is deeply disturbing -- they were illegal immigrants who had climbed into that car in a Texas border town, hoping to make it deeper into the United States, but then it was locked from the outside and they couldn't escape. The temperature may have hit 120 degrees in there, and it's estimated they didn't live longer than 36 hours.
Colleen Bradford Krantz interviewed witnesses, relatives of the victims, border patrol agents and investigators. I'm glad she invested so much time reporting and that she found a publisher for this book. It's an important story that needed to be told.
Colleen Bradford Krantz interviewed witnesses, relatives of the victims, border patrol agents and investigators. I'm glad she invested so much time reporting and that she found a publisher for this book. It's an important story that needed to be told.
September 19, 2011
I have to admit a lot of what I read could be called fluff. ‘Train To Nowhere – Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation’ is not. I was lucky enough to attend the Montezuma All-Iowa Writer’s conference this weekend and one of the speakers was author Colleen Bradford Krantz. Colleen was a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Des Moines Register. Now she is an independent journalist who not only wrote the book but also co-produced an award-winning documentary based on the events depicted in the book....Events that involved a worker finding 11 bodies in a railroad car, in Denison, Iowa one summer.
To read more go to www.virginiagruver.com
To read more go to www.virginiagruver.com
November 20, 2014
An easy book to read since it is short and not tedious. It is not an easy book to read from the standpoint of the consequences of eleven deaths arrising from being left in a locked "grain hopper" railcar for four months in western Iowa. Since there were no survivors of this tragic event, everything comes from third parties, mainly family members and investigators. Much of the book comes from the eyes of one of the Guatamalan victims in a sincere attempt to personalize this tragedy. I did not finish the book with any solutions to this problem, just a better appreciation for the issues.
September 18, 2011
This book was an easy fast read. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. It was a great investigative book. Great that it didn't take sides or put the blame on one person. The writing, interview material, and pictures took me right to that time in my mind. The chapters were put together good alternating between the detective part and the victims stories.
July 7, 2011
Great book. Could not put it down. You know you have read a good book, when you could finish more...have more questions about their lives and how they are living now.
March 30, 2013
This was a really well written account of a journey that ended in death in small Iowa town. I read it because the author will be speaking at our local library. And I'm glad I did, it was very good!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews