Winner of the 2012 Merle Curti Award, Organization of American Historians Winner of the 2012 James A. Rawley Prize, Organization of American Historians Winner of the 2012 Philip Taft Labor History Award, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2012 "No Man's Land is a fascinating, engaging study of one of the ... Read moreless-known guest worker programs in the U.S., the temporary recruitment of Jamaican nationals to work in the agriculture industry. Basing her work on a wide range of primary documents and oral interviews, the author illustrates the harsh and vulnerable working and living conditions guest workers experienced as they toiled in the fields of the Northeast, the South, and Florida... Overall, this is a fantastic book that gives a clear understanding of how Jamaican guest workers labored, lived, and struggled in the U.S.; the political and economic debates behind the rise and fall of temporary work programs; and the similarities and differences with other guest worker programs throughout the world."
Choice "Hahamovitch weaves together an illuminating account of history that explores how greed, racial tensions, political persuasion, and lots and lots of money created and preserved the American guestworker program."
Jihan A. Kahssay, European Legacy "Cindy Hahamovitch's award-winning book ... deserves the widespread praise that it has received. In this well-written, carefully crafted, and compelling book, Hahamovitch provides a fascinating account of the experiences of Jamaican guestworkers and the H2 Program that brought them to the United States... Hahamovitch's work is filled with original insights and compelling arguments that should be of use to anyone who is interested in race relations, global capitalism, and justice. Perhaps most important, Hahamovitch documents and explains how the rise of guestworker programs is usually accompanied by an equally significant rise in undocumented immigration."
Kathleen Mapes, Journal Of Southern History "No Man's Land stakes out important new directions for migration scholarship, and provides a timely intervention into policy debates on immigration reform. The outline of a global history of guest worker programs is an important step in moving beyond the traditional methodological nationalism of labor studies... No Man's Land will no doubt inspire further explorations in this vein."
James Braun, H-Net Reviews Show Less