Behold the Dreamers: A Novel by Imbolo Mbue (Epub)

Description

Jende Jonga, a Cameroonian immigrant living in Harlem, has come to the United States to provide a better life for himself, his wife, Neni, and their six-year-old son. In the fall of 2007, Jende can hardly believe his luck when he lands a job as a chauffeur for Clark Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers. Clark demands punctuality, discretion, and loyalty—and Jende is eager to please. Clark’s wife, Cindy, even offers Neni temporary work at the Edwardses’ summer home in the Hamptons. With these opportunities, Jende and Neni can at last gain a foothold in America and imagine a brighter future.

However, the world of great power and privilege conceals troubling secrets, and soon Jende and Neni notice cracks in their employers’ façades.

When the financial world is rocked by the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the Jongas are desperate to keep Jende’s job—even as their marriage threatens to fall apart. As all four lives are dramatically upended, Jende and Neni are forced to make an impossible choice.

Praise for Behold the Dreamers

“A debut novel by a young woman from Cameroon that illuminates the immigrant experience in America with the tenderhearted wisdom so lacking in our political discourse . . . Mbue is a bright and captivating storyteller.”—The Washington Post

“A capacious, big-hearted novel.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Behold the Dreamers’ heart . . . belongs to the struggles and small triumphs of the Jongas, which Mbue traces in clean, quick-moving paragraphs.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Mbue’s writing is warm and captivating.”—People (book of the week)

“[Mbue’s] book isn’t the first work of fiction to grapple with the global financial crisis of 2007–2008, but it’s surely one of the best. . . . It’s a novel that depicts a country both blessed and doomed, on top of the world, but always at risk of losing its balance. It is, in other words, quintessentially American.”—NPR

“This story is one that needs to be told.”—Bust

“Behold the Dreamers challenges us all to consider what it takes to make us genuinely content, and how long is too long to live with our dreams deferred.”—O: The Oprah Magazine

“[A] beautiful, empathetic novel.”—The Boston Globe

“A witty, compassionate, swiftly paced novel that takes on race, immigration, family and the dangers of capitalist excess.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Mbue [is] a deft, often lyrical observer. . . . [Her] meticulous storytelling announces a writer in command of her gifts.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

User’s Reviews

Review “As a dissection of the American Dream, Imbolo Mbue’s first novel is savage and compassionate in all the right places.”—The New York Times “A fresh, engaging entry into the eternally evolving narrative of what it means to be an American—and how human beings, not laws or dogma, define liberty.”—Entertainment Weekly “Even as Behold the Dreamers takes some dark, vicious turns, it never feels cheaply cynical, grounded as it is in the well-imagined characters who try, through whatever means possible, to protect their families and better their lives.”—USA Today “In Imbolo Mbue’s sprightly debut . . . songs of innocence and arrogance collide.”—Vogue “Imagine Lorraine Hansberry’s play/film A Raisin in the Sun with a Cameroonian cast of characters in early twenty-first century New York City, and you may come up with something close to Behold the Dreamers, a poignant and bittersweet debut.”—San Francisco Chronicle“Behold the Dreamers . . . just might be the most accessible novel I’ve ever read. . . . Mbue does an admirable job of developing characters whose lives seem so heartbreakingly real that the pages of this book often seem like something of a confinement. When you close the book, you will hear their pain. You might feel them calling for you.”—Los Angeles Review of Books “The Help meets House of Cards meets the read that’ll make you forget all about your morning commute.”—theSkimm “Undocumented immigration, the widening gulf between rich and poor, and the thinly veiled racism of an avowedly ‘post-racial’ culture converge in this new generation of immigrants’ painful encounter with the American Dream. . . . The prose grows luminous.”—The Christian Science Monitor “Mbue’s outsider’s perceptions of American life—its stresses, its excesses—are sharp. . . . She’s also shrewd on the disruptions that come with the Jongas leaving their native land for a dream that may be a delusion.”—The Seattle Times “An utterly unique novel about immigration, race, and class—and an important one, as well.”—BookPage“A debut novel by a young woman from Cameroon that illuminates the immigrant experience in America with the tenderhearted wisdom so lacking in our political discourse.”—The Washington Post “Mbue writes with great confidence and warmth. . . . There are a lot of spinning plates and Mbue balances them skillfully, keeping everything in motion. . . . Behold the Dreamers is a capacious, big-hearted novel.”—The New York Times Book Review “Mbue’s writing is warm and captivating.”—People (book of the week) “Mbue is a wonderful writer with an uncanny ear for dialogue—there are no false notes here, no narrative shortcuts, and certainly no manufactured happy endings. It’s a novel that depicts a country both blessed and doomed, on top of the world, but always at risk of losing its balance. It is, in other words, quintessentially American.”—NPR“Mbue’s masterful debut about an immigrant family struggling to obtain the elusive American Dream in Harlem will have you feeling for each character from the moment you crack it open.”—In Style “This story is one that needs to be told.”—Bust “Behold the Dreamers challenges us all to consider what it takes to make us genuinely content, and how long is too long to live with our dreams deferred.”—O: The Oprah Magazine“[A] beautiful, empathetic novel . . . Mbue’s narrative energy and sympathetic eye soon render . . . commonplace ingredients vivid, complex, and essential. . . . At once critical and hopeful, Behold the Dreamers traces the political and economic systems that push individuals toward dishonesty, while also acknowledging the bad and affirming the good in their complicated personal choices.”—The Boston Globe “A witty, compassionate, swiftly paced novel that takes on race, immigration, family and the dangers of capitalist excess. In her debut novel, Mbue has crafted a compelling view of twenty-first-century America.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch “Behold the Dreamers reveals Mbue as a deft, often lyrical observer. . . . [Her] meticulous storytelling announces a writer in command of her gifts, plumbing the desires and disappointments of our emerging global culture.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune “A revelation . . . Mbue has written a clever morality tale that never preaches but instead teaches us the power of integrity.”—Essence “At once a sad indictment of the American dream and a gorgeous testament to the enduring bonds of family, Mbue’s powerful first novel will grip and move you right up to its heartfelt ending.”—Shelf Awareness “Mbue proves herself a clear-eyed, unflinching storyteller, and Behold the Dreamers is a fearless, head-on journey into the thorny contemporary issues of American exceptionalism.”—Interview Magazine “Gripping and beautifully told.”—Good Housekeeping “At once an ode to New York City and an elegy for the American Dream, Behold the Dreamers reads like a film, shuttling effortlessly between a Cameroonian chauffeur’s Harlem and an investment banker’s Upper East Side. . . . There are no heroes in this marvelous debut, only nuanced human beings. A classic tale with a surprise ending, as deeply insightful as it is entertaining.”—Taiye Selasi, author of Ghana Must Go “Mbue’s fantastic debut is much more than an immigrant story, a tale of the 2007 financial collapse, or the intersections of the rich and poor in New York—it’s about how the American Dream can fail anyone, and whether hope can survive. An empathetic, timely, and deeply welcome novel.”—J. Ryan Stradal, author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest “Eminently readable, deeply empathetic, and often humorous, Behold the Dreamers offers the stark reality of the American Dream as we rarely see it in fiction. In its pages, Americans are made, fortunes are won and lost, and America’s flawed dream-makers and its striving dreamers clash and come alive. With forthright prose and unforgettable characters, Behold the Dreamers is a subversive delight.”—Shawna Yang Ryan, author of Green Island“Imbolo Mbue would be a formidable storyteller anywhere, in any language. It’s our good luck that she and her stories are American.”—Jonathan Franzen, National Book Award–winning author of Purity and Freedom “Dazzling, fast-paced, and exquisitely written, Behold the Dreamers is one of those rare novels that will change the way you see the world. Imbolo Mbue is a breathtaking talent.”—Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train “Who is this Imbolo Mbue and where has she been hiding? Her writing is startlingly beautiful, thoughtful, and both timely and timeless. She’s taking on everything from family to the Great Recession to immigration while deftly reminding us what it means to truly believe in ‘the American Dream.’”—Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award–winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming and Another Brooklyn “It’s rare that a book is so fascinating, so emotionally compelling, and so beautiful that I literally can’t put it down. I picked Behold the Dreamers up one evening before bed. I turned the last page at dawn. It ruined the next day for me—I wasn’t much good for anything but a nap—but it was worth every lost hour.”—Ayelet Waldman, New York Times bestselling author of Love and Treasure “A beautiful book about one African couple starting a new life in a new land, Behold the Dreamers will teach you as much about the promise and pitfalls of life in the United States as about the immigrants who come here in search of the so-called American dream.”—Sonia Nazario, author of Enrique’s Journey and winner of the Pulitzer Prize“Among the spate of novels forged in the crucible of the previous decade, Mbue’s impressive debut deserves a singular place. . . . Realistic, tragic, and still remarkably kind to all its characters, this is a special book.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“A fast-paced, engaging read with an interesting cross-cultural background.”—Library Journal “The Jongas are . . . vivid, and the book’s unexpected ending—and its sharp-eyed focus on issues of immigration, race, and class—speak to a sad truth in today’s cutthroat world: the American dream isn’t what it seems.”—Publishers Weekly

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ Imbolo Mbue produces a thoughtful debut effort, but I could not finish it soon enough. She takes readers into the lives of an immigrant family from Cameroon living in NYC’s Harlem, working without fail to achieve better lives as they also struggle to stay one step ahead of INS and achieve green card status.Economic and social worlds collide as the husband, Jende, lands a job as a driver for a high level Lehman Brothers executive and his family – just a few months before Lehman disintegrates and kicks off the Great Recession. Soon, Jende and his wife, Neni, find themselves pulled into the messy personal lives of his (and eventually hers, too) employer, Clark Edwards, and his family. As Wall Street and the elite are rocked to their cores with the economic crisis, both the Edwardses and the Jongas find themselves facing devastating choices…And then things get worse, and worse again. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this book three or four years ago, before Trump arrived on the national stage and made the entire nation feel compromised, crisis-driven, and more aware than ever of the tawdry lives many choose to lead. But instead, this book just depressed the hell out of me. A total downer. I hope Mbue’s next book offers at least a little light, because she is a fine writer. But this book felt burdensome to me.

⭐ Behold the Dreamers is at once haunting, profound, and imminently readable. Mbue skillfully captures both the essence of Cameroonians in the diaspora, and the world of Wall Street during the 2008 recession. Weaving together the stories of 2 couples, profoundly different but bound together in their common humanity, she shows how the American dream ultimately eludes and almost destroys them both.As founder of a US 501C3 in partnership with my Cameroonian sisters and brothers to build a residential secondary school in Cameroon, I have traveled there numerous times. Mbue captures the essence of the strong sense of family, overflowing love and hospitality that I have been blessed to experience in Cameroon. I have often felt that we Americans have much to learn from them. In our pursuit of material well-being here in the US, we have lost the palpable spirituality and deep joy of many Cameroonians, in spite of the overwhelming hardships many face.Kudos to Imbolo Mbue for capturing so eloquently that which often eludes explanation. Highly readable, fast moving, and skillfully crafted, Behold the Dreamers will stay with you long after the last page is read.The Rev. Canon Elizabeth GeitzAuthor, I Am That Child: Changing Hearts and Changing the World, and moreImaginingTomorrow.org

⭐ The time: 2008The place: New York City. Well, to be exact a corner office on Wall Street with floor to ceiling windows offering a breathtaking view, a posh Upper East Side apartment that is decorated to the nines and a one-bedroom, cockroach-infested fifth-floor walk-up in Harlem.The main characters: Clark Edwards is a hotshot investment banker at Lehman Brothers, while his beautiful, too-thin wife, Cindy, spends her time shopping, lunching and summering in the Hamptons. Jende Jonga, an illegal immigrant from Cameroon, supports his wife, Neni, and their 6-year-old son, Liomi, doing whatever jobs he can find that do not require proof he is in the United States legally. Neni is in the country on a student visa and attends the local community college with dreams of becoming a pharmacist.The situation: Clark hires Jende to be his and the family’s full-time chauffeur, paying him $36,000 a year for 18-hour days. Jende is beside himself with happiness and hope for the future.And then…Lehman Brothers collapses.This magnificently written story by Imbolo Mbue is told entirely from the points of view of Jende and Neni. Clark and Cindy’s stories we learn from eavesdropping on their phone conversations while Jende drives them around New York City. Jende and Neni have very little, but they are bursting with dreams and hopes for the future. Meanwhile, Clark and Cindy are impossibly wealthy but have only faded hopes and squashed dreams. It is this contrast, even more than the differences of race, class and wealth, that sets up the story for the main plot when life for both couples irrevocably and tragically changes forever with the failure of Lehman Brothers.This remarkable story about the American dream—for those who desperately want it and those who indifferently have achieved it—is written with such verve and wisdom that it pierced my heart and soul. I highly recommend this book, which amazingly is Mbue’s first novel. I eagerly await her second book.

⭐ Neni and Jendi are Africans trying to make a home in America. They have two children, Liomi and Timba. They moved to America for a better life for the family. When Jendi lands a job driving a Wall Street Exec, he thinks that they will make it here. That is until he gets fired because of the economy. Lehman Bros, went down and the Exec lost his job too!The story is great and well written for a first novel. The author had a good story and used the characters to perfection. You got involved with each one and it helped in reading the story and staying in touch with the storyline.I would recommend it to my family and friends. Well done!

⭐ This book is so similar too Such A Fun Age (although the writing is Behold The Dreamers is better). Both books feature a poor black character who works for a rich white families. In both novels the white people are generous and try to help the poor famines (they are not “Karen’s” or racists) but in both books they are hated just for being white and wealthy (and not for their actions). There’s nothing positive about this book. It’s not inspirational. At best their best the characters are sad, at their worst they’re cruel.

⭐ very interesting read about the experience of African immigrants coming to the United States. Without firsthand knowledge, the issues and struggle seemed very well represented. The characters were inconsistent – sometimes you really liked them and at other times, you struggled to want to support them – but it all seemed very realistic and more appropriate that books where people are either good or bad. Well worth the read.

⭐ This book is one with a wise eye and a big heart. Jende and his wife come from Camaroon to make a better life for themselves and their son. He soon goes to work as a chauffeur for a rich family, a turn off luck for all.This author does an excellent job of writing truly human characters that are easy to understand, even when they are not at their best. Because the author shows that no one truly has it easy nor are just “good” or “bad”, generally. The story shows they gray areas that make decisions and living with the outcome a difficult slope.We also see the common lines between all and there is so much to love in this story. It made me laugh and cry, then immediately write this review to let people know that this bibliophile happily stands by all five stars she gave and exhort anyone who enjoys a well written story to read this book. I am so glad that I did.

⭐ This novel is based on a very current topic: immigration to the United States . It portrays the problems and emotions from the side of the immigrants. Although the u. S. Immigration policies should be followed, after reading this book , one feels the pain of those who truly believe that the US is the only land of opportunity and great promise. The disappointment that these people feel is painful!! It is truly a sad problem .

⭐ I found this story of a striving Cameroonian immigrant, his wife, his son, and the rich white Edwards family they work for in 2008 smart, delightful, believable, and moving. Jende Jonga has come from West Africa to New York for the American dream, skirting immigration rules, working under the table for cash, living in sketchy housing, and never quite able to get ahead. Clark Edwards, a big wheel at Lehman Brothers, hires Jende as a driver. Gradually the lives of the Jonga family and the Edwards family become intertwined as Clark’s wife hires Jende’s wife as a domestic servant and his sons and Jende’s son become friends. I won’t spoil the plot, but author Imbolo Mbue does a marvelous job capturing the voices and dreams of the Jongas and their immigrant community, the contrasts between New York and Cameroon, the cons to which naive immigrants too easily fall prey, and the ways they have to work a system designed to kick them out while native-born Americans eagerly exploit their willingness to work for low wages. Mbue has a big heart for the Edwards family too. They can be oblivious. Mrs. Edwards often behaves badly, driven by her anxieties and insecurities as a person from the wrong sided of the tracks who married money. But they’re not intentionally cruel. If you want a very entertaining, insightful look at the immigrant experience, this is it.

⭐ I wanted to like this book—a book about immigrants in the time of children being separated from their parents—but the uninspired writing, lack of character development, and missed opportunities to explore the complexities of the immigration experience made this book boring.I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, and it never really did.I have just joined a new book club, and I must say the discussion was very interesting. Although, with this group of thinkers I have a feeling that they can make almost any discussion interesting.The thing that surprised me, is that I could see a strength in the Neni’s decision to stay with her family in spite of all that had happened. While others in my book group saw this decision as weak, I thought she had great strength. That is perhaps one benefit of lightly drawn characters—you can see what you want to see, assign your own feelings and motivations to a character. But I see it as a cop out, especially because the decisions that the characters make, some that offend our American sensibility, is what this book is all about.

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