America Is Better Than This, Jeff Merkley
America Is Better Than This, Jeff Merkley
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America Is Better Than This
Trump's War Against Migrant Families

Author: Jeff Merkley

Narrator: Jeff Merkley

Unabridged: 5 hr 14 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Twelve

Published: 08/20/2019


Synopsis

An exposé and cry of outrage at the cruelty and chaos the Trump administration has wrought at the border with child separations, border blockades, and a massive gulag of child prisons housing thousands.
Jeff Merkley couldn't believe his eyes. He never dreamed the United States could treat vulnerable young families with such calculated brutality. Few had witnessed what Merkley discovered just by showing up at the border and demanding to see what was going on behind closed doors.

Contrary to the official stories and soothing videos, he found mothers and children, newborn babies and infants, stranded for days on border bridges in blistering heat or locked up in ice-cold holding pens. There were nearly 1,500 boys jammed into a former Walmart, a child tent prison in the desert with almost 3,000 boys and girls, and children struggling to survive in gang-filled Mexican border towns after they were blocked from seeking asylum in the United States.

Worst of all, there were the children ripped out of their parents' arms and sorted into cages in some profoundly warped attempt to discourage migration.

This was how the Trump administration treated the child victims of unspeakable violence that had driven them from their homes: as pawns in a power play rather than as humans worthy of respect and dignity.

It was Merkley's visits -- captured live on viral video -- that triggered worldwide outrage at the forced separation of children from their parents. Just by taking an interest -- by caring about the people legally claiming asylum at America's borders -- Merkley helped expose the Trump administration's war on migrant families. Along the way, he helped turn the tide against some of its worst excesses.

AMERICA IS BETTER THAN THIS tells the inside story of how one senator, with no background as an immigration activist, became a leading advocate for reform of the brutal policies that have created a humanitarian crisis on the southern U.S. border. It represents the heartfelt and candid voice of a concerned American who believes his country stands for something far bigger and better.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Beth on August 25, 2019

I was very curious about this, particularly as I live in Oregon and absolutely think the current policies are wrong. Unfortunately, the first 1/3 of this book - though it has good information - seems a bit simplistic and repetitive in its writing. The second 1/3 was a brief look at Merkley's life an......more

Goodreads review by Mia on September 09, 2019

Jeff Merkley has written a narrative of deception and despair. The desperate people arriving at our southern border have been treated with indifference and cruelty by the border guards who are acting on orders from the Trump administration. The only trip made by someone who might have been able to g......more

Goodreads review by Garrett on October 16, 2019

Cogent and well-written, lays out things you already know unless you're living under a rock or are some kind of 'camp-denyer' person. Merkley's outrage comes across on the page, and the personal stories he intersperses bring home something news reporting just can't do. Worth a read, and worth a remi......more

Goodreads review by Fawn on January 19, 2020

This was about what I expected. Merkley's first-hand account of conditions at the border, along with historical information and his take on how policies should be changed. This was a good refresher on our current immigration/asylum situation.......more

Goodreads review by Mallory on November 23, 2024

This was a fantastic book that was well written and explained so well the tragic experiences of those trying to find a better life in America with the challenges brought on by Trumps terrible immigration policies......more


Quotes

"Senator Jeff Merkley has led the fight to expose President Trump's inhumane family separation policy and to reunite families torn apart at the border. America is Better Than This is a powerful reminder of our moral duty to speak out and fight back."—Senator Elizabeth Warren

"Senator Jeff Merkley bears powerful witness to the trauma faced by migrant families on America's border, and delivers an urgent challenge to every reader to fight for justice, respect, and dignity for all."—p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 17.0px; font: 14.7px Helvetica; color: #323130; -webkit-text-stroke: #323130; background-color: #ffffff}span.s1 {font-kerning: none}Neal Keny-Guyer, CEO of Mercy Corps