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This Land Is Our Land: An Immigrant's Manifesto Hardcover – June 4, 2019
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A 2019 NPR Staff Pick
“Written ‘in sorrow and anger,’ this is a brilliant and urgently necessary book, eloquently making the case against bigotry and for all of us migrants―what we are not, who we are, and why we deserve to be welcomed, not feared.” ―Salman Rushdie
A timely argument for why the United States and the West would benefit from accepting more immigrants
There are few subjects in American life that prompt more discussion and controversy than immigration. But do we really understand it? In This Land Is Our Land, the renowned author Suketu Mehta attacks the issue head-on. Drawing on his own experience as an Indian-born teenager growing up in New York City and on years of reporting around the world, Mehta subjects the worldwide anti-immigrant backlash to withering scrutiny. As he explains, the West is being destroyed not by immigrants but by the fear of immigrants. Mehta juxtaposes the phony narratives of populist ideologues with the ordinary heroism of laborers, nannies, and others, from Dubai to Queens, and explains why more people are on the move today than ever before. As civil strife and climate change reshape large parts of the planet, it is little surprise that borders have become so porous. But Mehta also stresses the destructive legacies of colonialism and global inequality on large swaths of the world: When today’s immigrants are asked, “Why are you here?” they can justly respond, “We are here because you were there.” And now that they are here, as Mehta demonstrates, immigrants bring great benefits, enabling countries and communities to flourish. Impassioned, rigorous, and richly stocked with memorable stories and characters, This Land Is Our Land is a timely and necessary intervention, and a literary polemic of the highest order.
- Print length320 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux
- Publication dateJune 4, 2019
- Dimensions5.66 x 1.14 x 8.57 inches
- ISBN-100374276021
- ISBN-13978-0374276027
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“A meticulously researched and deeply felt corrective . . . laying bare the origins of mass migration in searing clarity . . . Well argued, cathartic.” ―Lauren Markham, The New York Times Book Review
“Urgent and impassioned . . . [written] with scathing wit . . . As the country heads into the 2020 presidential election, Mehta’s moving, cogent book can help us find a way forward.” ―Vanessa Hua, San Francisco Chronicle
“There are many mic-drop moments and eminently quotable lines . . . [This Land Is Our Land] is a blistering argument that earns its place in this emotional debate. In a news climate dominated by opponents of immigration, Mehta brings personal, postcolonial, and global anguish to a broader American readership.” ―Bilal Qureshi, The Washington Post
“[Mehta] turns himself, in effect, into a one-man witness-bearing machine. It is harrowing, heartbreaking, detailed work that does what it sets out to do: illuminate the predicament of specific persons in a universal ethical light . . . Mehta’s argument . . . is procedurally radical.” ―Joseph O'Neill, The New York Review of Books
“[This Land Is Our Land] is a book shaped by the nuances of borders: of who crosses them and why, who drew them and what that set into motion . . . As narrator, [Mehta] emerges as comprehensively analytical and trenchant, full of pointed epigrams” ―Gaiutra Bahadur, The New Republic
“There are few literary voices today who explore the intricacies of human migration better than Suketu Mehta . . . Mehta delivers an emotional, timely polemic railing against this trend of fear, discrimination and hatred that has gripped so many countries, especially ours . . . Pulling from history, personal experiences and intimate profiles, Mehta examines the backlash to immigration, what’s behind it and why we have good reasons to be hopeful about the future.” ―Sarojini Seupersad, BookPage
“[An] authoritative and undeniable argument . . . Mehta fills in the blanks. He tells a bloody, traumatic story, and one no Western reader will feel proud of, though there can also be a strange comfort in understanding the logic of the present. History might be the best weapon against fear.” ―Suzy Hansen, Bookforum
“Mehta condenses complicated histories to make the case that immigration is (and should be) a form of reparations for what has been wrought upon the Global South. The histories and numbers will enlighten and enrage but the personal stories Mehta collects will rip your heart out.” ―JR Ramakrishnan, Electric Literature
“Suketu Mehta’s This Land is Our Land begins with an anecdote about his grandfather―an immigrant well-versed in Britain’s colonial experiments―who, when confronted in London in the ‘80s by a fellow Briton asking ‘Why are you in my country?’ responds: ‘Because we are the creditors. You took all our wealth. Now we have come to collect.’ It’s the thesis of the book but just the barest hint of the argument that Mehta will marshal by the time he’s finished presenting his sweeping history of how solidly our world has been built by immigrants.” ―Ramtin Arablouei, NPR
“Pulitzer Prize–finalist Mehta (The Secret Life of Cities) displays his flair for evocative storytelling in this passionate argument for migration . . . Every scene is a joy to read, and Mehta’s passion lights his prose throughout.” ―Publishers Weekly
“This heavily researched and passionately argued work deconstructs American misbeliefs about immigration . . . The result is a profound combination of disturbing, convincing, clear-eyed, and hopeful.” ―Booklist
“An intelligent, well-reasoned case for freedom of movement in an era of walls and fences” ―Kirkus Reviews
“Suketu Mehta is one of our finest thinkers and writers on the subject of immigration. What begins as a journey that mixes just the right amount of humor, anger, and bewilderment at the state of our nation, ends up with a surprising double-shot of hope. This is the rare book that is pragmatic and unsentimental, and yet oddly uplifting.” ―Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story and Lake Success
“A powerful, passionate, angry, and hopeful cry for sanity and justice by one of our finest writers. Mehta’s heart-felt book is a much-needed and potent antidote to the anti-migrant rhetoric that has grown so threateningly loud of late. Let them come!” ―Mohsin Hamid, author of Exit West and The Reluctant Fundamentalist
“Suketu Mehta has written a burning indictment of anti-immigrant hypocrisy, and an affirmation of hope in the real America―the America where we treat each other as human beings with a common future, and not a faceless problem to be solved by walls and barbed wire. Rousing and immensely readable, it is an anthem for all of us.” ―Jhumpa Lahiri, author of The Lowland
“This is a fierce and well-told story by a patriotic American about the value and challenges of our most inspiring heroes: our immigrants.” ―Bob Kerrey, thirty-fifth Governor of Nebraska and former United States Senator from Nebraska
“Mehta has written a compassionate and powerful plea on behalf of migrants that also reveals the deep forces that propel them on their journeys. He exposes the demeaning ways that migrants are treated around the world, and the very human aspirations that may lead them to accept this dehumanization. In so doing, he gives us a searing indictment of those like Donald Trump who do so much to make their plight even worse.” ―Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate in Economics
“A fearless and brutally honest look at the rise and inevitable fall of national borders and those who seek to enforce them. This Land is Our Land lays bare the structural inequalities forcing millions of migrants to flee their countries of origin, and persuasively contends that powerful nations have an obligation to welcome those they have uprooted.” ―Becca Heller, refugee rights lawyer and MacArthur fellow
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Farrar, Straus and Giroux; First Edition (June 4, 2019)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 320 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0374276021
- ISBN-13 : 978-0374276027
- Item Weight : 15.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.66 x 1.14 x 8.57 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #565,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #133 in Immigration Policy
- #689 in Emigration & Immigration Studies (Books)
- #4,439 in Historical Study (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Customers find the book informative and insightful, providing solid information about immigration. They describe it as a good read that is well worth their time. Readers appreciate the passionate storytelling from an immigrant perspective, depicting a humane portrait of immigrants worldwide.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book informative and insightful. They appreciate the solid information about the benefits of immigrants, as well as its comprehensive coverage of every aspect of immigration. The historical account is grounded in facts, and the statistics paint a picture that's both eye-opening and scary. Overall, readers find the book thorough and enjoyable, laying out sound moral and practical arguments for immigration, both legal and illegal.
"While I haven't quite finished this book, I am loving its information and the depths to which the author has dug into the worlds of immigrants who..." Read more
"This book lays out a passionate and well-researched argument for why immigrants move, and why immigrants are actually GOOD for the places they move..." Read more
"Positive stories and solid information about the benefits of immigrants in the US. Good information...." Read more
"...of immigration - all told by an excellent storyteller, with wisdom and heart. I learned so much from this book." Read more
Customers find the book readable and engaging.
"...It is well worth your time." Read more
"...It's GREAT." Read more
"...Good information. Enjoyed the book though sometimes it read like essays mashed together in one book" Read more
"...to be better informed on this issue, however this is not a format that I enjoy reading. It's hard for me to cut through the anger and find meaning...." Read more
Customers find the book engaging with positive stories and insightful information about immigrants. They describe it as an interesting read.
"Positive stories and solid information about the benefits of immigrants in the US. Good information...." Read more
"...the political opportunism of immigration - all told by an excellent storyteller, with wisdom and heart. I learned so much from this book." Read more
"It was an interesting, good read. Kept me busy throughout the memorial day weekend...." Read more
"Insightful and passionate book..." Read more
Customers appreciate the narrative style. They say it's told from an immigrant's perspective and provides a human portrait of immigrants worldwide.
"...statistics about immigration but more than that, he tells stories about immigrants' former lives and life today based on visits and interviews...." Read more
"...This will change the way you think and talk about immigrants. Finally, a response to so much hatred." Read more
"...historically grounded account of immigration worldwide, told from an immigrant’s perspective...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2019While I haven't quite finished this book, I am loving its information and the depths to which the author has dug into the worlds of immigrants who come (or try to) into the United States and other countries. A fairly long-time immigrant, the author has insights into the many circumstances that create immigrants, and more important how non-immigrants (like me) make inaccurate assumptions and judgments about why people migrate from their homes, following it up with the real reasons. There is an upcoming section yet to be read about how important immigration has been to America, and I'm looking forward to it. There are statistics about immigration but more than that, he tells stories about immigrants' former lives and life today based on visits and interviews. It is well worth your time.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2019This book lays out a passionate and well-researched argument for why immigrants move, and why immigrants are actually GOOD for the places they move to, as opposed to all the hate rhetoric we're hearing from politicians these days. Immigrants are "here" because Westerners colonized their countries, ruined their climates, allowed their multinationals to do business without accountability, and sold them arms, pillaging their resources and causing them to have to move. This will change the way you think and talk about immigrants. Finally, a response to so much hatred.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2022I thought this was going to be a fluff piece, but I was blown away by how much I learned about immigration and migration around the world. It's a must read for anyone that thinks the wall in the US-Mexico border is a good idea, and for those like me, who thought I knew why immigration was good. It's GREAT.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2022Positive stories and solid information about the benefits of immigrants in the US. Good information. Enjoyed the book though sometimes it read like essays mashed together in one book
- Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2019A thorough and historically grounded account of immigration worldwide, told from an immigrant’s perspective. The ravages of colonialism, the hypocrisy of nativism, the political opportunism of immigration - all told by an excellent storyteller, with wisdom and heart. I learned so much from this book.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2019This book lays out sound moral and practical arguments for immigration, both legal and illegal. Mehta is a talented writer who finds tragedy and inspiration in both statistics and personal stories.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2020It was an interesting, good read. Kept me busy throughout the memorial day weekend. Although I wound differ from the author on certain aspects, I feel he gives a very balanced view of his perspective of America and most of the western world.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2019I really wanted to like this book. It is informative, but it reads like a collection of rants. I'd like to be better informed on this issue, however this is not a format that I enjoy reading. It's hard for me to cut through the anger and find meaning. I read the first 50 or so pages and gave up. The "rant" format is not for me. Maybe someone else will write something a little better thought out so I can learn more about migration and immigration.
Top reviews from other countries
- SWAPAN MISHRAReviewed in India on May 28, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book to Read
It is great book to be read by all those who think they are reasonable, intellectual and liberal in the context of Humanity.
- U BhardwajReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Well worded and factfull
People migrate for a valid reason and work hard to achieve their dreams in a county which is neither welcoming nor cheap to live . This book covers all aspects of migration and how migrants survive in alien land.
- mhzy7Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 14, 2021
1.0 out of 5 stars Increadabily superficial
Some personal information to provide background. I am an immigrant living in the EU. I have been working in the pharmaceutical industry for many years and worked closely with people from India and even had a chance to spend time there. I was extremely excited to read this book because Suketu's Maximum City (about Mumbai) is one of my favorite books of all time.
Oh boy, was I disappointed. While the topic Suketa has chosen to write on is important and the book is well written, the explanation of causes is simply moronic (and I use this word very seriously). The whole book is about how bad the West has treated the rest of the world during the imperial age and how they are still racists. I am not saying that this is wrong, but it's not the whole story.
I come from Montenegro, a country of 13000 square km (basically the size of Connecticut). Even in a tiny country like this, we have migration from poorer north to richer south. Do you think that southerners are not "racist" against northerners in the same way described in this book even though they lived 200 km from each other? Now imagine someone moving from Iran to Kansas.
In 250 pages of the book, it mildly suggests that some of the fault is also on immigrants or countries where they come from once (in one paragraph). Doesn't that make you think? Major victimhood mentality which I really do not appreciate.
- Thomas CReviewed in India on May 13, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly written and debated.
An angry but well researched rant that is the need of the hour. It's a global phenomenon as more right winged fascist regimes are being elected everywhere. I hope enough people read this book and a few are swayed from their pseudo nationalism.
- Rashmi KumarReviewed in India on March 16, 2020
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting research and fact based argument
i enjoyed the book , which is provides fact based argument on migration, why people migrate, why they are hated, what benefits they bring, etc.