A timely, eye-opening study.
The disconnect between U.S. asylum policies and the reality of women fleeing gender-based violence.
Cleaveland, a social worker who since 2015 has been involved in assessing claims of asylum seekers, and Waslin, whose research focuses on asylum and immigration policy, make a compelling debut with this detailed analysis of the experiences of 46 women from Central America and Mexico seeking asylum in the U.S. The authors draw on interviews with the women and immigration attorneys, as well as the “pro bono psychosocial assessments” they have provided, at attorneys’ request, “to document asylum seekers’ credibility and to ascertain the impact of trauma.” Their observations of closed court proceedings and redacted asylum decisions contribute to a dismaying picture of the women’s plights both in their countries of origin and in the U.S. government’s “adversarial judicial process.” That process, the authors assert, “is informed by restrictive policies and the assumed ascription of illegality,” which became even more draconian under the Trump administration. Criteria for granting asylum, the authors reveal, were created for victims of political persecution, not for survivors of so-called private violence. Gender-based violence perpetrated by domestic partners or gangs is the reason for these women’s plea for asylum: beatings, rape, murder of family members, threats with weapons, incest, and child kidnapping. “Private violence,” the authors argue, is a misnomer for violence rooted in public factors: Political violence and the drug war exacerbate conditions for gender-based violence in countries where machismo culture normalizes women’s subjugation. Lacking educational and job opportunities and community support, these women feel they have no choice but to flee. After surrendering to border patrol agents, they are sent to demeaning detention centers and over several years undergo repeated hostile interviews to determine whether they have been traumatized enough to warrant asylum. Their harrowing stories amply support the authors’ persuasive argument in favor of systemic, humane immigration policy reform.
A timely, eye-opening study.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781479824335
Page Count: 288
Publisher: New York Univ.
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change.
Artist and activist Vaid-Menon demonstrates how the normativity of the gender binary represses creativity and inflicts physical and emotional violence.
The author, whose parents emigrated from India, writes about how enforcement of the gender binary begins before birth and affects people in all stages of life, with people of color being especially vulnerable due to Western conceptions of gender as binary. Gender assignments create a narrative for how a person should behave, what they are allowed to like or wear, and how they express themself. Punishment of nonconformity leads to an inseparable link between gender and shame. Vaid-Menon challenges familiar arguments against gender nonconformity, breaking them down into four categories—dismissal, inconvenience, biology, and the slippery slope (fear of the consequences of acceptance). Headers in bold font create an accessible navigation experience from one analysis to the next. The prose maintains a conversational tone that feels as intimate and vulnerable as talking with a best friend. At the same time, the author's turns of phrase in moments of deep insight ring with precision and poetry. In one reflection, they write, “the most lethal part of the human body is not the fist; it is the eye. What people see and how people see it has everything to do with power.” While this short essay speaks honestly of pain and injustice, it concludes with encouragement and an invitation into a future that celebrates transformation.
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change. (writing prompt) (Nonfiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09465-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
A sharp, entertaining view of the news media from one of its star players.
The veteran newscaster reflects on her triumphs and hardships, both professional and private.
In this eagerly anticipated memoir, Couric (b. 1957) transforms the events of her long, illustrious career into an immensely readable story—a legacy-preserving exercise, for sure, yet judiciously polished and insightful, several notches above the fray of typical celebrity memoirs. The narrative unfolds through a series of lean chapters as she recounts the many career ascendency steps that led to her massively successful run on the Today Show and comparably disappointing stints as CBS Evening News anchor, talk show host, and Yahoo’s Global News Anchor. On the personal front, the author is candid in her recollections about her midlife adventures in the dating scene and deeply sorrowful and affecting regarding the experience of losing her husband to colon cancer as well as the deaths of other beloved family members, including her sister and parents. Throughout, Couric maintains a sharp yet cool-headed perspective on the broadcast news industry and its many outsized personalities and even how her celebrated role has diminished in recent years. “It’s AN ADJUSTMENT when the white-hot spotlight moves on,” she writes. “The ego gratification of being the It girl is intoxicating (toxic being the root of the word). When that starts to fade, it takes some getting used to—at least it did for me.” Readers who can recall when network news coverage and morning shows were not only relevant, but powerfully influential forces will be particularly drawn to Couric’s insights as she tracks how the media has evolved over recent decades and reflects on the negative effects of the increasing shift away from reliable sources of informed news coverage. The author also discusses recent important cultural and social revolutions, casting light on issues of race and sexual orientation, sexism, and the predatory behavior that led to the #MeToo movement. In that vein, she expresses her disillusionment with former co-host and friend Matt Lauer.
A sharp, entertaining view of the news media from one of its star players.Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-316-53586-1
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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