Best Emigration & Immigration Studies Books of 2025

Solito is a memoir that tells the story of Javier Zamora's journey from El Salvador to the United States at the age of nine. He travels alone through Guatemala and Mexico, and across the U.S. border to reunite with his parents. The journey is perilous and full of danger, but also full of unexpected kindness and love. Zamora's memoir is a gripping and moving account of a treacherous and near-impossible journey that millions of others have had to make. It's a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love. Solito is a must-read for anyone interested in the immigrant experience.

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration is a beautifully written and Pulitzer Prize-winning book that chronicles the untold story of black Americans who fled the South for a better life in northern and western cities. Through the lives of three unique individuals, Wilkerson brilliantly captures the treacherous and exhausting cross-country trips by car and train, their new lives in colonies that grew into ghettos, and how they changed these cities with southern food, faith, and culture. This book is a bold, remarkable, and riveting work that offers a superb account of an “unrecognized immigration” that changed America forever.

American Midnight by Adam Hochschild is a thought-provoking and timely reassessment of the period between World War I and the Roaring Twenties. Hochschild highlights how the foundations of American democracy were threatened by war, pandemic, and violence fueled by battles over race, immigration, and the rights of labor. He brings alive the horrifying yet inspiring four years following the U.S. entry into the Great War. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in U.S. immigrant history and the challenges faced by democracy during times of crisis.

The Girl with Seven Names: Escape from North Korea is a New York Times bestseller and an extraordinary insight into life under one of the world's most ruthless and secretive dictatorships. Hyeonseo Lee's story of escaping North Korea and guiding her family to freedom is a harrowing and stirring true account of remarkable bravery. Lee's book is a sad and beautiful story of a girl who could not even keep her name, yet overcame all with the identity of what it is to be human. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in human rights and the plight of North Koreans.

Solito (Spanish Edition) is a powerful autobiography that tells the story of a young Salvadoran boy's journey to reunite with his parents in the United States. Javier's adventure is filled with danger, uncertainty, and unexpected kindness from strangers who become his makeshift family. This book is a moving and immediate account of a difficult and almost impossible journey undertaken by millions of people forced to leave their homes. Recommended by Jenna Bush in her book club, Solito is a must-read for anyone interested in the immigrant experience.

"They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America" by Ivan Van Sertima is a groundbreaking book that provides detailed documentation of the presence and impact of Africans in ancient America. The author uses evidence from navigation, shipbuilding, cultural analogies, and oral accounts to support his claim of an African presence in the New World before Columbus. The book is both comprehensive and convincing, providing a boost to black cultural history. Overall, this book is a fascinating and powerful read that sheds light on a lesser-known aspect of history."

Overrun: How Joe Biden Unleashed the Greatest Border Crisis in U.S. History is a book that provides a full account of the worst mass immigration border crisis that hit the United States, how President Joe Biden's administration unleashed it, how it has permanently changed the nation, and what needs to be done to end it. Todd Bensman's reporting-based analysis lays bare the causes, dimensions, and chaotic impacts of the ongoing emergency, illuminating the pathway out of it. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the historic event that is impacting the United States today.

"You Sound Like a White Girl" by Julissa Arce is a powerful polemic against the myth that assimilation leads to happiness and belonging for immigrants. Arce argues that assimilation is a moving finish line designed to keep Black and brown Americans and immigrants chasing racist American ideals. In this dual polemic and manifesto, she combs through history and her own story to break down this myth. The book is an essential read and a love letter to the Hispanic and Latino community.

The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir is a poignant graphic novel depicting one family's journey from war-torn Vietnam. Thi Bui's evocative memoir explores the anguish of immigration and the lasting effects of displacement on a child and her family. The book is a powerful look at one woman’s life and a war fought decades ago, but her story and the book’s message resonate remarkably today. The haunting, poetic writing and breathtaking art examine the strength of family, the importance of identity, and the meaning of home. It is a must-read for those who seek a better future while longing for a simpler past.

The Devil's Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and a national bestseller that tells the tragic story of a group of men attempting to cross the Mexican border into southern Arizona. The book is a necessary and poignant account of the absurdity of U.S border policy, written in a captivating and poetic style. The author's writing is wickedly good, capturing the tragedy and beauty of U.S.-Mexican border culture with an unmatched intimacy. The Devil's Highway is a well-crafted melange of first-person testimony, geographic history, cultural and economic analysis, poetry, and an indictment of immigration policy.