Book Group

We encourage you to participate in a community read of Suketu Mehta's book This Land is Our Land: An Immigrant's Manifesto. The author will be visiting campus on April 3rd to give a public talk at 11:30am, followed by a large group discussion about the book at 2:00pm.

This book draws from the author's "experience as an Indian-born teenager growing up in New York City and on years of reporting around the world, Mehta subjects the worldwide anti-immigrant backlash to withering scrutiny. As he explains, the West is being destroyed not by immigrants, but by the fear of immigrants." 

Faculty, staff, and students are all invited to join a book group. The book will soon be available for free as an e-book through the UMass Library, and a group of students has developed a reading guide to prompt in-depth discussion of the text. We suggest each group meets before the author's visit to discuss the book – sign up for a group by February 24 to select your preferred dates to meet, as well as your preference for Zoom or face-to-face meetings. 

How do I get the book?
The book is available through the UMass Libraries. Click on the link, sign in with your NetID, and search for This Land is Our Land. 

The book is also available for purchase through most popular retailers.

Where and how will groups meet?
Groups are welcome to meet via Zoom or in person. Please indicate your preference when you sign up, and we will put you in a group with others who share similar meeting preferences.

Are there conversation guides?
Yes. A group of undergraduates designed this reading guide for your use. It is up to the groups to decide whether to use the guide and to what extent. 

Who will be in these groups?
The groups are open to everyone: faculty, staff, and students. We believe that having a diverse group of people with different roles provides for a much richer discussion and understanding of varied perspectives. However, if you have a preferred group (for example, staff from a specific unit, etc.), you can let us know your preferences in the sign-up form, and we'll do our best to connect you with others.

What is the time commitment?
Groups will meet for one hour at two different times in March. Be sure to attend Dr. Suketu Mehta's book discussion to ask him any specific questions that were generated during your meetings.

The book discussion will take place on Monday, April 3, 2023, at 2:00pm, in the Commonwealth Honors College Events Hall. Dr. Mehta will also give an academic talk at 11:30am on the same day. More information about these events will be sent out as we get closer to the event date. 

What is the book about?
From the MacMillian Website: 

"There are few subjects in American life that prompt more discussion and controversy than immigration. But do we really understand it? In This Land is Our Land , the renowned author Suketu Mehta attacks the issue head-on. Drawing on his own experience as an Indian-born teenager growing up in New York City and on years of reporting around the world, Mehta subjects the worldwide anti-immigrant backlash to withering scrutiny. As he explains, the West is being destroyed not by immigrants but by the fear of immigrants. Mehta juxtaposes the phony narratives of populist ideologues with the ordinary heroism of laborers, nannies, and others, from Dubai to Queens, and explains why more people are on the move today than ever before. As civil strife and climate change reshape large parts of the planet, it is little surprise that borders have become so porous. But Mehta also stresses the destructive legacies of colonialism and global inequality on large swaths of the world: When today's immigrants are asked, "Why are you here?" they can justly respond, "We are here because you were there." And now that they are here, as Mehta demonstrates, immigrants bring great benefits, enabling countries and communities to flourish. Impassioned, rigorous, and richly stocked with memorable stories and characters, This Land is Our Land is a timely and necessary intervention, and a literary polemic of the highest order." 

"Written 'in sorrow and anger,' this is a brilliant and urgently necessary book, eloquently making the case against bigotry and for all of us migrants – what we are not, who we are, and why we deserve to be welcomed, not feared."
–Salman Rushdie

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