Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2022 -

Watson (Williams College) and Thompson (journalist and senior editor, Wirecutter) address the most important issues swirling around documented and undocumented immigration today. They organize their book in an ingenious manner. The chapters are devoted to thorough, scholarly reviews of the literature on the impact of immigration on the economy, crime, and the social safety net as well as the effectiveness of immigration enforcement efforts. Interwoven throughout the book, however, are the stories of six immigrant families who have faced the issues the authors analyze, putting a human face on the scholarly discussion. The authors conclude that immigration constitutes a net gain for the US economy, with the exception of already disadvantaged workers. More aggressive enforcement of immigration laws may have a small effect on the number of persons attempting to immigrate, but it comes at a high cost in terms of expenditures and broken families. Recent immigrants are less prone to crime and less likely to use social services than native-born Americans; over the long run, immigrants are net contributors to the government's coffers. The quality of writing in the book is top-notch.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Undergraduates through faculty, professionals, general readers.

For millennia, humans repaired what was broken. If an arrowhead cracked, they repaired it. If a canoe leaked, they repaired it. Over the past century, however, replacing rather than repairing became the norm for myriad reasons. Perzanowski (law, Univ. of Michigan) has written an accessible, eye-opening work that will resonate with any reader who has ever owned a smartphone, a car, or even a refrigerator. The author examines the history of repair and explores the reasons for its decline and for the rise of replacement culture. From planned obsolescence to manufacturer-created roadblocks to repair, the book takes a deep-dive into contemporary examples, showing how and why consumers are prevented from repairing--or repairing at a reasonable cost--goods they purchase and own. Included are both well-known examples, such as repair restrictions on Apple and John Deere products, and lesser known restrictions on common items, such as water filters. Perzanowski concludes by urging consumers to reclaim their right to repair and lays out pathways for doing so.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; general readers; professionals.