The Naked Don't Fear the Water: A Journey Through the Refugee Underground
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- Create Date：2022-03-21 09:51:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Matthieu Aikins
- ISBN：1913097854
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Summary
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。
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
Lynetta
，
I appreciated a true account of Afghan refugee travel。 Brings a new and enlightening understanding to the complex issue of immigration。
Michele
，
Hard to believe this is the world we live in！
A。 Breton
，
This is worth the read。 It is an eyeopener to what is happening to refugees and how hard it is to move from one place to another if you don’t have the proper status in the world。 Unfortunately it is the Western world that dictates this and shuts out the rest。 Matthieu Aikins created a wonderful account of how our world is not as welcoming as it would seem。
David George
，
4。2Great journey of human desire for a good life
Kamila
，
I also recommend reading Transit by Anna Seghers， published in 1942 about WWII era refugees。 And the New Yorker article "The Secretive Prisons That Keep Migrants Out of Europe，" https://www。newyorker。com/magazine/20。。。。 Excerpts: "In 1989， there were only fifteen borders that were fortified with walls or fences in the world; by 2016， there were almost seventy， with more planned or under construction。 Especially since the attacks of 9/11， these walls have been built in the name of security， and I also recommend reading Transit by Anna Seghers， published in 1942 about WWII era refugees。 And the New Yorker article "The Secretive Prisons That Keep Migrants Out of Europe，" https://www。newyorker。com/magazine/20。。。。 Excerpts: "In 1989， there were only fifteen borders that were fortified with walls or fences in the world; by 2016， there were almost seventy， with more planned or under construction。 Especially since the attacks of 9/11， these walls have been built in the name of security， and yet in practice they trace the line between rich and poor。" （p。 108） "When I saw poverty and war for the first time on that trip， I was struck with grief for the suffering of others， but only later did I see that I pitied myself， too， for living in such a world。" （p。 114）"The queues have agency and they establish something: any person in the prison who behaves in a more despicable and brutish manner has a more comfortable lifestyle。" （p。 183） Afghanistan， Algeria， Bangladesh， Burkina Faso， Burundi， Cameroon， the Dominican Republic， Egypt， Eritrea， Gabon， Gambia， Ghana， Guinea， Haiti， India， Iraq， Iran， Lebanon， Libya， Mali， Morocco， Nepal， Niger， Nigeria， Pakistan， Palestine， Senegal， Syria （p。 186） "You cannot disregard them if you accept the civilization that produced them。" George Orwell， The Road to Wigan Pier （p。 201） "Ezat's gaze drifted into the distance， as if seeing how own road ahead—his twelve attempts， the container of diapers in which he'd make it onto the ferry， the forty-eight hours he'd spend trapped inside， the church in Italy where he would take refuge from the police， the train ride without a ticket to France， the freezing alleys of Paris， the Champ de Mars where he would stand trembling in ecstasy， Hamburg where he would be granted asylum， where after two years he'd learn enough German to start university， his past as inscrutable to his classmates as his future would be to his family in Iran， living alone in body and mind， the cold of the River Elbe in winter seeping into his bones。" （p。 266） "Even if [Obama] is more progressive than Bush， or now Trump， he's still the representative of the main imperialist power that's responsible for the wars that made many of these people refugees。" （p。 276） "We get only one story， which we narrate looking backward。" （p。 285） 。。。more
Christy MacCallum
，
Matthieu Aikins tells this story with honesty， transparency， and respect。 The journey of Omar and his family is woven in with relevant backstories and facts to give context to each moment。 The perspectives and issues covered in the book gave me much pause in how I personally view/think about refugee/migration crises and other political events of recent years。 The book leaves you with much to chew on if you’ll let it。
Kelsey
，
*4。5 stars
Wes F
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I'm giving this 4-1/2 stars in my Reading Log。 This was an amazing story/journey which gives a unique voice to the plight of Afghan refugees in recent years。 Bulk of the focus is what happens with Afghan refugees who get to Turkey & then make it over the water to Greece--usually to the island of Lesbos。 A nightmarish， scary， wrenching， sad， almost-hopeless set of stories lived out in the lives of millions of refugees along the Refugee Highway。 I'm giving this 4-1/2 stars in my Reading Log。 This was an amazing story/journey which gives a unique voice to the plight of Afghan refugees in recent years。 Bulk of the focus is what happens with Afghan refugees who get to Turkey & then make it over the water to Greece--usually to the island of Lesbos。 A nightmarish， scary， wrenching， sad， almost-hopeless set of stories lived out in the lives of millions of refugees along the Refugee Highway。 。。。more
Roxanne Cordonier
，
A frightening and highly readable account of the plight of refugees fleeing war， organized crime and poverty in Afghanistan and other countries around the world。 Fascinating and gripping at times。 The ending fell a bit flat but overall a good read。
T
，
A journalist goes undercover to travel with his Afghani friend。 Such a life-changing journey cannot be rated by the reader of the experience。 This account was very liberally peppered with many， many quotes from far and wide。 They practically overwhelmed the account of the journey， which didn't begin until a third of the way through the book。 Also it was unclear how the author kept his valuables safe。 Once it was mentioned something sewn into a garment， or having to remember a money transfer code A journalist goes undercover to travel with his Afghani friend。 Such a life-changing journey cannot be rated by the reader of the experience。 This account was very liberally peppered with many， many quotes from far and wide。 They practically overwhelmed the account of the journey， which didn't begin until a third of the way through the book。 Also it was unclear how the author kept his valuables safe。 Once it was mentioned something sewn into a garment， or having to remember a money transfer code， but then both friends would swim in only their underwear。 How did they keep their phones safe？ 。。。more
Peggii
，
Hard story to readFor me， too much about the author
Jolieg G
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4。5 sterren。Een "goed verhaal" met veel achtergrond informatie。Heb meerdere boeken mbt dit onderwerp gelezen en deze heeft zeker indruk op mij gemaakt。Lezen over dit onderwerp in je comfortabele stoel。。。 de berichten zien op tv。。。。。Je ziet het en gaat door met je eigen leven。。。Na en tijdens het lezen van dit boek wordt je met je neus op de feiten gedrukt door een eerlijk en betrouwbaar "verslag"。。。 4。5 sterren。Een "goed verhaal" met veel achtergrond informatie。Heb meerdere boeken mbt dit onderwerp gelezen en deze heeft zeker indruk op mij gemaakt。Lezen over dit onderwerp in je comfortabele stoel。。。 de berichten zien op tv。。。。。Je ziet het en gaat door met je eigen leven。。。Na en tijdens het lezen van dit boek wordt je met je neus op de feiten gedrukt door een eerlijk en betrouwbaar "verslag"。。。 。。。more
Donna L
，
A harrowing tale of the modern refugee trail that makes the reader wonder about freedom of travel， courage， survival， and the policies that encourage or impede making a better life for oneself。 I consider this book a must read。
Zainub Reads
，
This books is Aikins account of his journey accompanying his Afghan friend， Omar across borders towards Europe in search of a country that will accept him after his request for American asylum is turned down multiple times despite his having worked for them as an interpreter in Afghanistan。Together they cross land borders and make their way across water in a journey that is sadly undertaken by many people seeking to escape the horrors of war in their own countries。The author is a Canadian but du This books is Aikins account of his journey accompanying his Afghan friend， Omar across borders towards Europe in search of a country that will accept him after his request for American asylum is turned down multiple times despite his having worked for them as an interpreter in Afghanistan。Together they cross land borders and make their way across water in a journey that is sadly undertaken by many people seeking to escape the horrors of war in their own countries。The author is a Canadian but due to his mixed ancestry passes off as an Afghan easily and given his fluency in Dari he has no trouble blending in with the other refugees。What I liked best about this book was that the author acknowledges and recognizes the immense privilege his passport provides him with （he leaves it with a friend for safekeeping） he is aware of the doors that can easily open for him if and when he decides to leave the confines of the squalid overcrowded refugee camps and the restrictions placed on the other refugees that make it extremely difficult for them to earn a decent living。I appreciate the spirit behind this book and the author’s intention to highlight the plight of innocent victims of the muddled foreign policies of some countries but there are instances in the book where the narrative could have been better and more detailed than what felt like a superficial skimming of serious issues and lack of clarity。 It would also have been a vastly better read had it been more about Omar and less about the author。The author mentions that he was frustrated with Omar’s indecisiveness in embarking on the potentially fatal journey and wanted him to just get on with it， which felt like his motive was more to have the opportunity to document the travels rather than his friend’s well-being and readiness for it。A timely book that reflects the unjust times we live in today。“John Steinbeck once wrote， felt pity at first， and then distaste， and finally hatred for the migrant people”⭐️⭐️⭐️✨Thank you @harperbooks for sending me this book 🍁 。。。more
Onceinabluemoon
，
3。5
GiGi Ropp
，
This book…。 I’ll admit parts were slow， parts were painful， and most of the book was just hard。 It was hard to read about atrocities that happen right across this very small world。 I spent a large majority of the book automatically reconciling this harrowing journey with something that must’ve happened ages ago then being torn back into reality with the realization that this book takes place within the last decade。 Torn between feeling as though this must be fiction， but painfully realizing this This book…。 I’ll admit parts were slow， parts were painful， and most of the book was just hard。 It was hard to read about atrocities that happen right across this very small world。 I spent a large majority of the book automatically reconciling this harrowing journey with something that must’ve happened ages ago then being torn back into reality with the realization that this book takes place within the last decade。 Torn between feeling as though this must be fiction， but painfully realizing this is the reality for many。 Friendship， love， and a glimmer of hope mark this one an urgent read。As a daughter of immigrants， I can understand the motivation to leave a country for something better， but having never experienced warfare or the difficult journey， this story filled me with gratitude for my many liberties。 。。。more
Madi Williamson
，
I re-activated Goodreads to leave this review because I think everyone should read this book。 This is a real migration story。 It is free of the politicization， the saviorism， the “model refugee” narrative and all of the other crap that needlessly complicates these epic tales of humanity。 It reflects every truth I have ever seen with my own eyes from the boulevard in Zeytinburnu dotted with Afghan restaurants and the back-alley negotiations to the raw and real love that is developed along these p I re-activated Goodreads to leave this review because I think everyone should read this book。 This is a real migration story。 It is free of the politicization， the saviorism， the “model refugee” narrative and all of the other crap that needlessly complicates these epic tales of humanity。 It reflects every truth I have ever seen with my own eyes from the boulevard in Zeytinburnu dotted with Afghan restaurants and the back-alley negotiations to the raw and real love that is developed along these pathways。 There is no other love like it， and it is notoriously difficult to articulate the essence of these types of stories。 This book not only did that， but it brought it to life。 Everyone should read this book。 It is a beautiful tool for empathy。 。。。more
Grant
，
I had to check this out after hearing Aikins' interview on The Longform Podcast。 The Naked Don't Fear the Water is an empathetic， compelling piece of undercover journalism （or maybe gonzo reporting – that distinction is up to the reader） in which Aikins passes himself off as an Afghan refugee to take a series of journeys alongside his fixer and former NATO translator， an actual refugee。 Although the Afghanistan chapters can take a while to build up steam， they do provide different vantage points I had to check this out after hearing Aikins' interview on The Longform Podcast。 The Naked Don't Fear the Water is an empathetic， compelling piece of undercover journalism （or maybe gonzo reporting – that distinction is up to the reader） in which Aikins passes himself off as an Afghan refugee to take a series of journeys alongside his fixer and former NATO translator， an actual refugee。 Although the Afghanistan chapters can take a while to build up steam， they do provide different vantage points on refugee pathways， and the latter part of the book has an appreciable 'boots on the ground' feel。 I appreciated how Aikins was quote open about the privilege offered by his Western passport the few times he needs or elects to use it as a deus ex machina。 His reporting of complicated and delicate subjects came across as genuine and fair。Nick Nikon is an able audiobook narrator and does excellent accent work， but there were a few little things that broke immersion every now and then。 。。。more
Juliet
，
“…our stories carry forward fragments of others…”There are some books that come into our lives and change the way we see the world around us。 This is one such book。“The Naked Don’t Fear the Water” is the real life story of Canadian journalist Matthieu Aikins as he accompanies his friend Omar （a pseudonym） along the smugglers road from Afghanistan to Europe to escape from war。 Matthieu must disguised himself as an Afghan refugee to make the journey， and along the route across the Middle East and “…our stories carry forward fragments of others…”There are some books that come into our lives and change the way we see the world around us。 This is one such book。“The Naked Don’t Fear the Water” is the real life story of Canadian journalist Matthieu Aikins as he accompanies his friend Omar （a pseudonym） along the smugglers road from Afghanistan to Europe to escape from war。 Matthieu must disguised himself as an Afghan refugee to make the journey， and along the route across the Middle East and Europe the duo touch， and are touched by， so many lives and stories。This book was eye opening。 Of course I know about the refugee crisis， but “The Naked Don’t Fear the Water” brings you directly into the harsh and unforgiving forefront of those forced to flee their countries and the political red tape that works to keep them trapped there。 There is so much to their stories， and I’m appreciative of this book for letting me take a look into their lives。It made me really reflect upon my own privilege as a Canadian， to live in a country with one of the most powerful passports in the world。 The act of mobility between borders has never been at the forefront of my concerns， until I read this book。Above all else， it shows that the refugees like Omar and his family are brave， they are determined， and they are all hopeful。 They deserve the opportunity to have a safe life。I don’t normally give a star rating to non-fiction but I absolutely rate this one 4。5/5。 Truly a must read。Thank you to Harper Collins and Matthieu Aikins for sending me a copy of this book。 The best I’ve read this year by far。 。。。more
Lily
，
Loved the NPR interview but the book left me with mixed emotions。
Jo
，
How did they keep coming up with the money they needed？
Alyson Burnett
，
The story at times seemed fictional because of the drama and suspense。 It is a real life version of the novel American Dirt but in a very different part of the world。 This book helped me see the big picture of wealth inequality in the world and how many people are trying to improve their circumstances by migrating to wealthier countries。 It showed how difficult this journey is for them because of the tight borders and the need to work with smugglers， use fake documents， and put yourself in very The story at times seemed fictional because of the drama and suspense。 It is a real life version of the novel American Dirt but in a very different part of the world。 This book helped me see the big picture of wealth inequality in the world and how many people are trying to improve their circumstances by migrating to wealthier countries。 It showed how difficult this journey is for them because of the tight borders and the need to work with smugglers， use fake documents， and put yourself in very dangerous circumstances along the way。I do not recommend the audiobook version。 Unfortunately the narration distracted me from the story。 Often the narrator emphasized the wrong word in a sentence or paused at the wrong place， as if he wasn't a fluent English speaker。 Sometimes it sounded like a computer program was reading the story。 And then he said that someone had a Midwestern accent but spoke with a Southern drawl。 He didn't know how to say "Rihanna"。 So many times these little mistakes in the narration would make me stop to think about it and I couldn't get lost in the story like I wanted to。 。。。more
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
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（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
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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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