Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

A compulsively readable debut novel about marriage, immigration, class, race, and the trapdoors in the American Dream--the unforgettable story of a young Cameroonian couple making a new life in New York just as the Great Recession upends the economy

New York Times Bestseller * Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award * Longlisted for the PEN/Open Book Award * An ALA Notable Book

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY 
NPR * The New York Times Book Review * San Francisco Chronicle * The Guardian * St. Louis Post-Dispatch * Chicago Public Library * BookPage * Refinery29 * Kirkus Reviews 

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

Imbolo Mbue was born in the Cameroonian seaside town of Limbe. She has a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University and a master's degree from Columbia University. She has been a resident of the United States for over a decade and currently resides in New York City. Her critically praised debut novel, Behold the Dreamers, earned the 2017 PEN/Faulkner Prize for Fiction and was named one of the best books of 2016 by The New York Times and The Washington Post. NPR, Kirkus Reviews, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Guardian, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch all rated it a best book of 2016.

The Post-Dispatch is a newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2017, the novel was also awarded the Blue Metropolis Words to Change Prize.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780525509714
ISBN 10	0525509712
Title	Behold the Dreamers
Author	Imbolo Mbue
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Penguin Putnam Inc
Year published	2017-06-26
Number of pages	416
Prizes	Winner of PEN/Faulkner Award 2017
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.