This book covers American immigration law, policy, and its reality on the ground, focusing mostly on the period ending in the 80s. Ngai doesn't proceed linearly - rather she lays out different facets of American immigration and then follows it through, demonstrating subtle differences between seemingly identical phenomena. The major events are covered here, but I loved the in-depth coverage of the Bracero program and its aftermath. Unfortunately this book is more timely than ever, as many of the patterns revealed here are playing out again before us. Highly recommend