Book

Alien Nation: Common Sense About America's Immigration Disaster

📖 Overview

Alien Nation examines U.S. immigration policy and its effects on American society in the late 20th century. The author presents data and arguments about demographic changes resulting from the 1965 Immigration Act. The book combines policy analysis with personal observations, as Brimelow draws on his own experience as a British immigrant to the United States. He explores various aspects of immigration including economic impacts, cultural assimilation, and political consequences. The text includes statistical research and historical context about immigration patterns from the founding of America through the 1990s. Brimelow conducts interviews with politicians, economists, and others involved in immigration policy decisions. The work represents a critical perspective on multiculturalism and raises questions about national identity in an era of increasing globalization. Through its examination of immigration policy, the book engages with fundamental debates about the nature of American society.

👀 Reviews

Readers describe this 1995 immigration policy book as data-heavy, with extensive statistics and historical analysis. Many call it well-researched but note its polemical tone and controversial positions. Positive reviews highlight: - Thorough documentation and footnoting - Historical context of U.S. immigration - Clear writing style - Data-driven arguments Critical reviews point to: - Cherry-picked statistics - Alarmist rhetoric - Focus on racial/ethnic differences - Outdated economic assumptions from 1990s Ratings averages: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (48 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (89 ratings) Sample reader quotes: "Exhaustively researched but reaches debatable conclusions" - Amazon reviewer "Important data but too focused on ethnicity" - Goodreads reviewer "Needed counterpoint to pro-immigration consensus" - Amazon reviewer "Makes valid points about policy but inflammatory tone hurts credibility" - Goodreads reviewer

📚 Similar books

We Are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism by John Derbyshire This book examines immigration policy's effects on American demographics and cultural institutions through a traditionalist lens.

Adios America by Ann Coulter The text presents data and historical records to argue that immigration patterns have transformed American society and institutions.

The Death of the West by Patrick J. Buchanan This work analyzes demographic changes in Western nations and their relationship to immigration policies and birth rates.

Who Are We?: The Challenges to America's National Identity by Samuel P. Huntington The book explores how immigration affects American national identity and social cohesion through historical and demographic analysis.

Mexifornia: A State of Becoming by Victor Davis Hanson The work examines California's transformation through immigration patterns and demographic shifts using firsthand observations and statistical data.

🤔 Interesting facts

🌟 Peter Brimelow wrote this controversial 1995 book while working as a senior editor at Forbes magazine and National Review 📚 The book's publication coincided with California's Proposition 187 debate, which sought to deny public services to illegal immigrants 🗓️ The author deliberately chose to release the book on the 30th anniversary of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which eliminated national origin quotas 🔍 Despite criticism, the book spent four weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list and influenced the mid-1990s immigration reform debate 🌍 Brimelow, himself an immigrant from Britain, argues in the book for maintaining what he calls America's "historically European-majority" population through immigration policy