Coyotes

I give this book a "good". I learned some things, thought about the book and the characters in the book when I wasn't reading the book, talked to others about what I was reading, and thought enough of it to "blog" about it. I thought it was written more recently than it was (1987), but that just goes to show that illegal immigration is certainly not a new problem. (Though I don't think anyone reading this blog thought it was a new problem.) The amazing tales of these men (and even one young girl) and what they went through just to find work. They crossed the desert, the Rio Grande, and numerous other obstacles, and had to worry about "La Migra" along with bandits and many other threats....for what? For work. They risked their lives and paid large sums of money so that they could cross the border into the United States to WORK. Not to smuggle drugs, not to steal or become a criminal or to live the easy life, not to see beautiful women, not for vacation, for work. Hard work.

The following was found on the internet while searching for "excerpts" from the book. (Perla wrote an analytical paper about this book for some class...and here is some of what she had to say.)

Coyotes revolves around Ted Conover’s travels with several illegal immigrants. His experiences with them range from a walk in the desert heat to a freezing road trip in a disgraceful car. There are also interesting encounters with corrupt police officials and ambitious human smugglers, coyotes. Through his adventures he shows several important aspects of illegal immigration and identifies specific traits of the Mexican people. Perhaps the most insightful segment of the book is a conversation that Ted has with Thomas Cano in Ahuacatlan, a province in Mexico from which many of the men he has met come from. This Mexican priest, who studied in the United States for five years, provides an analytical point of view on the issue of illegal immigration.
To this knowledgeable priest, the frequent emigration of Mexican males to the United States is something that has a positive impact in the economy but a tragic social outcome. He goes as far as stating, “not since the conquest have we (Mexicans) suffered such a disaster” (Conover 168). While there are more paved streets in small Mexican towns, there are also numerous families lacking a male figure. Children grow seeing their father once a year or never at all. The women become frustrated at their husband’s absence and family disintegration becomes inevitable. When the men are present they are no longer proud members of their community. After seeing the United States and now comparing it to their surroundings they are dismayed. They lose any praise for the communities to which they bring back venereal diseases and an array of habits from a distinct culture. They come home with a new found sense of ambition and inspire young ones to follow in their footsteps. Young ones that are socially pressured by their machismo inspired egos to leave school early in search of adventure and status. If there is one immediate gain for the males who wonder through the dangerous border between the United States and Mexico it is the sense of superiority they gain among their peers. Nonetheless, this sense of superiority does not go afar since they develop what the priest calls an “inferiority complex” (Conover 169). Their community holds these men in high regard but according to the priest they see themselves in a much different light:
They see Americans as very high, themselves as very low. Of course, though, they can never be Americans, or even pass for them at their age-it’s too late to learn English well enough. But many feel stupid because of it. And they are ashamed to be Mexican. (Conover 170)
This “inferiority complex” (169) is evident all throughout Conover’s book. The men he meets look up to him or feel intimidated by his presence. Even in their territory, Ahuacatlan, he is given special treatment. In page 148 we witness how Juanito, a six-year-old boy, is sent out to bring refreshments to greet him as an honorable guest. The last person for whom this was done was a priest. Conover even remarks how Juanito enjoyed such a task because it was such a rarity. To hold the same regard for an American and a priest, one of the most important figures in Hispanic culture, is just one example of the ways in which this inferiority complex afflicts Mexican communities as a whole. In the United States, Ted Conover had been in similar situations more than once. For instance, when they were at the orchards in Phoenix he is automatically granted the right to sleep in the only bed that is available to the workers. While men were sleeping on the floor and in refrigerator rooms they want him, a total stranger, to sleep in the one place that may be remotely comfortable. When traveling to Florida in the winter he is granted one of the front seats in the car. The car seating is determined in a hierarchal manner that reflects the status gained though factors such as experience. Conover gets to sit in the front with the most experienced and respected men based on a status granted by the immigrant’s inferiority complex, not his experience."

I think some of you might enjoy the book, and I would be happy to loan it to any of you.