04/01/2020
Following the inception of a sedentary world philosophy that arose in the 18th century, Shah's book tracks how this worldview served to inform future movements from eugenics to anti-immigration policies to conservationism. However, Shah shows that, owing to recent scientific findings and advances in technology, this worldview is increasingly being called into question. Rather, it is becoming clearer that migration and movement are vastly more important, all-encompassing, and central to the lives of all living beings on Earth than previously known. The conclusions and assumptions that this change of focus presents may serve to redefine many types of current movements as well as historical and current events. Meticulously researched, yet highly readable, this work presents a nuanced counterargument to the idea of a static world where each being belongs to a certain place. Instead, using examples from insects to plants to humans, migration is considered a phenomenon that has been and will continue to be practiced by all earthly beings VERDICT. An interesting read that deals with a topic that is current and important to all. It will present a thoughtful challenge to many readers.—Laura Hiatt, Fort Collins, CO
★ 2020-03-19
Science journalist Shah looks at the biology and human ecology of migration, a topic overladen these days with all sorts of political shadings.
The child of Indian immigrants, Shah—author of the excellent and ever more timely bookPandemic(2016)—returns with an incisive examination of migration, which she considers a phenomenon both biological and cultural. Many bird species, for example, travel great distances in annual migrations, and a delicate butterfly species with which the author opens her narrative exhibits “a consistent pattern of movement across half of North America.” We have been taught to view such movement as potentially perilous: Invading species arrive, we think, and immediately disturb pristine ecosystems. Even Shah admits that “the idea of migration as a disruptive force has fueled my own work as a journalist.” Yet nothing could be more natural than animals moving in response to changes in environmental conditions. As the author shows, only a tiny fraction of relocated species displace others, an act that is consistent with Darwinian theories of natural selection. “Condemning newcomers as inevitably disruptive,” she writes, pointedly, “blames them for all transgressions committed by 1 percent or less of their members.” When it comes to humans, she writes, the topic becomes more fraught. In a time when humans are increasingly on the move, whether because of political or economic displacement or because their homes are becoming uninhabitable thanks to climate change, politicians such as Donald Trump are using the tiny number of problem-makers, real or potential, to keep the vast majority of law-abiding would-be citizens from making their homes in new lands. This ignores millennia of human movement from one place to the next. Even though “over the long history of life on earth, [migration’s] benefits have outweighed its costs,” nationalists still create xenophobic, incoherent policies, agreeing only that strangers are to be despised.
A scientifically sophisticated, well-considered contribution to the literature of movement and environmental change. (b/w maps)
Shah [tackles] with compassion and insight a deeply complex and challenging subject . . . Shah effectively shows that understanding human migration is fundamentally an intersectional problem, incorporating race, ethnicity, religion, gender, class, economic inequality, politics, nationalism, colonialism and health, not to mention genetics, evolution, ecology, geography, climate, climate change and even plate tectonics . . . her work addresses issues of fundamental importance to the survival and well-being of us all.” —New York Times Book Review
“Shah offers a refreshing and crucially humane counterargument to the idea that migration spells societal catastrophe. Interweaving the human history of movement with parables from nature, she reframes migration not as an exception in an otherwise static world but instead as a biological and cultural norm—and one that should be embraced, not feared . . . a provocative invitation to imagine the inevitable migration of the future as an opportunity, rather than a threat.” —Washington Post
“Rich with eclectic research and on-the-ground reporting, Sonia Shah's book presents us with a dazzlingly original picture of our relentlessly mobile species. At a moment when migrants face walls of hatred, this is a story threaded with joy and inspiration.” —Naomi Klein, author of ON FIRE: THE BURNING CASE FOR A GREEN NEW DEAL
“The persistent differences between peoples—cultural, philosophical and physical—have made migration a perennially contentious matter, something Ms. Shah seeks to address with science, not sentiment . . . thoughtful and eloquent.” —Wall Street Journal
“[Shah's] book is a reminder that a more thoughtful approach to the beautiful, increasing movement of sentient beings is indeed close to our realm of possibility.” —Boston Globe
“A thoughtful and thought-provoking defense of migration.” —Science
“Countering the perception that today's human and nonhuman migrations represent a global crisis, this engrossing book draws on history, interviews, and a wide range of scientific research to show that migration is 'an unexceptional ongoing reality.'” —The New Yorker
“A masterful survey of migration in both nature and humanity, countering some long-held misconceptions…a valuable treatise on how humanity can 'reclaim our history of migration' and adopt a more pan-global perspective.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“An incisive examination of migration, which she considers a phenomenon both biological and cultural…A scientifically sophisticated, well-considered contribution to the literature of movement and environmental change.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Illuminating . . . This work's beguiling synergy of science, history, and contemporary politics is impressive enough, but it is this intuitive author's captivating narration that makes this such a bracingly intelligent and important title.” —Booklist (starred review)
“Sonia Shah's scientific and literary prowess can be felt in the way she dissects xenophobia as a crude immune response . . . It's a nuanced idea with exacting detail that still maintains the pacing of a bullet train. . . . Readers initially drawn to her in-depth and meditative look at the nature of migration will stay for her storytelling.” —Washington Independent Review of Books
“Shah convincingly argues that politicians against immigration distort and misuse data to create unnecessary and cruel barriers, [and that] we must face the inevitable: our social, political and ecological world is changing substantially. The altered communities that result won't just be different, they'll often be better adapted to thrive in our warming world.” —Emma Marris, NATURE
“An ambitious work of journalism that argues migration has played a vital role in our planet's history . . . Shah makes her case by moving nimbly between scientific history, scenes from her travels with ecologists, and occasional stories from refugees around the world . . . Shah has done a remarkable job, distilling complex ideas from a variety of disciplines into concise and elegant prose. She has a knack for summing up a big idea in a punchy sentence, but she also knows how to linger on a lovely scene, transporting the reader from the jungles of Hawaii to the Himalayan foothills.” —Outside Magazine
“Arresting . . . Shah's voluminous research shows that living things have been on the move for millennia, often improving the places where they land . . . a terrific work of science journalism and a valuable corrective to the latest wave of immigration hysteria sweeping Western nations.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“A level exploration of why migration has historically been viewed as dangerous, destructive and even unnatural, and how more recent data reveal movement as a natural part of life.” —Discover Magazine, “5 Great Science Books to Read Right Now”
“Humans have always been a migratory species, and so are most other animals. In this striking look at a planet on the move, Sonia Shah provides a bold new way of looking at the ecological and political turbulence of our time—a vision that is as full of hope as it is of understanding.” —Charles Mann, New York Times bestselling author of 1491
“In vivid detail, The Next Great Migration unfolds a conception of the relationship between life and place characterized by dynamic, almost continuous, processes of change. At once stunning in scope and intimate in its narrative unfolding, The Next Great Migration is a beacon for all those who strive to envision a future affected by climate change—a future in which migration is not a crisis but a solution.” —Anna J. Secor, Durham University Professor of Geography and editor, CULTURAL GEOGRAPHIES
“Shah argues that migration is an inescapable part of life on earth and also represents our best shot at saving lives and diverse ecosystems as the world heats up.” —Grist, “Who belongs where? A new way to think about migration”
“Science journalist Sonia Shah . . . describes the obstacles faced by migrants throughout the world—Africans fleeing famine and crossing the Mediterranean into Europe; Tibetans navigating the Himalayas to escape Chinese persecution—and imagines how continued migration will shape the future.” —Publishers Weekly, Earth Day Feature
“Meticulously researched, yet highly readable, this work presents a nuanced counterargument to the idea of a static world where each being belongs to a certain place . . . An interesting read that deals with a topic that is current and important to all. It will present a thoughtful challenge to many readers.” —Library Journal
“A sweeping story of plants and animals and humans and how they move across the planet.” —Shondaland
“A sweeping, vast look at us: where we've been, where we went, when we left, and how we got to where we are.” —Bookworm Sez
