This is a book of immersion journalism, exploring the violent, poignant, and darkly comic world of illegal immigration. The author set out to cross the Mexican border as the natives do, over the fence and through the desert, a task that, in theory, seemed easy, but was complicated by the messy reality of Border Patrol, drug cartels, and human-smuggling "coyotes." He rode along with and interviewed illegal immigrants, the Minutemen (citizen activists who patrol the border), and humanitarian groups, such as Humane Borders, that put water in the desert for crossing immigrants. In the process, he saw the issue of illegal immigration from all sides, those of Mexican illegals, law enforcement, migrant activists, farmers, employers, day labor site managers, and angry citizens. Ending with his own crossing, this is simultaneously an adventure, an analysis of border politics, and a frenzied tale of a misfit desperate to find his place in the world.