Nativists will hate it, but no matter. Khanna makes an urgent, powerful argument for more open international borders.
A nuanced discussion of the increasing importance of free movement across the planet.
“Almost no Western democracies are prepared for the new age of mass migrations,” writes Khanna, founder and managing partner of FutureMap and author of The Future Is Asian(2019) and other well-received books about global affairs. Climate change will force the evacuation of large portions of, for instance, the Indian subcontinent, and millions of people from that large region will move to places like Kazakhstan and other nations of Central Asia that may be relatively both more hospitable to agriculture and underpopulated. Realignments are likely to be regional. Residents of sweltering parts of western China will find themselves living in Russia (where, Khanna notes, Chinese settlers are already flocking to the southern shores of Lake Baikal), while residents of embattled Central American nations may bypass the U.S. for Canada, where increasing amounts of arable land are opening up thanks to the warming of the Arctic. These movements trend to the north, and while the countries most capable of receiving large numbers of migrants, particularly Canada and Russia, will meet them differently, Khanna argues that the north and its aging populace can use a shot of fresh energy. “Remember there is no zero-sum competition between local and foreign workers: A greater influx of labor itself stimulates the economy and creates greater demand for labor,” he writes. Khanna’s book is rich in implication: Air conditioning may have a deleterious effect on the environment, but it can be done better and more efficiently, allowing people to remain in places such as Abu Dhabi and Singapore. Regardless, he writes, we need to think our way toward “Civilization 3.0,” in which seasonal movement is possible, nations spend money on water desalinization and clean energy, and the vagaries of human geography are more nimbly taken into account.
Nativists will hate it, but no matter. Khanna makes an urgent, powerful argument for more open international borders.Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-982168-97-1
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.
Documenting perilous times.
In his most recent behind-the-scenes account of political power and how it is wielded, Woodward synthesizes several narrative strands, from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel to the 2024 presidential campaign. Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.”
An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668052273
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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PERSPECTIVES
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
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