Friday Reads -March 20, 2026

Atossa Araxia Abrahamian. The Cosmopolites: The Coming of the Global Citizen. Columbia Global Reports, 2015

Edward Alden. The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration, and Security Since 9/11. Harper Perennial, 2009.
I’ve been a fan of Ted’s level-headed, constructing writing and insights for quite some time. He grounds his work on immigration in broader research and thinking on American competitiveness and the perspectives of American workers.

Edward Alden and Laurie Trautman. When the World Closed Its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders. Oxford University Press, 2025.

David Coates and Peter Siavelis, eds. Getting Immigration Right: What Every American Needs to Know. Potomac Books Inc. 2009. Includes a chapter by Yours Truly on “Changing Concepts of Citizenship and Nationality across Time and Space.”
This book compiles essays adapted from presentations at the Voices of Our Time conference on “Immigration: Recasting the Debate,” at Wake Forest University in 2007. The event brought together speakers from perspectives from across disciplines and political views. Getting your hands on the book itself may take some patience, but videos from the event are readily available.

Zeke Hernandez. The Truth about Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers. St Martin’s Press, 2024.

Nancy Hiemstra and Deirdre Conlon. Immigration Detention Inc.: The Big Business of Locking Up Migrants in America. Pluto Press (UK), 2025.

Parag Khanna. Move: The Forces Uprooting Us. Scribner, 2021.
This is a global, complex systems approach to immigration dynamics —an important perspective without which it is impossible to understand social, economic, political, and policy factors. It’s especially valuable because Parag’s writing is clear and accessible. More info HERE.

Mae Ngai. Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America. Princeton University Press, 2014.

Vivek Wadwha with Alex Salkever. The Immigrant Exodus: Why America Is Losing the Global Race to Capture Entrepreneurial Talent. Wharton Digital Press, 2012.
I met Vivek when we were both guests on a podcast about brain drain and have followed his thoughtful work closely ever since. (He recently shared some surprising research on the impact of Indian emigrants returning to India.)

Ari Zolberg. A Nation by Design: Immigration Policy in the Fashioning of America. Harvard University Press, 2008.
This is a classic text from an academic giant, a beloved scholar and mentor to so many students of immigration over many decades. I was privileged to be able to work closely with Ari at The New School, where he founded the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility and was a mentor and advisor to the Program on Citizenship and Security at the World Policy Institute.