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The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move Paperback – October 5, 2021
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Finalist for the 2021 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award
A Library Journal Best Science & Technology Book of 2020
A Publishers Weekly Best Nonfiction Book of 2020
2020 Goodreads Choice Award Semifinalist in Science & Technology
A prize-winning journalist upends our centuries-long assumptions about migration through science, history, and reporting--predicting its lifesaving power in the face of climate change.
The news today is full of stories of dislocated people on the move. Wild species, too, are escaping warming seas and desiccated lands, creeping, swimming, and flying in a mass exodus from their past habitats. News media presents this scrambling of the planet's migration patterns as unprecedented, provoking fears of the spread of disease and conflict and waves of anxiety across the Western world. On both sides of the Atlantic, experts issue alarmed predictions of millions of invading aliens, unstoppable as an advancing tsunami, and countries respond by electing anti-immigration leaders who slam closed borders that were historically porous.
But the science and history of migration in animals, plants, and humans tell a different story. Far from being a disruptive behavior to be quelled at any cost, migration is an ancient and lifesaving response to environmental change, a biological imperative as necessary as breathing. Climate changes triggered the first human migrations out of Africa. Falling sea levels allowed our passage across the Bering Sea. Unhampered by barbed wire, migration allowed our ancestors to people the planet, catapulting us into the highest reaches of the Himalayan mountains and the most remote islands of the Pacific, creating and disseminating the biological, cultural, and social diversity that ecosystems and societies depend upon. In other words, migration is not the crisis--it is the solution.
Conclusively tracking the history of misinformation from the 18th century through today's anti-immigration policies, The Next Great Migration makes the case for a future in which migration is not a source of fear, but of hope.
- Print length400 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
- Publication dateOctober 5, 2021
- Dimensions5.58 x 1.14 x 8.27 inches
- ISBN-101635577861
- ISBN-13978-1635577860
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Shah [tackles] with compassion and insight a deeply complex and challenging subject . . . Shah effectively shows that understanding human migration is fundamentally an intersectional problem, incorporating race, ethnicity, religion, gender, class, economic inequality, politics, nationalism, colonialism and health, not to mention genetics, evolution, ecology, geography, climate, climate change and even plate tectonics . . . her work addresses issues of fundamental importance to the survival and well-being of us all.” ―New York Times Book Review
“Shah offers a refreshing and crucially humane counterargument to the idea that migration spells societal catastrophe. Interweaving the human history of movement with parables from nature, she reframes migration not as an exception in an otherwise static world but instead as a biological and cultural norm--and one that should be embraced, not feared . . . a provocative invitation to imagine the inevitable migration of the future as an opportunity, rather than a threat.” ―Washington Post
“A fascinating study [that] debunks false narratives about immigration and finds that, in common with other species, the urge to move is written in our genes … That literature of track and trace, part detective story, part reportage, took Shah to remote corners of the world and to distant grid references of history … This book-a wandering narrative about why people wander-is likely to prove equally prophetic in the coming months and years, since it asks two questions that are already shaping our geopolitics: what causes human beings to migrate? And is such mass movement beneficial to more settled communities and nations?” ―The Guardian
“Rich with eclectic research and on-the-ground reporting, Sonia Shah's book presents us with a dazzlingly original picture of our relentlessly mobile species. At a moment when migrants face walls of hatred, this is a story threaded with joy and inspiration.” ―Naomi Klein, author of ON FIRE: THE BURNING CASE FOR A GREEN NEW DEAL
“The persistent differences between peoples--cultural, philosophical and physical--have made migration a perennially contentious matter, something Ms. Shah seeks to address with science, not sentiment . . . thoughtful and eloquent.” ―Wall Street Journal
“[Shah's] book is a reminder that a more thoughtful approach to the beautiful, increasing movement of sentient beings is indeed close to our realm of possibility.” ―Boston Globe
“A thoughtful and thought-provoking defense of migration.” ―Science
“Countering the perception that today's human and nonhuman migrations represent a global crisis, this engrossing book draws on history, interviews, and a wide range of scientific research to show that migration is 'an unexceptional ongoing reality.'” ―The New Yorker
“An incisive examination of migration, which she considers a phenomenon both biological and cultural…A scientifically sophisticated, well-considered contribution to the literature of movement and environmental change.” ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A masterful survey of migration in both nature and humanity, countering some long-held misconceptions…a valuable treatise on how humanity can 'reclaim our history of migration' and adopt a more pan-global perspective.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Illuminating . . . This work's beguiling synergy of science, history, and contemporary politics is impressive enough, but it is this intuitive author's captivating narration that makes this such a bracingly intelligent and important title.” ―Booklist (starred review)
“Sonia Shah's scientific and literary prowess can be felt in the way she dissects xenophobia as a crude immune response . . . It's a nuanced idea with exacting detail that still maintains the pacing of a bullet train. . . . Readers initially drawn to her in-depth and meditative look at the nature of migration will stay for her storytelling.” ―Washington Independent Review of Books
“Shah convincingly argues that politicians against immigration distort and misuse data to create unnecessary and cruel barriers, [and that] we must face the inevitable: our social, political and ecological world is changing substantially. The altered communities that result won't just be different, they'll often be better adapted to thrive in our warming world.” ―Emma Marris, NATURE
“An ambitious work of journalism that argues migration has played a vital role in our planet's history . . . Shah makes her case by moving nimbly between scientific history, scenes from her travels with ecologists, and occasional stories from refugees around the world . . . Shah has done a remarkable job, distilling complex ideas from a variety of disciplines into concise and elegant prose. She has a knack for summing up a big idea in a punchy sentence, but she also knows how to linger on a lovely scene, transporting the reader from the jungles of Hawaii to the Himalayan foothills.” ―Outside Magazine
“Arresting . . . Shah's voluminous research shows that living things have been on the move for millennia, often improving the places where they land . . . a terrific work of science journalism and a valuable corrective to the latest wave of immigration hysteria sweeping Western nations.” ―Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“A level exploration of why migration has historically been viewed as dangerous, destructive and even unnatural, and how more recent data reveal movement as a natural part of life.” ―Discover Magazine, “5 Great Science Books to Read Right Now”
“Humans have always been a migratory species, and so are most other animals. In this striking look at a planet on the move, Sonia Shah provides a bold new way of looking at the ecological and political turbulence of our time--a vision that is as full of hope as it is of understanding.” ―Charles Mann, New York Times bestselling author of 1491
“In vivid detail, The Next Great Migration unfolds a conception of the relationship between life and place characterized by dynamic, almost continuous, processes of change. At once stunning in scope and intimate in its narrative unfolding, The Next Great Migration is a beacon for all those who strive to envision a future affected by climate change--a future in which migration is not a crisis but a solution.” ―Anna J. Secor, Durham University Professor of Geography and editor, CULTURAL GEOGRAPHIES
“Shah argues that migration is an inescapable part of life on earth and also represents our best shot at saving lives and diverse ecosystems as the world heats up.” ―Grist, “Who belongs where? A new way to think about migration”
“Science journalist Sonia Shah . . . describes the obstacles faced by migrants throughout the world--Africans fleeing famine and crossing the Mediterranean into Europe; Tibetans navigating the Himalayas to escape Chinese persecution--and imagines how continued migration will shape the future.” ―Publishers Weekly, Earth Day Feature
“Meticulously researched, yet highly readable, this work presents a nuanced counterargument to the idea of a static world where each being belongs to a certain place . . . An interesting read that deals with a topic that is current and important to all. It will present a thoughtful challenge to many readers.” ―Library Journal
“A sweeping story of plants and animals and humans and how they move across the planet.” ―Shondaland
“A sweeping, vast look at us: where we've been, where we went, when we left, and how we got to where we are.” ―Bookworm Sez
“This is a book that captivates and educates on so many levels … it's a work impeccably researched but heartfelt and driven by eloquent descriptive storytelling … Totally fascinating, and extremely well written, this is a book of our times and one all of us should take the time to read.” ―The Herald, Scotland
“A hugely entertaining, life-affirming and hopeful hymn to the glorious adaptability of life on earth.” ―The Scotsman
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing (October 5, 2021)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 400 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1635577861
- ISBN-13 : 978-1635577860
- Item Weight : 12.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.58 x 1.14 x 8.27 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #501,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #440 in Emigration & Immigration Studies (Books)
- #450 in Climatology
- #1,008 in Environmental Science (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Sonia Shah is a science journalist and prize-winning author. Her writing on science, politics, and human rights has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Scientific American and elsewhere. Her work has been featured on RadioLab, Fresh Air, and TED, where her talk, "Three Reasons We Still Haven't Gotten Rid of Malaria" has been viewed by over 1,000,000 people around the world. Her 2010 book, The Fever, which was called a "tour-de-force history of malaria" (New York Times), "rollicking" (Time), and "brilliant" (Wall Street Journal) was long-listed for the Royal Society's Winton Prize. Her new book, Pandemic: Tracking Contagions from Cholera to Ebola and Beyond, is forthcoming from Sarah Crichton Books/Farrar, Straus & Giroux in February 2016.
Her prize-winning 2006 drug industry exposé, The Body Hunters: Testing New Drugs on the World's Poorest Patients (New Press), has been hailed by Publishers Weekly as "a tautly argued study...a trenchant exposé...meticulously researched and packed with documentary evidence," and as "important [and] powerful" by The New England Journal of Medicine. The book, which international bestselling novelist and The Constant Gardener author John Le Carré called "an act of courage," has enjoyed wide international distribution, including French, Japanese, and Italian editions. The Library Journal named it one of the best consumer health books of 2006.
Shah was born in 1969 in New York City to Indian immigrants. Growing up, she shuttled between the northeastern United States where her parents practiced medicine and Mumbai and Bangalore, India, where her extended working-class family lived, developing a life-long interest in inequality between and within societies. She holds a BA in journalism, philosophy, and neuroscience from Oberlin College, and lives with molecular ecologist Mark Bulmer and their two sons Zakir and Kush.
Photo by Joyce Ravid.
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An example of the "run" (keeping things orderly and the same) philosophy is highlighted by the works of Carl Linnaeus who developed "Systema Naturae" and ordered by Louis XV in 1774 as official policy and adopted by western culture and the Roman Catholic Church. The focusing on categorizing differences in plants, animals, and people from different geographies as "native" or "alien/foreigners" carries forward to today. Darwin's theories of natural evolution and "change" lost out to Linnaeus's theories of stasis and the inevitable move towards the scarcity and redistribution fears of "us" versus "them". It also served as the "scientific" theory used in public policies in the USA to stop miscegenation, the promotion of eugenics, and other sordid policies to protect empire and religion.
An example of anthropogenic impact exacerbating pain caused change is seen in the causes of the Syrian civil war and the resulting mass migrations since 2010 across Europe, the ME, and Africa. During the years 1971 - 2000 while dictator Haffez al-Assad was in power he promoted policies through subsidies to increase food production at the expense of unsustainable ground water depletion. Starting in 2010 when his son Bashar al-Assad came to power subsidies to rural areas were cut even during years of record multi-year (2007-2010) drought, rising surface temperatures, and failed water & agricultural policies, further destabilizing the rural communities. This caused 1.5M rural Syrians to migrate to the cities on top of the 1.5M Iraqi refugees. While urban population growth between 2002 - 2010 was 50% the political regime failed to protect the populace and served only themselves. This laid the ground for civil unrest, followed by civil war, followed by mass migration destabilizing Europe, the ME, and Africa.
There are many wonderful examples throughout Shah's book regarding the the history of natural movement and change of plants, animals and humans but the lessons I drew from her book come back to:
a) the competing philosophies of "change" (and evolution), versus "run" (and category driven stasis) first documented in 500 BCE (Heraclitus versus Parmenides) looks to be with us throughout our human experience. Contemporary DNA analysis shows plants, animals, and humans migrate globally and conclusively shows humans are of one race. Our outward appearances driven by geographic environmental conditions triggering variations in gene expression (e.g. skin color) during methylation processes. This relatively new knowledge will not easily change hard to displace beliefs driven by empire and religious xenophobia and where the line is drawn between insiders and outsiders (aliens).
b) anthropogenic impacts will be the source of future south to north migrations, potentially on a massive scale, that our political leaders manipulate the concerns for self-serving purposes and for which our populations are not prepared short of conflict.
One final thought I have is related to the "Migration Ratio" and the threshold (tipping point) that will drive change. As droughts grow longer, storms get stronger, and the climate becomes hotter and more chaotic, more of us will face the time we have remaining to be greater than the period of stability (climate, political, religion, civil society) we can expect from the place we live. As this ratio becomes greater than "1" for us as individuals or as societies this will cause the pain that will serve as a prompt for considering change and movement to areas of perceived improvement.
Concerning criticisms, I read another review which criticizes the title and the brief description. The reviewer states that the book does not directly address the coming migration that will be caused by global climate change. I think this is a fair criticism, as the book does not delve into specific predictions for what that migration might be like, or what might need to be done to handle that. But the book accomplishes something more important, though somewhat subtle. It lays the groundwork for understanding migration, and in so doing allows the reader to be a more informed participant in the discussions about climate changed-induced migrations that are bound to become more frequent in the coming years.
In summary, I can't recommend this book highly enough.