What We Are Reading Today: The Naked Don’t Fear the Water by Matthieu Aikins

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Updated 27 February 2022
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What We Are Reading Today: The Naked Don’t Fear the Water by Matthieu Aikins

In this extraordinary book, an acclaimed young war reporter — Matthieu Aikins —chronicles a dangerous journey on the smuggler’s road to Europe, accompanying his friend, an Afghan refugee, in search of a better future.

This is a well-written memoir by an accomplished journalist, which tells the story of migration at a very personal level.

“Harrowing yet hopeful, this exceptional work brings into sharp focus one of the most contentious issues of our times,” said a review on Goodreads.com

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,” said the review.

The book reads like an epic in its scope, spanning a journey across vast distances to reach safety, freedom — and slips into a narrative voice both unique and quick to read.

“The story at times seemed fictional because of the drama and suspense. It is a real life version of the novel American Dirt but in a very different part of the world,” said the review.


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Island in the Net’ by Steffen Kohn

Updated 56 sec ago
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘Island in the Net’ by Steffen Kohn

Until just a few years ago, Cuba was one of the least-connected countries in the world. But as digital technology has become increasingly available, Cubans have found inventive ways to work around such remaining barriers as slow speeds, high costs, and inadequate infrastructure.

In “Island in the Net,” Steffen Kohn examines Cuba’s nascent digital culture and how it has reconfigured the relationship between the state and its citizens.

Each chapter is accompanied by a multimodal anthropology work: a video game, interactive installations, video art, and an ethnographic documentary.