Duke University Press 2007

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“This remarkable book is, quite simply, a revelation that will have an important impact on the study of rural society in Mexico and Latin America, more broadly.” The Latin American Review of Books

“One of the most interesting, original, and important books about Chiapas (and, I think, about rural Latin America) that has been published in the past 20 years.” Hispanic American Historical Review

“A fascinating ethnography and cultural history… The human drama of the shifting historical balances of fortunes portrayed here is reminiscent of … Giuseppe di Lampedusa’s The Leopard, or … [the] novels of Rosario Castellanos.” Journal of Latin American Studies

“One of the best geographic ethnographies of the last decade…It not only will force Chiapas specialists to reconsider their own work, but it forces many of us working in other parts of Mexico to reexamine the assumptions behind our own approach.” Professional Geographer

Beacon Press 2012

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“In this fascinating history of perhaps the most maligned and emblematic American food--industrially made white bread--Bobrow-Strain subtly upends common prejudices while illuminating fundamental shifts in the nation's economy, gender relations, aesthetic preferences, diet, and cultural politics.” The Atlantic Monthly

“Whatever you think of white bread, its history is full of surprises. And Bobrow-Strain shares this history with wit, style, and imagination. This is a richly researched and cleverly told story.” PopMatters

“Aaron Bobbrow-Strain has accomplished a difficult task: White Bread is imaginative, scholarly, yet totally accessible. Any reader who cherishes bread and all the issues it touches as a powerful social and aspirational metaphor will love this book.” Peter Reinhart, baker and author of Artisan Breads Everyday

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux 2019

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“Searing…A rich, novelistic tale of a young woman whose life spans both sides of the United States-Mexican border . . . [Aida's] a radiantly optimistic character in a relentlessly bleak, unlucky world....The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez is an illuminating work of literature, not an ideological tract.” Michelle Goldberg, The New York Times Sunday Book Review

“The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez” by Aaron Bobrow-Strain was a beautiful and complex portrait of a Mexican-born woman who grew up in the U.S. without papers. Bobrow-Strain spent an extraordinary amount of time getting to know his subject and is a longtime expert on immigration. The core strength of that book is that Bobrow-Strain did not insist that his protagonist fit into any stereotypes. He allowed her to be imperfect, yet fully formed and real, with agency. I think the secret is that he truly related to his protagonist. He did not see her as other.” Jean Guerrero, interviewed in The San Diego Union Tribune