What does it mean to want to emigrate to the United States? Is it the American dream, or nightmare? It's one of the biggest issues in this year's presidential election, and dark rhetoric about immigrants has been a constant refrain in Donald Trump's three presidential campaigns.
But there are also a million human stories behind the scary headlines, and in his deeply reported, often harrowing, history, New Yorker staff writer Jonathan Blitzer traces the roots of the US migration dilemma.
Blitzer's primary focus is on migration from Central America, which, he explains, has skyrocketed largely thanks to years of the region being treated as a "geopolitical laboratory" by the US.
In the Reagan era, fighting communism trumped all other goals - including the human rights of people caught in the middle. Authoritarian leaders backed by US money and training took a heavy toll. Over the years, many of these countries slowly became dysfunctional, violent quagmires.
EVERYONE WHO IS GONE IS HERE: The United States, Central America and the Making of a Crisis
by Jonathan Blitzer
(Picador, $40)
Blitzer centres his narrative on people, not faceless others. He follows the stories of dozens of migrants, which gives his account its emotional kick when it occasionally bogs down in arcane policy detail.
He shows us traumatised people who left their countries desperate to save their own lives, often after losing countless friends and family.
Denne historien er fra September 9, 2024-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra September 9, 2024-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.