Shackled Should Be Your Next Read. Seriously.

I DEVOURED Shackled, the new book by immprof Becky Sharpless (Miami), this week. I would've finished it in one night, if I'd gotten sufficient sleep the night before. Instead, I read it in two fell swoops instead of one.

It is hard to believe that this is Becky's first major work of narrative nonfiction. It is, no exaggeration, a masterpiece.

The book takes the reader backwards and forwards in time, following the stories of two very different men whose lives happen to converge in one horrible moment--aboard ICE Air Flight N225AX, shackled, on their way to being repatriated to Somalia.

The narrative shifts never leave the reader confused or lost. Instead, each chapter reveals a new layer to each man's story. You'll be on the edge of your seat til the very end (quite literally the last five paragraphs!), equal parts enthralled and horrified by the stories Becky documents. 

This book is so good that I even diligently read the Sources and Notes, which are also written in an engaging narrative style instead of awkward Blue Book citations.

If you're lucky enough to teach a seminar on immigration or if you're in charge of picking the next read for your book club--look no further. Shackled is it.

-KitJ