This book will be different things to different people. What for me as a casual reader was a 3-star experience would probably be an indispensable 5-star for a student. It claims to be an evidence-based primer, and it meets that aim in the sense of providing a top level overview of research, with excellent references and bibliography at the back of the book. If you were a student writing an assignment, this book would be invaluable. However, as a textbook explaining terminology and schools of thought, it is not clear enough for someone who knows little about the subject. Perhaps there are other standard texts that do that job and do not need replacing.

However, for me as a non-academic reader looking for the story of how immigrants are treated, Immigrant Realities didn’t meet my (perhaps unrealistic) expectations. The title made me think it would be full of grassroots anecdotes of what it feels like to be an immigrant. Given the top level approach, that was not the case. In the introduction, the authors say that their book will help the public understand the realities of immigration and debunk common but false beliefs. If that was truly their aim, then they should have written a different book. It certainly provides arguments for pro-immigration mouthpieces to refute misconceptions, but the message is rather hidden in the evidence

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a post-publication e-book as a review copy. This is my unbiased opinion after reading.

Perhaps it is inevitable in a published book, but some of the discussions lacked immediacy. There was no detailed discussion on the rather peculiar situation caused by the war in Ukraine, which had already lasted nearly two years on the date of publication; I only spotted a single sentence. Another questionable statistic from Europe was a study praising the high level of integration of immigrant in Sweden, but the study used data from 1990 to 1996; the influx of Syrian refugees in 2015 alone has made a discernible shift away from acceptance of refugees across Europe. It does, however, illustrate how a positive attitude and positive integration programmes can make all the difference to the migrant experience and the way that native populations accept migrants. This is one of the main messages of the book: immigrants are individuals deserving respect who can make a positive contribution to society without losing their own identities, as long as they are accepted and helped to adjust to their new lives in a positive way, without discrimination or expectation of complete assimilation.

The majority of the book discusses immigration into the USA, with occasional comments about European countries that often feel added in retrospect. The situation is much more complicated in the EU because each country has its own rules, in spite of the apparently open borders. Occasionally it raised my hackles, for instance when the text took something from one of the references that is not true, such as the claim that various countries, including the Netherlands (my adopted country), have banned the hijab in public places, which is not true here, though it was mooted as a possibility and rejected. The entire chapter on Brexit was a welcome break from the US-centric text, especially as it also highlights the uncertainties for EU citizens living in Britain and British citizens like my family living in the EU.

The final chapter discusses various experiences with integration around the world. I have to admit I skimmed it because it was written as such a dense listing of findings from various sources. This was an issue throughout certain sections of the book. Others felt like far more fluent narratives that were a pleasure to read. These were the chapters that finished with a conclusion section. These were also the chapters that fulfilled the book’s promise of providing “an indispensable guide for readers who want to counter false claims about immigration and are interested in what the research shows”. For me, the amount of research referenced was overwhelming and I would have preferred more synthesis.

In the final chapter, I turned the page and was shocked to find I had reached the end. There was no final conclusion, no summing up, no recommendations for best practices.This was in contrast to the excellent chapter summaries towards the beginning of the book. As a reference book, excellent. As a readable nonfiction book for the lay reader, less so.

Immigration Realities is a very useful and handy primer on the issues related to immigration. It is organized around key questions anyone who follows the news might have regarding public policy. With President Trump talking about a total shut down of the Southern Border and a mass deportation program, the questions this book addresses will be central to American life for years to come. Castañeda and Cione do an excellent job of countering key myths around immigration, showing conclusively that immigrants are not causing crime waves or breaking government budgets.

Their cool-headed approach will go a long way to help people understand the policies they might support and to advocate for them effectively.

The one criticism I have regards their focus on Mexican immigration. They seem to downplay the level of "crisis" at the Southern border by pointing out that immigration of Mexican nationals has gone down in recent years. However, in doing so they ignore the fact that the Southern border is now commonly used by immigrants from all over the world, especially Central and South America. While the numbers may be down for Mexicans, they are still at historic highs. One can agree or disagree with the idea of labeling this a crisis, but it does not good to use misleading numbers.

Immigration Realities: Challenging Common Misperceptions by Ernesto Castañeda and Carina Cione is a deeply necessary and illuminating book that cuts through the noise surrounding immigration debates. With clear and compelling evidence, the authors challenge harmful stereotypes and misinformation, offering a nuanced, human-centered perspective on a topic that’s often oversimplified or politicized.

What I loved most about this book is how it combines rigorous research with accessible storytelling. The authors don’t just present data—they ground it in real stories and historical context, making it impossible to ignore the humanity behind the numbers. It’s a refreshing approach that dismantles myths while building empathy and understanding.

This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to engage with immigration issues thoughtfully and critically. It left me better informed, inspired to advocate for more just policies, and, most importantly, reminded me of the resilience and contributions of immigrant communities. It’s an eye-opener in the best possible way.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an impartial review. Additionally, I have a personal interest in the subject matter as I have personal experience as an economic migrant and have worked with migrants, including asylum seekers and refugees, in the public, private, and charitable sectors.

This book contains extensive notes and effectively combines current research and case studies. It also highlights the scarcity of adequate research in this field and the frequent absence of high-quality research supporting government policies. This observation aligns with my personal experiences and those of the individuals I have worked with. Basically, everything you are told in the media about immigration is politically motivated.

As you would expect in a modern academic work published by a University, the language is inclusive. I'm sure this will upset those who have been told that such language is "woke", but I really appreciated it.

The only criticisms I have are that there were a couple of editing problems and the last chapter seems to be written in a different style or possibly by a different person. However, this did not detract from what is an important work on a contentious topic.

I’ve only just started reading books from NetGalley, usually my choice is audio books, but I’m so glad I have as the non fic has such a great selection. Fantastic writing conveys such a critical topic and very much needed in today’s society. A book that would easily fit into a social policy curriculum. Brilliant

This is a well researched, heavily cited treastice to the realities of Immigration in our country. Too many people are still under the impression that immigrants are the "other" and are criminals. This evidence based book focuses on research from El Paso and gracefully debunks the many myths of immigration including the claim of a "crisis." There is no better time nor reason to read this book and assist with helping your immigrant neighbors fight the wave of racism and hatred they deal with on a daily basis. #columbiapress #immigrationrealities #ernestocastaneda #carinacione

I am pro-immigration, but even I found this book too one-sided. The book never engages with opposition to immigration in order to give a rebuttal, instead it just feels like preaching to the converted. The book is poorly structured, every chapter is broken into subsections, but these are almost unrelated to each other so there is no cohesive narrative.

It also needs a better use of research, as it felt as though the authors only picked research that supported their point and ignored everything else. At times there was a reliance on anecdote and one-off extreme cases, bizarrely there's even a moment when it is suggested that border agents are involved in harvesting the organs of migrants, with flimsy evidence to support it.

The book also copies an annoying social media trend of using exaggerated and hyperbolic language, so standard features of border control are denounced as "colonialism", causing "trauma" and part of a society that "criminalizes nonwhiteness". At one point instead of saying "women", the book says "female-presenting" migrants.

If this book was given to anyone who is skeptical of immigration, they'll probably quit after the first chapter without having their mind changed. This book is only for people who already believe that immigration is a positive and that the police are racist agents of white supremacy.

Immigration Realities is a non-fiction, academic and hence evidence-based book that debunks the misconceptions, myths, lies and false discourses around migration. It is structured into chapters that each debunk a false claim or generalisation about migration with data and decent arguments.
The readability is high - those not in academia and have no prior experience or knowledge in/on the topic can read this book easily and would be able to grasp its content fully,
A much-needed book that we all need for more awareness.

This book is an absolutely perfect resource for 2024 - and any other time one is encountering thick rhetoric, exaggeration or flat-out lies about immigration. With the way that each chapter tackles a specific a specific oft-told myth and with a hefty amount of research backing it up, “Immigration Realities” is not only handy for any debates and discussions where the other side is actually willing to listen and hear evidence and good faith, but it’s also useful for all those instances where one is experiencing their own confusion and would like to an easy place to check and see what documented evidence actually has to say.