Migrants: The Story of Us All

Product Information

Migrants left a lasting impression on me. Through its engaging narrative and authentic writing, it powerfully depicts the challenges and triumphs of those who embark on the migratory journey. Sam Miller's ability to humanize the experiences of migrants is a testament to his talent as a writer. This book serves as a poignant reminder of the shared struggles and resilience that define our common humanity.

The author's writing style is both eloquent and engaging. Miller's descriptions transport the reader to various settings, from the bustling streets of a war-torn city to the treacherous paths of a refugee camp. The prose is evocative, effectively conveying the characters' emotions and immersing the reader in their world. The pacing is well-balanced, capturing both the urgency and the quiet moments of introspection that define the characters' journeys. Timely and empathetic: a rare combination on this most controversial issue' Remi Adekoya, author of Biracial Britain Tremendous: blends the personal and the panoramic to great effect' Robert Winder, author of Bloody Foreigners

You may also be interested in

Different distances on the human story allow one to tell wildly different stories. If you follow humanity through deep time, our settlement of the almost the entire planet looks very much like manifest destiny and we’ll all surely end up on Mars tomorrow. But if you trace our movements over a few dozen generations, you’ll discover that, absent force majeure, people are homebodies, moving barely a few weeks’ walking distance from their birthplaces. Migration is politically explosive because it goes far beyond simple movement. It touches the heart of who and what we are It’s a powerful thing to have the earth for your mother. This was, Athenians told each other, their heritage and their unique gift. Alone of the peoples of the ancient Aegean, wrote Plato, the children of Athens could claim to be autochthonous, earth-born, living always in one place, ‘truly dwelling in the land’. Briefs for the defence are thin on the ground. Nomads and seasonal migrants made up a majority of human beings over most of time, but literate society meant, nearly always, settled society. Today, “having a permanent home and a lifelong nationality are considered normal, as if they were part of the human condition.” On the contrary, says Miller: humankind is the migratory species par excellence, settling every continent bar Antarctica, not once, but many times over.

Alas, neither did they write. Nor did the Roma, until the 19th century; nor did the (very literate) Chinese of Victorian London. Migrants rarely find time to write, and where first-person accounts are missing, fantasy is bred. Some of it ( Asterix) is charming, some of it ( Fu Manchu) is anything but. Miller thinks that humans naturally emigrate, and our unease about this is the result of pastoralism, cities, and other historical accidents.Starting this I was a little worried that it might be one of those books that basically just glorifies traveling and the stupid upper-class liberal belief that everyone needs to "see the world." Being a big advocate for localization and simple living I just have no patience for that idea at this point. Fortunately, though Sam Miller is sort of into a lot of the same things I am and therefore puts a little more of a radical spin on the topic than the typical travelogue. Migrants: The Story of us all by Sam Miller is an insightful and thought-provoking book that delves into the history of human migration. The author explores the concept of migration from its earliest origins to the present day, highlighting the role it has played in shaping our societies and cultures. While I personally haven’t read up much on the world history of migration, I can say that I have read about what the author has to say in India’s context. The author does write that the arguments of the Aryan Invasionists and migrationists were pretty flimsy, and even recognises the theories of the two extremes. But then the author gives merit to Tony Joseph and his 2018 work Early Indians which basically claims AIT/AMT. Whereas many historians such as Abhijeet Chawda have debunked Joseph’s book and his so called research. Chawda wrote a rebuttal, arguing that the peer review process is flawed and that it being published in a oeer reviewed journal does not automatically endow a research paper with credibility , Josephs research is based misrepresenting the datings on the expansions. So I would not take this part of the book by Miller too seriously.