Outlaws and smugglers have sought refuge in the United States-Mexico Borderlands since the days of the Wild West. Five Americans facing bankruptcy and homelessness retreat to the Southwest desert badlands to grow marijuana. A modest crop of buds (sin semilla) can net a small fortune, if the group can find water and hide from the Border Patrol (la migra) as well as poachers. "Growing the American Way" is an adventure novel, a survival narrative about desperate times. The story revisits the American Dream of rags-to-riches. Go to the wilderness and make your millions. This myth fueled the movement West from the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. Sunset leads the way to prosperity. "Growing" gives this odyssey a twist. The mother lode isn't gold but high grade chronic – enough of a fortune to avoid the poor house.