An impassioned defence of global immigration from the acclaimed author of Maximum City. Drawing
on his family's own experience emigrating from India to Britain and America and years of
reporting around the world Suketu Mehta subjects the worldwide anti-immigrant backlash to
withering scrutiny. The West he argues is being destroyed not by immigrants but by the fear
of immigrants. He juxtaposes the phony narratives of populist ideologues with the ordinary
heroism of labourers nannies and others from Dubai to New York and explains why more people
are on the move today than ever before. As civil strife and climate change reshape large parts
of the planet it is little surprise that borders have become so porous. This Land is Our Land
also stresses the destructive legacies of colonialism and global inequality on large swathes of
the world. When today's immigrants are asked 'Why are you here?' they can justly respond 'We
are here because you were there.' And now that they are here as Mehta demonstrates immigrants
bring great benefits enabling countries and communities to flourish. Impassioned rigorous
and richly stocked with memorable stories and characters This Land Is Our Land is a timely and
necessary intervention and literary polemic of the highest order.
