Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2025 -

Balakian (George Mason Univ.) provides an invaluable discussion of the moral and practical travails of Congolese and Somali refugees seeking resettlement outside of Africa. The primary setting is Nairobi, Kenya, which is evocatively rendered, and one chapter extends the reach into refugees' post-resettlement lives in the US in Columbus, Ohio. Balakian is an astute observer of the human and institutional hurdles the refugees must overcome and conveys well the force of their effort--often over many years--and the complex webs of human contact from which they draw strength and into which they pour their own efforts. She is especially eloquent on the complexities of kinship as it affects the dual pressures of maintaining precarious lives in Africa while seeking more permanent resettlement abroad. Balakian's work is also helpful for contextualizing and defusing the recent emphasis in refugee selection programs on security risks and fraud. The effects of policy changes resulting from genetic testing receive especially thorough discussion. Overall, Unsettled Families is crucial reading for specialists, but it would also be an excellent choice for academic courses on refugees, human rights, and global affairs.Summing Up: Essential. General readers, graduate students, faculty, and professionals.