Coyotes: A Journey Across Borders with America's Mexican Migrants

Ted Conover spent a year living and traveling with Mexican migrants and their smugglers (known as "coyotes") in the 1980s. He crossed borders both legally and illegally, worked in citrus groves, and shared the daily experiences of those seeking work and new lives in the United States. Conover transforms his immersive journalism into a documentary narrative that follows multiple border crossings and inland journeys. The book details the logistics, economics, and human relationships involved in illegal migration, from safe houses to labor camps to Western Union offices. The narrative travels between Arizona, Mexico, and Florida, providing an up-close view of an underground network. Conover presents the complex roles of the coyotes themselves - part guides, part businesspeople, part outlaws - while documenting the risks and motivations of those who hire them. Through direct observation rather than argument or analysis, the book presents migration as a human story of necessity, enterprise, and survival. It captures a specific moment in the history of U.S.-Mexico relations while exploring timeless themes of borders, belonging, and the search for economic opportunity.

Readers value Conover's firsthand immersion with migrants and coyotes, documenting their experiences crossing the US-Mexico border. Many note his balanced reporting style that avoids political statements while showing the human elements of migration. Likes: - Detailed accounts of individual stories and motivations - Clear explanations of smuggling operations and economics - Vivid descriptions of border crossing challenges - Neutral tone that lets readers draw their own conclusions Dislikes: - Some find the writing dry in parts - Book's age (published 1987) means certain details are dated - A few readers wanted more policy discussion - Limited coverage of female migrants' experiences Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (1,100+ ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (90+ ratings) Notable review: "Conover doesn't judge or preach...he simply shows us what he saw and lets us wrestle with the complexity ourselves." - Goodreads reviewer

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🌵 Author Ted Conover spent an entire year living and traveling with Mexican migrants, even learning to drive a van filled with border crossers, to gain firsthand experience of their journey. 🗺️ The term "coyote" in this context refers to human smugglers who guide migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border, a practice that dates back to the early 1900s. 🏆 The book won the Christopher Award in 1987, which recognizes media that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit." 🚗 During his research, Conover made six border crossings and traveled through thirteen Mexican states, experiencing the same dangers and hardships as the migrants he accompanied. 📝 Conover wrote this groundbreaking work of immersion journalism in 1987, yet many of the issues and challenges he documented remain remarkably similar to those faced by migrants today.