Driving While Brown: Sheriff Joe Arpaio versus the Latino Resistance

by Terry Greene Sterling, Jude Joffe-Block

"A smart, well-documented book about a group of people determined to hold the powerful to account."—2021  NPR  " Books We Love" 
"Journalism at its best." —2022  Southwest Books of the Year: Top Pick
A 2021 Immigration Book of the Year, Immigration Prof Blog
Investigative Reporters & Editors Book Award Finalist 2021 How Latino activists brought down powerful Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio. Journalists Terry Greene Sterling and Jude Joffe-Block spent years chronicling the human consequences of Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s relentless immigration enforcement in Maricopa County, Arizona. In Driving While Brown , they tell the tale of two opposing movements that redefined Arizona’s political landscape—the restrictionist cause advanced by Arpaio and the Latino-led resistance that rose up against it. The story follows Arpaio, his supporters, and his adversaries, including Lydia Guzman, who gathered evidence for a racial-profiling lawsuit that took surprising turns. Guzman joined a coalition determined to stop Arpaio, reform unconstitutional policing, and fight for Latino civil rights. Driving While Brown details Arpaio's transformation—from "America’s Toughest Sheriff," who forced inmates to wear pink underwear, into the nation’s most feared immigration enforcer who ended up receiving President Donald Trump’s first pardon. The authors immerse readers in the lives of people on both sides of the battle and uncover the deep roots of the Trump administration's immigration policies. The result of tireless investigative reporting, this powerful book provides critical insights into effective resistance to institutionalized racism and the community organizing that helped transform Arizona from a conservative stronghold into a battleground state.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Crime

431 pages, Hardcover

Published April 20, 2021

Reviews

[Karen Christensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some may be familiar with the racist exploits of Sheriff Joe Arpaio who was elected as sheriff of Maricopa County, AZ for over a period of two decades. Arpaio’s infamous tent cities, housing undocumented migrants in desert heat and issued pink boxer shorts as additional humiliation, were only a couple of his abusive practices. “Driving While Brown” is a beautifully written and compelling narrative that meticulously chronicles Arpaio’s career, with keen-eyed details and intimately sourced material from Arpaio and his colleagues, shining a light on his exploits and putting his behavior in the context of a state and country that routinely discriminates against people of color. The authors, Terry Sterling Greene and Jude Joffe-Block, are veteran journalists who have a remarkable ability to have their subjects reveal themselves with surprising honesty and clarity. Their keen eye for small details and highly visual descriptions capture and hold your attention to thisreal life story, chapter after chapter.
In addition to revealing the thoughts and actions of Arpaio, Greene and Joffe-Bloch describe the growth and development of the Latino resistance to Arizona’s harsh laws and Maricopa County’s mistreatment of legal citizens. We are introduced to a cast of Latino elders and youth, who devote their lives, sometimes at great cost, to bringing Arpaio to justice and to effectively changing the course of politics in the state. We experience the burdens and painful consequences endured by these advocates, feeling the ups and downs of their fight for recognition of basic civil rights of Latinos.
The book begins with Arpaio considering the possibility of receiving a pardon from his “hero,” President Donald Trump. Indeed, it is Trump’s first presidential pardon which assured Sheriff Arpaio would not go to prison for his conviction of criminal contempt for disobeying a federal Judge’s order to cease arresting Latino’s for simply the color of their skin – and then turning those individuals who were undocumented over to ICE for deportation. The narrative then takes us back to earlier history and traces the growth of anti-immigrant sentiments and legislation that encouraged the sheriff to continue his abusive tactics.
While the book is a harsh indictment of the past, it offers hope with the emergence and growth of many aligned organizations, founded by Latinos and broadly supported, working to change minds, laws, and elected officials in Arizona. The recent election of President Biden and Senator Mark Kelly are testaments to the hard work and effectiveness of these groups and give rise to a sense that, mercifully, we are at turning point toward better days ahead.
Driving While Brown is a “must read” for anyone interested in contemporary Arizona history and popular resistance. It reads like the script of a docu-drama and is hard to put down, even though we know what the results of the 2020 election and ultimate end of the book will be.

[Sheila Grinell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you want to see, in microcosm, how the nation’s warring factions actually feel about immigration? Read about the battle in Arizona between “America’s toughest sheriff” and two generations of Latinx activists who played a role in turning the state blue in 2020. Both sides are represented in their own words, and within the framework of Arizona and federal law, in this eminently readable book. This is journalism at its best.

[Andrea Brinkley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amount of work that went into researching and writing this book is amazing. It presents perspectives from both sides of the key players, while still staying true to the reality of the facts. For me, the bottom line is activism matters, and effective activism is centered in humanity over narcissism.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down. Not only does it cover the rise and fall of sheriff joe, It paints a picture of those who stood in opposition to him. Carefully documented, it's likely to be the definitive work on share of Joe. Highly recommended

[Catherine Mazur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredibly important and well-researched, and its style and tone make it a compelling read as well. I highly recommend it!

[Joe]

Great read. A well written book which goes nicely with the Behind the Bastards episodes on Arpaio. The host referenced this book numerous times which caused me to read it.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really excellent writing and analysis.