The World of Mexican Migrants: The Rock and the Hard Place

This book is marvelous on many levels. I teach a seven week university level summer study abroad program in Michoacán, Mexico and have for many years featured immigration as a central theme in the course. I have used many readings and Hellman's book has been by far the most successful. Students love it. The book's aim is to help readers understand why people migrate from Mexico to the United States; their experience as undocumented migrants in the United States and after their return to Mexico; how they decide to stay in the US or return to Mexico; the implications of migration and migration policy for the US and Mexico. Hellman accomplishes this by crafting beautifully written stories with generous helpings of the migrants own words. Of course she has a point of view, which is that she is hugely sympathetic to those who migrate and critical of policies that have attempted but failed to effectively curb the number of undocumented migrants all the while making the experiences of migrants more difficult than they already were. However, even if the reader disagrees with her position, she is not in my view heavy handed about it. And, of course, those that believe as Hellman does not that restrictionist measures if taken to extremes might actually succeed in significantly lowering the number of undocumented migrants, are free to disagree. Teaching this material, I was able to add to the restrictionist perspective in my lectures and this made for fascinating class discussions that are impossible if the reading in question is not of excellent and provocative quality. One testament to the quality of this text as a teaching tool is that one of my students, a self-described "conservative" high school teacher, is planning on using the text in her class next year. I give this volume the highest recommendation not only as a teaching tool but also to any reader interested in furthering their understanding regarding the immigrant experience. So much of our public debate regarding immigration and immigration policy is done without much insight into the immigrant experience. Bravo to Judy Hellman for this important contribution to our collective knowledge.

This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to see beyond polemics to the real lives of Mexican migrants and the basics of life on both sides of the border. Hellman asks why Mexicans come to the US, what they experience here, and how they decide whether to stay or return home. Just to ask questions this way gets beyond the usual notion of one way and one-dimensional migration. There are Mexican and American dreams here, the dream of escaping oppressive roles for women in Mexico, the dream of going back to Mexico with a means of support and creating jobs there, and the dream of getting U.S. states to enforce the labor protections that are already on the books. Using Mexican migrants' own words, Hellman explains why people cross the border and the forces that shape their decisions, including the uncertainty of where it is best to raise kids and the challenges of minimum-wage jobs. In contrast to truisms on both sides of the current immigrant debate, Hellman shows that it is the pull of Mexico as well as the attractions and injustices of the US that shape migrants' trajectories and make this truly a transnational continent.

I was able to order some advanced copies of Mexican Migrants and assign the book this semester in my college course on immigration (spring 2008). The students loved the book, as did I. The stories of the Mexican immigrants Judith Hellman interviewed are poignant and full of surprises. People who think they know a lot about the subject may discover, as I did, that they still have a great deal to learn about why people come and the experiences they have, both at home and in "Gringoland." The immigrants Hellman describes may have found themselves between a rock and a hard place, but they face their many challenges with courage, ingenuity, humor and optimism. This is an informative and uplifting book, well written and a plesure to read.