Good Read
April 2022

The Naked Don't Fear the Water

Matthieu Aikins

In The Naked Don’t Fear the Water, Matthieu Aikins recounts his experience traveling undercover with his Afghan friend, Omar, who hopes to resettle as a refugee in Europe. They journey on the smuggler’s road, buying passage through deserts, mountains and over the sea, and living in refugee camps and other makeshift communities along the way. As the narrative unfolds, ethical lines become murky. The borders, laws and systems that exist seem less solid, and the empathy one experiences for Omar and companions is an opportunity to exercise moral imagination, asking fundamental questions about what it means to be human. The migration crisis has only intensified since Omar and Matthieu set out in 2015. Reading their story is an opportunity to consider how a commitment to flourishing intersects with this politicized crisis.

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