Reading gives me joy. When I come across a well written book, I am in awe. A book that introduces me to a whole new world, to a whole new perspective or one that brings to life characters who could be walking beside me on the street is my definition of a great book. Recently, I finished reading Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue, a Cameroonian author. This is her debut novel and I absolutely loved the book.
Imbolo Mbue traces the lives of a Cameroonian immigrant family struggling to make a decent living in New York City all the while trying to find a way to stay in the United States permanently. Through the story of Jende Jonga, a newly hired chauffeur for a Lehman Brothers executive and his family, and Neni Jonga, a home health aide hoping to go to pharmacy school, Mbue perfectly captures the day to day struggles of the family and their quest to fulfill their American Dream while getting knocked down by the unfairness of society and life. The author juxtaposes the Jonga family against the Clarks who are wealthy and privileged but who have problems of their own.
I could relate to some of the issues the Jonga family faces being an immigrant myself and living through each day to make the next day a better one. The dialog in the book is what makes the story real and brings the characters to life. The fights between husband and wife are the fights that my parents have, the conversations between Jende and Edward Clark on why America is a great country are ones that many immigrants have with Americans. I can imagine Jende and Neni living in Harlem, shopping at Pathmark and going to Chinatown to buy fake purses.
This book made me want to write about my own family’s experiences after coming to the US and the unique issues we faced compared to earlier Indian immigrant groups or the techies who migrated to the US in the 90s. Indian immigrants are one of the most successful groups in the US. They are college educated, employed as white collar workers and have a median household income of over $100k. They don’t face the same struggles as other immigrant groups face but nevertheless their struggles, including that of my family’s, gets lost in the success stories shared with the world. Yet, we don’t see many books by Indian American authors on their stories of making it in America or in some instances failing (yes failing – this is a concept that is foreign and unacceptable to many Indian families).
I think its important to showcase a balanced view, not only one that is only dotted with successes of rising to become a CEO of a top technology company or renowned doctors and lawyers or tycoons of the hospitality and grocery industries. I want to give voices to those of us Indians who are successful in our own way but in the eyes of the Indian community are just an ordinary family who decided to immigrate to America to make a better life for ourselves.