Play Audiobook Sample
The Naked Don't Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(0.00) - 0 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
“This is a book of radical empathy, crossing many borders – not just borders that separate nations, but also borders of form, borders of meaning, and borders of possibility. It is powerful and humane and deserves to find a wide, wandering readership.” — Mohsin Hamid, author of Exit West
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.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
Download and start listening now!
“A magnificent book…Aikins writes an absorbing record of an amazing adventure, framed by sympathy with Afghan lives…Highly recommended.”
— Library Journal (starred review)
Quotes
-
“This is a book of radical empathy, crossing many borders…It is powerful and humane and deserves to find a wide, wandering readership.”
— Mohsin Hamid, New York Times bestselling author -
“Almost any book about Afghan migrants would be important right now. But this book is exceptionally well done.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Riveting…Shines a humane spotlight on many of the people the author met along the way as well as…on life within the Greek refugee camp.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review) -
“A riveting look at the struggles of refugees, one of the world’s most enduring crises.”
— Booklist (starred review)
Awards
-
A #1 Amazon bestseller
-
A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice of the Week
-
An Amazon Editor’s Top Pick
The Naked Don't Fear the Water Listener Reviews
Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
About Matthieu Aikins
Matthieu Aikins has reported from Afghanistan and the Middle East since 2008. He is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, and he has won numerous honors, including the George Polk and Livingston awards. He is a past fellow at Type Media Center, New America, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the American Academy in Berlin. He grew up in Nova Scotia and has a master’s degree in Near Eastern Studies from New York University. The Naked Don’t Fear the Water is his first book.