The Naked Don't Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees

by Matthieu Aikins, Nick Nikon (Read by)

Overview

“The Naked Don’t Fear the Water is a riveting and heartrending look at the hidden world of refugees that challenged everything I thought I knew about the consequences of war and globalization. It’s the most important work on the global refugee crisis to date, and a crucial document of these tumultuous times. It will go down as one of the great works of nonfiction literature of our generation.”—Anand Gopal, author of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist No Good Men Among the Living

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.

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798200853298
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/15/2022
Product dimensions:	5.75(w) x 5.59(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Matthieu Aikins has reported from Afghanistan and the Middle East since 2008. He is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, and 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. Matthieu 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.

Editorial Reviews

12/20/2021

Journalist Aikins debuts with a powerful account of the “long and dangerous journey” many Afghans take out of their war-torn country. At the center of the story is Omar (a pseudonym), a Sunni Muslim and former interpreter for the American military, who in 2016 took the “smuggler’s road” to Europe after his application for a Special Immigrant Visa to the U.S. was denied. Raised in exile in Iran and Pakistan, Omar was a teenager when his family returned to Kabul in 2002 in the largest repatriation program in U.N. history. By October 2015, however, Afghanistan lay in tatters, with the Taliban back in control of the provincial capital of Kunduz and the U.S. government signaling it was on the way out. Going undercover as a “young Kabuli of modest background,” to join Omar, Aikins characterizes the journey as “mostly waiting punctuated by moments of terror.” He details Omar’s reluctance to leave his Shia Muslim girlfriend and vividly describes roads lined with burned-out buses, overcrowded safe houses where migrants crack grim jokes, and unaccompanied Afghan children “mingl with the drug dealers and johns” on the streets of Athens. The result is a heart-wrenching portrait of resilience and ingenuity under the most trying of circumstances. Agent: Edward Orloff, McCormick Literary. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

The Naked Don’t Fear the Water is a riveting and heartrending look at the hidden world of refugees that challenged everything I thought I knew about the consequences of war and globalization. It’s the most important work on the global refugee crisis to date, and a crucial document of these tumultuous times. It will go down as one of the great works of nonfiction literature of our generation.” — Anand Gopal, author of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist No Good Men Among the Living

“This is a magnificent book…Aikins writes an absorbing record of an amazing adventure, framed by sympathy with Afghan lives…Avbeautifully written individual story made more meaningful by thoughtful and well-informed insights into a country ravaged by war…Highly recommended.”   — Library Journal (starred review)

“The Naked Don’t Fear the Water is a uniquely brave and enterprising venture into the heart of emigration, and a tragic witness to our times.” — Colin Thubron, New York Times bestselling author of Shadow of the Silk Road and The Amur River

“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

“Riveting…The book shines a humane spotlight on many of the people the author met along the way as well as on the role chance played in their fates, with particularly moving chapters on life within the Greek refugee camp. The narrative is scrupulous and often suspenseful.”  — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Matthieu Aikins is that rarest of combinations – an intrepid journalist who writes beautifully. The Naked Don’t Fear the Water is a compellingly original piece of work, an unforgettable narrative about one of the great human epics of our day.”  — Jon Lee Anderson, author of Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life

“This book is [Matthieu] Aikins’s profound act of love…It has become a cliché to state that a book is “urgent” or “necessary” when it touches on a critical humanitarian issue; almost any book about Afghan migrants would be important right now. But this book is exceptionally well done.…Aikins crafts an expansive, immersive work that reads like the most gripping novel but is all the more compelling because the events are both true and ongoing….A meticulously told story the world needs to hear now more than ever.”  — Jessica Goudeau, The New York Times Book Review

"This is a gripping, devastating book, and it must have taken great courage and determination to write. The human story of the “smuggler’s road” from Afghanistan to Europe is one of terrible suffering, and Aikins tells it with clarity and simplicity. I could write that The Naked Don’t Fear The Water should be given prizes, and no doubt it will, but it seems to me that the best way to honor this book would be for us all to read it and ask ourselves what we can do for the thousands of unknown and unrecognized people who are treading this terrifying path." — Hari Kunzru, author of Red Pill

“The Naked Don't Fear the Water is the most affecting book I have read about the iniquity of the refugee crisis since Exit West. The reporting is totally immersive, without ever losing its clarity, and gives a heartbreaking insight into the lives of normal people taking terrible risks to save themselves. I am amazed by Matthieu Aikins's quiet bravery and willingness to surrender to the story and the danger around him. It’s also, among many other things, a book about friendship and the global ties that bind us.”  — Sam Knight, author of The Premonitions Bureau

"Timely, personal, and deeply human, this is a riveting look at the struggles of refugees, one of the world’s most enduring crises." — Booklist (starred review)

“A heart-wrenching portrait of resilience and ingenuity under the most trying of circumstances.” — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

"Timely, personal, and deeply human, this is a riveting look at the struggles of refugees, one of the world’s most enduring crises."

Booklist (starred review)

This book is [Matthieu] Aikins’s profound act of love…It has become a cliché to state that a book is “urgent” or “necessary” when it touches on a critical humanitarian issue; almost any book about Afghan migrants would be important right now. But this book is exceptionally well done.…Aikins crafts an expansive, immersive work that reads like the most gripping novel but is all the more compelling because the events are both true and ongoing….A meticulously told story the world needs to hear now more than ever.” 

Jessica Goudeau

"This is a gripping, devastating book, and it must have taken great courage and determination to write. The human story of the “smuggler’s road” from Afghanistan to Europe is one of terrible suffering, and Aikins tells it with clarity and simplicity. I could write that The Naked Don’t Fear The Water should be given prizes, and no doubt it will, but it seems to me that the best way to honor this book would be for us all to read it and ask ourselves what we can do for the thousands of unknown and unrecognized people who are treading this terrifying path."

Hari Kunzru

Matthieu Aikins is that rarest of combinations – an intrepid journalist who writes beautifully. The Naked Don’t Fear the Water is a compellingly original piece of work, an unforgettable narrative about one of the great human epics of our day.” 

Jon Lee Anderson

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

The Naked Don’t Fear the Water is a riveting and heartrending look at the hidden world of refugees that challenged everything I thought I knew about the consequences of war and globalization. It’s the most important work on the global refugee crisis to date, and a crucial document of these tumultuous times. It will go down as one of the great works of nonfiction literature of our generation.

Anand Gopal

The Naked Don't Fear the Water is the most affecting book I have read about the iniquity of the refugee crisis since Exit West. The reporting is totally immersive, without ever losing its clarity, and gives a heartbreaking insight into the lives of normal people taking terrible risks to save themselves. I am amazed by Matthieu Aikins's quiet bravery and willingness to surrender to the story and the danger around him. It’s also, among many other things, a book about friendship and the global ties that bind us.” 

Sam Knight

“The Naked Don’t Fear the Water is a uniquely brave and enterprising venture into the heart of emigration, and a tragic witness to our times.

Colin Thubron

★ 01/01/2022

Aikins, an award-winning Canadian journalist, started reporting from Afghanistan and the Middle East in 2008. Eight years later, he accompanied his Afghan friend, translator, and colleague Omar on a dangerous overland journey to seek asylum in Europe. Aikins could pass as Afghani, and together the two endured long bus rides, scrambles on foot over borders, untrustworthy smugglers, brutal police, unstable small boats, and overcrowded miserable refugee camps in order to reach a safe haven in the European Union. This is a magnificent book that skillfully conveys the hope, disappointment, physical hardship, and human connections of Omar's endeavor. Even more impressively, Aikins integrates knowledge of modern Afghan history, the failures of American policy, and the complexities of Afghan culture, religion, and family relations. As Aikins depicts it, Omar never loses faith that he will build a better life, even as war forces him to leave his home and breaks up his family. Aikins writes an absorbing record of an amazing adventure, framed by sympathy with Afghan lives shattered by the arrogance and ignorance of the United States and the other nations that invaded Afghanistan. VERDICT This is a beautifully written individual story made more meaningful by thoughtful and well-informed insights into a country ravaged by war and undermined by foreign powers. Highly recommended.—Elizabeth Hayford

Library Journal

In an easygoing tone Nick Nikon narrates this hair-raising true story of bravery, resilience, and friendship. He brings to listeners the adventures of Matthieu Aikins and his friend, Omar, an Afghani driver/translator, as they attempt to leave Kabul for good in 2016. Nikon's style is initially casual and conversational but increases in tension while recounting the growing desperation of Westerners to help their friends and counterparts who are running out of options in the war-torn city. This is a story of two close friends told against a backdrop of complicated historical events. Nikon takes listeners through Matthieu and Omar's eventual use of human smugglers to get out of Afghanistan. Their harrowing journey is told with compassion and empathy that open up the listening experience. M.R. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2022 - AudioFile

In an easygoing tone Nick Nikon narrates this hair-raising true story of bravery, resilience, and friendship. He brings to listeners the adventures of Matthieu Aikins and his friend, Omar, an Afghani driver/translator, as they attempt to leave Kabul for good in 2016. Nikon's style is initially casual and conversational but increases in tension while recounting the growing desperation of Westerners to help their friends and counterparts who are running out of options in the war-torn city. This is a story of two close friends told against a backdrop of complicated historical events. Nikon takes listeners through Matthieu and Omar's eventual use of human smugglers to get out of Afghanistan. Their harrowing journey is told with compassion and empathy that open up the listening experience. M.R. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2022 - AudioFile

★ 2021-12-14
A Canadian journalist’s riveting account of his travels with a friend attempting to flee from Afghanistan to Europe.

In 2015, Aikins, a winner of the George Polk Award, had been covering the war in Afghanistan for seven years. He spent much of that time with a friend he calls Omar (many names have been changed for safety purposes), who frequently served as his translator. By this point, Omar and the rest of his family had decided to try to leave despite the fact that the borders had been closed. Aikins, who looks “uncannily Afghan: almond eyes, black hair, wiry beard,” decided to accompany Omar, paying his way and reporting on the refugee underground, disguising himself as an Afghan migrant and leaving his passport with friends. What sounded at first like a fairly straightforward plan soon fell apart, as Omar delayed again and again, hoping to arrange a marriage with a young woman, or lost his nerve at crucial moments. Often separated, the two ended up together first in Turkey, then in an internment camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, and then in a “squat” in Athens, where they lived with “a mix of activists and migrants.” Aikins is meticulously aware of the difference in the level of danger the two faced. Though he sometimes thought, “What kind of protagonist was he?” as Omar spent weeks mostly lying in bed staring at Facebook, he also acknowledges that “we both knew I could make a phone call to get my passport back and leave, any time I wanted.” Finely, if sometimes bewilderingly, detailed, the book shines a humane spotlight on many of the people the author met along the way as well as on the role chance played in their fates, with particularly moving chapters on life within the Greek refugee camp. The narrative is scrupulous and often suspenseful.

Sharp insider insights into a global dilemma.

Kirkus Reviews