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Winner, 2023 OHA Book Award, Oral History Association
A young woman flees violence in Mexico and seeks protection in the United States—only to be trafficked as a domestic worker in the Bronx. A decorated immigration judge leaves his post when the policies he proudly upheld capsize in the wake of political turmoil. A Gambian translator who was granted asylum herself talks with other African women about how immigration officers expect victims of torture to behave. A border patrol officer begins to question the training that instructs him to treat the children he finds in the Arizona desert like criminals.
Through these and other powerful firsthand accounts, A Story to Save Your Life offers new insight into the harrowing realities of seeking protection in the United States. Sarah C. Bishop argues that cultural differences in communication shape every stage of the asylum process, playing a major but unexamined role. Migrants fleeing persecution must reconstruct the details of their lives so governmental authorities can determine whether their experiences justify protection. However, Bishop shows, many factors influence whether an applicant is perceived as credible, from the effects of trauma on the ability to recount an experience chronologically to culturally rooted nonverbal behaviors and displays of emotion. For asylum seekers, harnessing the power of autobiographical storytelling can mean the difference between life and death. A Story to Save Your Life emphasizes how memory, communication, and culture intertwine in migrants’ search for safety.
— Elora Mukherjee, director of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School
All storytelling is cultural. It’s about time Western gatekeepers understood that. With thought-provoking research and moving stories, A Story to Save Your Life is a leap toward that vital education.
— Dina Nayeri, author of The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You
Bishop invites us into the room where asylum decisions are made. A Story to Save Your Life is a disturbing account of how everyone from asylum seekers to judges tries to communicate across cultural and bureaucratic barriers in a messy process where the consequences of misinterpretation are devastating.
— David Scott FitzGerald, author of Refuge Beyond Reach: How Rich Democracies Repel Asylum Seekers
This beautifully written book uncovers the problematic ways the legal structures for assessing asylum claims ignore, misinterpret, and otherwise skew the narratives asylum seekers must share to qualify for asylum. Bishop elucidates how the asylum process perpetuates trauma and results in asylum denials of people who should qualify. A Story to Save Your Life is an essential perspective on this vital topic.
— Beth Caldwell, Southwestern Law School
This book is an essential read to better understand the challenges that asylum applicants encounter when sharing their stories. Bishop provides a clear and in-depth analysis of the relationship between communication and asylum outcomes.
Acknowledgments
Note on the Cover Art
1. Halted Expectations
In Their Own Words: Josh Childress, Former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agent
2. Long Stories Short
In Their Own Words: Alina Das, Immigration Attorney
3. Emotional Labor
In Their Own Words: Ethan Taubes, Asylum Officer Trainer
4. Nonverbal Communication and Credibility
In Their Own Words: Dr. Renée Sicalides, Psychologist
5. Deterring Asylum
In Their Own Words: Jeffery Chase, Former Immigration Judge
6. The Return
In Their Own Words: Rafael, Detained Asylum Seeker
Postscript
Appendix: Methods and Trauma-Informed Research Design
Notes
Bibliography
Index