512 pages
English language
Published Nov. 5, 2023 by Pan Macmillan.
What does it now mean to call yourself European? Who makes up this population of some 750 million, sprawled from Ireland to Ukraine, from Sweden to Turkey? Who has always called it home, and who has newly arrived from elsewhere? Who are the people who drive our long-distance lorries, steward our criss-crossing planes, lovingly craft our legacy wines, fish our depleted waters, and risk life itself in search of safety and a new start?
In a series of vivid but always empathetic portraits of other people’s lives, journalist Ben Judah invites us to meet them. Drawn from hours of painstaking interviews, these vital stories reveal a vibrant continent which has been transformed by diversity, migration, the internet, climate change, Covid, war and the quest for freedom.
Laid dramatically bare, it may not always be a Europe we recognize – but this is Europe.
An interesting book as a collection of portrayals of people living in Europe. They illustrate the difficulties of life and how sometimes a choice is no choice at all towards a better life, and will cost dearly regardless. Covered many nationalities, reasons for coming to Europe and motivations for moving around. Some stories were definitely more heart-breaking than others.
