Love Across Borders: Passports, Papers, and Romance in a Divided World

Love Across Borders is a powerful book that tells the stories of couples around the world who must confront Kafkaesque immigration systems to be together. Journalist Anna Lekas Miller tells her own story of meeting and falling in love with Salem Rizk, a Syrian man without a country, and explores the widespread prejudicial laws that divide people. She interweaves these love stories with a fascinating look at the history of passports, colonialism, and discriminatory laws, building a case for a borderless society.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 15 June 2023
Publisher: Workman Publishing

Love, a powerful force that transcends borders and cultures, has been a guiding principle for many couples throughout history. However, what happens when love is met with bureaucratic obstacles and complex immigration systems? Journalist Anna Lekas Miller explores this poignant question in her captivating book, Love Across Borders. Through meticulous reporting and a romantic lens, Miller tells the stories of couples who have faced extraordinary challenges to be together, as she did in her own journey to be with her partner, Salem Rizk.

Love Across Borders takes readers on a journey across contentious frontiers, from Turkey to Iraq, Syria to Greece, Mexico to the United States. It sheds light on the widespread prejudicial laws that seek to divide people, highlighting the struggles and sacrifices made by those who love across borders.

In the book, Miller shares her own story of meeting and falling in love with Salem in Istanbul, where they were both reporting on the Syrian War. However, their love was soon tested when Turkey began cracking down on refugees, including Salem, who was Syrian and had no safe way to return to his homeland. Miller, with her American passport and deep personal ties to the Middle East, felt compelled to help her partner.

Over the next few years, Miller and Salem navigated a complex web of asylum claims, the United States Muslim ban, and labyrinthine regulations in several different countries. They faced financial hardship, power dynamics, and the emotional toll of separation. Through their journey, Miller learned about and bonded with other people whose spouses had been deported, who found love in refugee camps, and who faced complicated immigration statuses that threatened the wellbeing of their children.

Love Across Borders offers a unique, international, and intimate look at the global immigration crisis. It interweaves these rich, complicated love stories with a fascinating exploration of the political, social, and emotional implications of immigration policies. Miller's writing is filled with suspenseful storytelling worthy of the greatest love stories, drawing readers into the lives of these couples and their struggles to be together.

The book raises important questions about the role of love in shaping our world and the barriers that prevent us from embracing it fully. It challenges us to think beyond borders and to recognize the humanity of those who seek a better life, regardless of their immigration status. Love Across Borders is a powerful testament to the resilience and determination of those who love across borders and a call to action for policymakers to create a more inclusive and compassionate immigration system.

In conclusion, Love Across Borders is a must-read for anyone who believes in the power of love and the importance of human connection. It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

Weight: 400g
Dimension: 230 x 160 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781643752334