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Reviews
The Naked Don't Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees by Matthieu Aikins
zoebza's review against another edition
4.75
I read this one slowly and felt so much appreciation for the story along the way. While I initially questioned the ethics of the author posing as a refuge for a story I quickly realised his angle was part of what made this book specific. He wove in cultural and political context throughout and wrote the story from a slightly more removed perspective - while it was still emotional, it had a self aware outsiders tone and for the most part it didn’t feel like he was speaking on behalf of anyone else. Aikins kept me focused with skilful tangents, getting attached to moments in strangers lives and making me aware of all these individuals that our world is made up of, many of which are purposefully lost in numbers or labels by governments wishing to detach us from their struggles resulted by global politics.
teddytr19's review
5.0
“You cannot disregard them if you accept the civilization that produced them.”
The best account of undercover/investigative journalism I have ever encountered.
The best account of undercover/investigative journalism I have ever encountered.
sharkybookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
2016, Omar, a young Afghan translator and driver decides to flee to Europe as an illegal refugee; Aikins, a Canadian journalist in Kabul goes underground to accompany his friend on the treacherous journey…
This is an eye-opening account of not only a perilous journey to Europe, but also the resilience demanded of refugees and asylum seekers in the face of setback after setback. It introduces some of the many questionable characters involved, the calculations migrants must make over how willing they are to take ever-changing risks and the desperation that can drive their decisions.
Despite the tough topic, it was actually a pleasure to read, which very much comes down to the writing and how Aikins tells the story. His excellent mastery of tangents manages to maintain the story’s flow whilst also providing a decent amount of background information on regional geopolitics and other relevant information - this keeps the book accessible (and is also interesting).
Normally I have little patience for authors who insert their own story into their non-fiction, but here it mostly provides context and Aikins is clearly self-aware enough of his own privilege that there isn’t the remotest whiff of self-indulgence. My only quibble is his attitude to Omar’s declared love for Laila, which he does approach with a rather condescending Western mindset.
The last part felt weaker - not sure if he ended up doing drugs with the anarchists, but some of the tangents felt a little odd and out of place relative to the rest of the book.
An excellent, enlightening and heart-wrenching account of the appallingly treacherous journey to Europe for refugees from Afghanistan, full of explanatory tangents and hard to put down.