Tara Watson is professor of economics at Williams College and a coeditor of the Journal of Human Resources, the leading academic journal in labor economics. Kalee Thompson is a journalist and senior editor at Wirecutter. She is the author of Deadliest Sea: The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History.
An excellent book with significant potential impact. The authors have done something quite novel: combined a review of the empirical social science evidence on the costs and benefits of undocumented immigration and the effects of various policies with personal stories about the lives of undocumented immigrants. The stories provoke an emotional, moral response, while the more scientific approach taken by the academic summaries provide evidence and rational calculations of costs and benefits. The writing is clear and propulsive, and the personal narratives lend a sense of urgency to the discussions of policy. If I were teaching a class on immigration economics, I would assign this book. --Megan MacGarvie, Boston University Questrom School of Business