The latest books on immigration reveal global trends

By Sue L. Blanchard, MBA
Oct 8, 2017
4 min read

Immigration is a hot topic globally with hundreds of immigrants from the U.S. moving across Canada's borders. The U.S. Supreme Court recently over-ruled President Donald Trump's ban on Muslim-majority countries and new books reveal surprising issues.

Seven reviews of books from Canada, Britain and the U.S. explore immigration topics below:

Belonging: The Paradox of Citizenship (Based on a five-part series of lectures across Canada)

Unlike authors who lament the perils and threats of immigration, Adrienne Clarkson, Canada's 26 Governor General, believes "migration is part and parcel of the order of things." She writes, "Never has the world experienced a greater movement of peoples from one country to another, from one continent to another. These seismic shifts in population have brought about huge challenges for all societies." Clarkson writes about the need for greater acceptance. She talks about indigenous groups worldwide and asks, Who belongs and How can one prove belonging? She concludes that a sense of belonging is forged through connection, not factors surrounding one's homeland and birthplace.

The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam

"Europe is committing suicide," begins Douglas Murray, a British author and former director of the Centre for Social Cohesion from 2007 to 2011. Murray analyzes Europe demographically and concludes that dipping birth rates and mass immigration have eroded much of what's good about the continent and its cultural identity. His research and travel around Europe uncover Europeans, enmass, who distrust newcomers and fear terrorist attacks. He learns that immigrants themselves feel unwanted. Murray's view of the immigration crisis leads him to propose possibilities for a new Europe. The title (The Strange Death of Europe) is a play on a book called "The Strange Death of Liberal England 1910 - 1914," republished in 2011 by George Dangerfield.

What the U.S. Public Thinks About Immigration and Why It Should Matter When We Attempt Reform

Authored by a political scientist with a PhD, the book reports the results of a public opinion poll on immigration. Most of the Americans surveyed want lower levels of immigration in the U.S., and even Brockett (the author) favours immigration reforms that bring greater immigration restrictions. His research tracks public immigration attitudes, reforms, jobs and wages to conclude that historical trends, both legal and illegal, led President Barack Obama to restrict the number of immigrants deported in 2014. Brockett evaluates whether immigration burdens governments. He highlights Donald Trump's controversial proposals for immigration in the 2016 election campaign.

Unequal Relations: A Critical Introduction to Race, Ethnic, and Aboriginal Dynamics in Canada

Fleras writes about Canada's Aboriginal peoples, national-minorities, and immigrant and racialized groups. After stating that Canada earns kudos for its immigration policies, she recounts troubling social issues and groups who are marginalized and struggling. What's missing is a balanced view: a candid look at the effect of these groups on Canada. Households headed by immigrants use 41% more social benefits. The increased taxpayer dollars and social services that support them is worth noting, not to mention the increased rate of crime that comes from bringing people from countries with troubling rankings on the corruption index. Are the groups Fleras writes about alone with their troubles when nearly half of all Canadian workers live paycheque to paycheque?

The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities Are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class--and What We Can Do About It

Born in 1957, Richard Florida grew up in a U.S. city rife with discrimination and riots. He writes that in 1967, 750 African Americans were injured and 1,000 jailed in his city. Racial intolerance and urban economics led Americans in many states to move to cities and suburbs with high-paying jobs and thick labour markets. Fast-forward to 2002, and Florida releases The Rise of the Creative Class, a book about how one-third of the U.S. workforce moves to places with economic development, technology, talent and racial tolerance. His latest book calls for sweeping changes to urban policy noting that the social and economic conditions in the U.S. are leading travelers to cities like Seattle.

The Weight of Shadows: A Memoir of Immigration and Displacement

José Orduña chronicles the process of becoming a U.S. citizen after 9/11. He is a Mexican immigrant who shares his experiences with a distrustful American immigration system. The Kirkus Review states, "Xenophobia is embedded in everything from (his) interactions with immigration officials to the many other procedures immigrants must contend with." The officials want to know and catalogue his “whereabouts, purchases and behaviors." The scrutiny and mistreatment lead to Orduña's eye-opening account of an immigration process that depicts the dark side of the American dream.

Immigration Essays

Forward Magazine describes Immigration Essays as "thought-provoking meditations on family, immigration and the American Dream." Sybil Baker wrote the book after receiving a MakeWork grant to write about "Chattanooga's unheard voices." She met with refugees in Chattanooga and wrote about 'visionaries' and 'wanderers' and immigration issues. Baker is not an immigrant but she traveled through Turkey and Europe in 2015 before Syria's political upheaval led to mass migration. She writes sympathetically about refugees who flee persecution, immigrants who leave to find a better life, and wanderers, like herself.