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An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees
by Matthieu Aikins
In this extraordinary book, an acclaimed young war reporter chronicles a dangerous journey on the smuggler's road to Europe, accompanying his friend, an Afghan refugee, in search of a better future.
In 2016, a young Afghan driver and translator named Omar makes the heart-wrenching choice to flee his war-torn country, saying goodbye to Laila, the love of his life, without knowing when they might be reunited again. He is one of millions of refugees who leave their homes that year.
Matthieu Aikins, a journalist living in Kabul, decides to follow his friend. In order to do so, he must leave his own passport and identity behind to go underground on the refugee trail with Omar. Their odyssey across land and sea from Afghanistan to Europe brings them face to face with the people at heart of the migration crisis: smugglers, cops, activists, and the men, women and children fleeing war in search of a better life. As setbacks and dangers mount for the two friends, Matthieu is also drawn into the escape plans of Omar's entire family, including Maryam, the matriarch who has fought ferociously for her children's survival.
Harrowing yet hopeful, this exceptional work brings into sharp focus one of the most contentious issues of our times. The Naked Don't Fear the Water is a tale of love and friendship across borders, and an inquiry into our shared journey in a divided world.
"Finely, if sometimes bewilderingly, detailed, the book shines a humane spotlight on many of the people the author met along the way as well as on the role chance played in their fates, with particularly moving chapters on life within the Greek refugee camp. The narrative is scrupulous and often suspenseful. Sharp insider insights into a global dilemma." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"This is a beautifully written individual story made more meaningful by thoughtful and well-informed insights into a country ravaged by war and undermined by foreign powers. Highly recommended." - Library Journal (starred review)
"Timely, personal, and deeply human, this is a riveting look at the struggles of refugees, one of the world's most enduring crises." - Booklist (starred review)
"Journalist Aikins debuts with a powerful account of the 'long and dangerous journey' many Afghans take out of their war-torn country...a heart-wrenching portrait of resilience and ingenuity under the most trying of circumstances." - Publishers Weekly
"The Naked Don't Fear the Water is a uniquely brave and enterprising venture into the heart of emigration, and a tragic witness to our times." - Colin Thubron, New York Times bestselling author of Shadow of the Silk Road and The Amur River
"This is a book of radical empathy, crossing many borders – not just borders that separate nations, but also borders of form, borders of meaning, and borders of possibility. It is powerful and humane and deserves to find a wide, wandering readership." - Mohsin Hamid, author of Exit West
"This is a gripping, devastating book, and it must have taken great courage and determination to write. The human story of the 'smuggler's road' from Afghanistan to Europe is one of terrible suffering, and Aikins tells it with clarity and simplicity. I could write that The Naked Don't Fear the Water should be given prizes, and no doubt it will, but it seems to me that the best way to honor this book would be for us all to read it and ask ourselves what we can do for the thousands of unknown and unrecognized people who are treading this terrifying path." - Hari Kunzru, author of Red Pill
This information about The Naked Don't Fear the Water was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Matthieu Aikins has reported from Afghanistan and the Middle East since 2008. He is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, and has won numerous honors, including the George Polk and Livingston awards. He is a past fellow at Type Media Center, New America, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the American Academy in Berlin. Matthieu grew up in Nova Scotia, and has a master's degree in Near Eastern Studies from New York University. The Naked Don't Fear the Water is his first book.
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