Johnny Rico is back. After risking his life as an Afghanistan stop-loss soldier, an experience he described in the cult phenomenon Blood Makes the Grass Grow Green, he now dares to embed himself on both sides of Americas most dangerous domestic conflictthe war for and against illegal immigrationin an exhilarating new exercise in immersion journalism.The gonzo authorpart Hunter Thompson, part George Plimptonexplores a seemingly insoluble issue by getting his hands dirty and his boots on the ground. As a typically spoiled American who doesnt speak a lick of Spanish, he takes it upon himself to try to cross the Mexican border into the United States illegally.Eager to tell the story from all sidesor simply to get good material for his bookRico also travels treacherously with the Border Patrol, meets extreme immigrant advocates who publish maps for illegals, visits a modern-day underground railroad in Texas, and hunts for miscreants with angry vigilantes.In such hot spots as the Tecate Line, a forty-five-mile stretch of hills on Californias southern fringe, and Arizonas Amnesty Trail, the single busiest part of the U.S. border, Rico encounters Los Zetas, the paramilitatry group that has taken over Mexicos drug cartels, interviews the volunteer Minutemen, who believe in an imminent and apocalyptic Mexican invasion, and tries to recruit coyotes (human smugglers, usually fortified by meth and cocaine).In his heedless and openly opportunistic style, Rico unearths more truths about this explosive subject than most traditional reporters could ever hope to. Border Crosser is another knockout from this new-generation journalist, at once a concerned citizen, courageous spy, and unparalleled author.From the Hardcover edition.