The Naked Don't Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees
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- Create Date：2022-02-21 10:51:32
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Matthieu Aikins
- ISBN：0063237415
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Summary
In this extraordinary book， an acclaimed young war reporter chronicles a dangerous journey on the smuggler's road to Europe， accompanying his friend， an Afghan refugee， in search of a better future。
In 2016， a young Afghan driver and translator named Omar makes the heart-wrenching choice to flee his war-torn country， saying goodbye to Laila， the love of his life， without knowing when they might be reunited again。 He is one of millions of refugees who leave their homes that year。
Matthieu Aikins， a journalist living in Kabul， decides to follow his friend。 In order to do so， he must leave his own passport and identity behind to go underground on the refugee trail with Omar。 Their odyssey across land and sea from Afghanistan to Europe brings them face to face with the people at heart of the migration crisis: smugglers， cops， activists， and the men， women and children fleeing war in search of a better life。 As setbacks and dangers mount for the two friends， Matthieu is also drawn into the escape plans of Omar's entire family， including Maryam， the matriarch who has fought ferociously for her children's survival。
Harrowing yet hopeful， this exceptional work brings into sharp focus one of the most contentious issues of our times。 The Naked Don't Fear the Water is a tale of love and friendship across borders， and an inquiry into our shared journey in a divided world。
In 2016， a young Afghan driver and translator named Omar makes the heart-wrenching choice to flee his war-torn country， saying goodbye to Laila， the love of his life， without knowing when they might be reunited again。 He is one of millions of refugees who leave their homes that year。
Matthieu Aikins， a journalist living in Kabul， decides to follow his friend。 In order to do so， he must leave his own passport and identity behind to go underground on the refugee trail with Omar。 Their odyssey across land and sea from Afghanistan to Europe brings them face to face with the people at heart of the migration crisis: smugglers， cops， activists， and the men， women and children fleeing war in search of a better life。 As setbacks and dangers mount for the two friends， Matthieu is also drawn into the escape plans of Omar's entire family， including Maryam， the matriarch who has fought ferociously for her children's survival。
Harrowing yet hopeful， this exceptional work brings into sharp focus one of the most contentious issues of our times。 The Naked Don't Fear the Water is a tale of love and friendship across borders， and an inquiry into our shared journey in a divided world。
Reviews
Rebekah
，
I received an ARC via a giveawayThe Naked Don't Fear the Water is at once hopeful and heartbreaking， highlighting the very real very harrowing reality that Afghan refugees face and the lengths people will go to to help their friends and loved ones。The book reads like an epic in its scope， spanning a journey across vast distances to reach safety， freedom--and slips into a narrative voice both unique and quick to read。 I received an ARC via a giveawayThe Naked Don't Fear the Water is at once hopeful and heartbreaking， highlighting the very real very harrowing reality that Afghan refugees face and the lengths people will go to to help their friends and loved ones。The book reads like an epic in its scope， spanning a journey across vast distances to reach safety， freedom--and slips into a narrative voice both unique and quick to read。 。。。more
Paul
，
The Naked Don’t Fear the Water， by @mattaikins — This is a feat of journalism and commitment to ‘the story’ that takes you inside “the game” - migration from a war-torn country like Afghanistan， through to Europe。 The Halifax-born author - a Middle East correspondent since ~2008， whose story-telling and reporting has taken us inside some of the darkest days of the war and Taliban re-emergence - goes undercover as a migrant alongside his friend and former fixer， “Omar”。 Journeying on unseaworthy The Naked Don’t Fear the Water， by @mattaikins — This is a feat of journalism and commitment to ‘the story’ that takes you inside “the game” - migration from a war-torn country like Afghanistan， through to Europe。 The Halifax-born author - a Middle East correspondent since ~2008， whose story-telling and reporting has taken us inside some of the darkest days of the war and Taliban re-emergence - goes undercover as a migrant alongside his friend and former fixer， “Omar”。 Journeying on unseaworthy boats， detained in migrant camps， skirting borders and border guards， passing through countries just before， or after， borders closed and agreements shifted the geopolitics， Aikins is at the centre of events as the world shifts around him。 It’s at once a great adventure， while at the same time a series of unending tragedies for those who are trying - only sometimes succeeding - in making the journey（s）。 He meets seedy smugglers， unaccompanied minors in transit， anarchists and bureaucrats， well-meaning aid workers， and everyone in between。 If you haven’t followed his work - such as the reporting in the New York Times which eventually forced the Pentagon to admit it had wrongly bombed civilians in mid-2021， or his epic Inside the Fall of Kabul piece in the NYT in December 2021 （see comments for link）， you should。 #52in22 #amreading #matthieuaikins #thenakeddontfearthewater #iom @unmigration 。。。more
Theliterarybelle
，
rating: ★★★★/5The naked don’t fear the water， is a recall of the hardships and the story of immigrants。 At its core it’s about love， pain and most of hope。 I adored How each person in this biographical memoir is faced with their own unique set of challenges， yet they are somehow intertwined with one another。 I couldn’t help but find myself impressed by the extensive information and research presented by the author throughout this novel。 Furthermore， one of the many things that really stood out rating: ★★★★/5The naked don’t fear the water， is a recall of the hardships and the story of immigrants。 At its core it’s about love， pain and most of hope。 I adored How each person in this biographical memoir is faced with their own unique set of challenges， yet they are somehow intertwined with one another。 I couldn’t help but find myself impressed by the extensive information and research presented by the author throughout this novel。 Furthermore， one of the many things that really stood out to me- was the ability of the writer to convey the story of Omar & other immigrants hardships without glorifying the violence， or depicts them in need of a “saviour” complex。 I truly applaud Aikins for his execution of such a delicate situation。 Additionally， I found it interesting to read about the dynamic between the different ethic refugees and how their treatment varied。 Depending on where they originated from and how that accoladed to their ability to be faced with deportation or be given stay。The naked don’t fear the water; is devastating。 There is no doubt about that。 however， what it is also; is a reflection of people， and how many people share the same reality as Omar。 From being in a war torn country， to being stranded at the border and everything else in between。 Personally， I’m certain their is aspects of this that every person of colour can relate to。 Particularly， how society views POC and especially those who are immigrants。 Quotes I adored:“For the first time in my life I had an inkling to what the border meant to so many others: a wall between you and someone you loved”“But in truth， we can’t leave ourselves behind， we only get one story”“For what else is life’s journey but a search for our beloved？”“What to say？ The single story cannot contain a whole life”Massive thank you to the lovely folks @fitz for an advance readers copy; you can find a copy of the naked don’t fear the water from today’s onwards！！ I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Carlton
，
The well told story of an individual Afghan refugee’s journey to Europe helps illuminate the dilemma of the macro refugee “problem”。Nothing is intolerable until an alternative exists， even as a dream。 （Page 52）This is Canadian/American journalist Matthieu Aikins’ human story of Afghan refugees， as represented by “Omar” and his family， with journalistic asides， such as During that decade [1980’s]， more than six million people would flee across the border to Iran and Pakistan， forming the largest The well told story of an individual Afghan refugee’s journey to Europe helps illuminate the dilemma of the macro refugee “problem”。Nothing is intolerable until an alternative exists， even as a dream。 （Page 52）This is Canadian/American journalist Matthieu Aikins’ human story of Afghan refugees， as represented by “Omar” and his family， with journalistic asides， such as During that decade [1980’s]， more than six million people would flee across the border to Iran and Pakistan， forming the largest group of refugees in the world， a distinction Afghans would hold for the next thirty years。 （Page 64）， the start of a mini-essay about refugees and their treatment from the Second World War onwards。There is a tension between us reading of Omar’s refugee journey as reported by Aikins in well written， well researched prose， and Aikins’ privileged position as a western journalist， voluntarily “embedding” himself with Omar for parts of the journey。There is also the unanswered question as to why Aikins is so “obsessed” with reporting on Omar’s journey in particular。 They have become friends， but from a journalist’s employer/employee relationship， with Aikins using Omar’s local knowledge， connections and language skills to put both of them in dangerous situations。 For Aikins this allows him to pursue his vocation， to write his articles for The New York Times etc。 For Omar， this allows him to earn a living and support his family。But Aikins is conscious of this， making the difference between his and Omar’s positions clear on multiple occasions throughout the book; Aikins might be making the same physical journey as Omar， but he always knows that he is probably only a phone call away from returning to his life in the West， inside the “fortress”。This first section of the book （The War） skilfully tells Aikins’ and Omar’s back stories， and the emigration of Omar’s family from Afghanistan （having already been refugees in Iran when Omar was born）。 Omar’s mother and his remaining siblings in Afghanistan have sufficient dollars in 2016 to fly to Istanbul on a tourist visa （from where they hope to be able to travel to Europe as refugees）。 They then also find sufficient funds for Omar’s estranged father to fly to Istanbul with a visa。 However Omar has insufficient funds for the flight （although I was confused about this， as it was unclear following the sale of Omar’s car that this was the case）。 So in the second part （The Road）， Omar， his friend， Malik， and Aikins start the overland refugee journey by taking a bus in Afghanistan to Zaranj。 At this point， Omar is reluctant to travel onwards through Pakistan， as he had thought they would be able to travel to Iran directly （and Iran having a border with Turkey）， but Aikins doesn’t have this nervousness， noting that:Something had switched off， the emotion recording apparatus， as Robert Graves called it。 （Page 118， with Aikins using infrequent but apposite ， mainly literary quotes throughout the book， Hannah Arendt， Kapka Kassabova， Steinbeck， Orwell。 This may allow the reader to distance themselves from Aikins and Omar， but deepened the text for me）。But Zaranj is a false start， as Omar is too nervous to proceed， so they all return to Kabul， agreeing for Omar and Malik to fly to Iran and then journey to Istanbul （so avoiding Pakistan）。 As Aikins would have an escort in Iran （as a westerner）， he flies to Istanbul， but is deported as a threat to national security， presumably as a journalist （he doesn’t know why）。 Wanting to meet up with Omar in Istanbul， Aikins therefore journeys in reverse from Bulgaria to Turkey， illegally。I’d already apologised to Omar for how I had acted in Nimroz。 I was treating this trip like another assignment where I was in charge。 But if I was going to follow Omar as a journalist， which was my justification for going undercover， then I had to let him make his own decisions。 Yet I could hardly be objective when it came to my friend， especially when both of our lives were on the line。 （Page 125）。 Not sure about this final protestation of caution， as Aikins has said that he wanted to go on at Zaranj。In the third section （The Camp）， Aikins meets up with Omar in Istanbul， and Omar decides to journey to Europe by trying to get a boat with people smugglers to one of the Greek islands where he can claim refugee status （Omar had worked as a translator for the western military forces before working for Aikins）。 Although not wanting to go to Lesbos， where there had recently been a fire at the Moria refugee camp， this is where they end up。 Aikins again skilfully provides relevant background on the camps， before recording his and Omar’s story。 This was 2016 “And the mood on the islands was changing。 The people in their houses， as Steinbeck once wrote， felt pity at first， and then distaste， and finally hatred for the migrant people。” （Page 243）Having paid a refugee smuggler for fake papers （Lithuanian） and a plane ticket， Omar flies to Athens， although the Afghans who try to travel on the next flight are arrested and returned to the Moria camp。 Aikins has decided not to travel on fake papers， as it would be a criminal offence， and so a friend brings his passport to him on Lesbos， so that he can fly legally。 Aikins’ meets up with Omar in Athens after a few days of illness and in the final section （The City） tellingly records Omar’s initial impressions of down-at-heel Athens， with the squalor of its drug dealers， junkies and prostitutes shocking him。 They then move to an anarchist squat in Exarchia （in the “autonomous zone”）， where friends Aikins had met as a journalist are now living。 After visiting the port of Patras and deciding that trying to secrete himself under a lorry or in a transport container is too dangerous， Omar tries to travel as a foot passenger using his fake Lithuanian passport， but is “made” by a border guard as he is unable to understand Russian （which a Lithuanian would）。 They return to Athens before Omar pays people smugglers for another fake passport and flight to Switzerland， and onwards。An engaging and thoughtful book。 Although written by an outsider （journalist） and so subject to the criticism levelled at other books of reportage such as The Road to Wigan Pier （referenced in the book， page 247）， the book aspires “rather than sympathy， appealing to intellectual honesty， “You cannot disregard them if you accept the civilisation that produced them。””Four and a half stars， rounded up。 。。。more
Ron Frampton
，
A heart warming tale of the hidden underground world of refugees。
Geoffrey
，
（Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this work courtesy of NetGalley）The premise of The Naked Don’t Fear the Water - a Canadian reporter disguising himself as a refugee in order to accompany his Afghani translator friend all the way to Europe - sounds like a succinct summary of a gripping novel。 Although it’s very much a memoir of a true epic multi-country journey that Matthieu Aikins took， it definitely reads like a piece of well-crafted fiction at times。 Aikins’ writing brought to life （Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this work courtesy of NetGalley）The premise of The Naked Don’t Fear the Water - a Canadian reporter disguising himself as a refugee in order to accompany his Afghani translator friend all the way to Europe - sounds like a succinct summary of a gripping novel。 Although it’s very much a memoir of a true epic multi-country journey that Matthieu Aikins took， it definitely reads like a piece of well-crafted fiction at times。 Aikins’ writing brought to life everything from nerve-wracking border crossings to the moments of much-needed hope with a spectacular vividness that made this work difficult to take a break from。 Besides recounting his tale of walking in the shoes of millions of displaced persons， Aikins also imparts a great deal of information on the current refugee crisis。 Along with the general challenges of being a refugee that the author personally experienced， he also covered numerous related topics including the former traditional idea of refugee based largely upon Cold War politics， and explanations of the various treaties that wealthy nations use with less-developed ones to essentially serve as buffer states to curtail migration by those forced from their homes by war， poverty and climate change。 To be honest， the scale of this book’s hearty educational punch completely surprised me in the best way imaginable。 Despite having read several books related to refugees in the current day， “The Naked Don’t Fear the Water” filled in several knowledge gaps that I wasn’t even aware that I had。 Overall， I immensely appreciate Aikins’ willingness to undertake such a journey alongside his friend and sustain it through， despite all the exits that the author’s privilege gave him along the way。 The end result， The Naked Don’t Fear the Water， is a work that’s not only enthralling and eye-opening， but incredibly relevant in a way that will most definitely not fade anytime in the foreseeable future。 。。。more
Andi
，
I enjoyed this book so much。 Aikins is a great storyteller， with visual and sensory details that put you right in the environment。 He connects with Afghan people and shares their lives with us as they navigate the hardest years of the past decade。 I learned so much about their history and culture， as well as about my own American history and culture。 Highly recommended， enjoyable and enlightening read。
Dawn
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Exceptionally well written this book is fascinating from start to finish！
Sarah
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