10 Minute Reads: Behold the Dreamers
A 10 minute summary and brief review of Imbolo Mbue’s debut novel.
In her debut novel, Imbolo Mbue tells the story of the illegal immigrant chauffeur of a Lehman Brother’s executive before, during, and after the mortgage crisis that led to the worst US economic collapse since the great depression. Millions of lives were turned upside down.
Traditionally we hear the story from American families that lost everything, but Mbue gives us the story from the perspective of two Cameroonian immigrants, a husband and a wife — two sides of a coin. A husband who loves and respects what America has to offer his family, and who is grateful and humbled by the acts of caring and kindness from his American employers. And a wife, who is racist and xenophobic, disliking and distrusting Americans because of the color of their skin and/or country of origin.
Behold the Dreamers gives an in depth look at a few of the problems surrounding illegal immigration in the US and gives a provides poignant argument for immigration reform in America.
Jende Jonga is finally in the United States. His tumultuous life in Cameroon, Africa is over and now he is living the American dream in New York City. Jende’s tribe in Cameroon have been immigrating to America one extended family member at a time. Once one person is settled, they call for the next, helping each other make the trip and build a chain of support in North America one link at a time. Each person that makes the journey must lie to immigration officials about why they want to come to America, and their length of stay.
Jende goes to great lengths to prove that he will only be staying in America for three months. But his cousins assure him that once he is in America, he will be able to tie up his case in US immigration courts for decades, whether or not he is able to ever become an American citizen.
Jende starts working illegally, and eventually saves enough money for his wife, Neni, and his son, Liomi to join him in New York. They hire a lawyer, Babukar, to handle their immigration case. They are now trying to claim asylum. They have lied to the immigration courts, claiming that Jende will be killed if he returns to Cameroon. And while Jende was placed in prison for four months when he was younger because he impregnated Neni before they were married, he is still unsure about hanging his future on such an egregious lie.
Really, Jende and Neni know that if they’re to return to Cameroon they’ll be embarrassed, and feel like failures. They desire a life in America where there is more financial opportunity. Neni is accepted to college and dreams of becoming a pharmacist.
After two years of living in New York, Jende has managed to get working papers and nabs a job as a chauffeur for an executive at Lehman Brothers, Mr. Edwards. Neni is still working illegally part-time, and going to school full time. Jende looks up to the Americans with respect, and longs to be a part of their way of life. He tries hard to assimilate to the culture, learn American customs, and make American friends.
Neni is not only skeptical of American culture, she’s racist and xenophobic. She loves the monetary opportunity that America provides, but she wishes to stay with her “own kind”, leaving no desire to even speak to white Americans. She refuses to drink at a bar or attend a party where white people will be. Neni looks at white people and believes they’re inherently gluttonous, lazy, uncaring, and/or evil just because of the color of their skin.
Neni’s African friends also do not think kindly of white Americans. They gossip negatively about them, talking about how terrible and shameful it would be if they found out they had any white people in their ancestral lines. They implore their children not to turn out like the “white kids”. Neni even concedes that Mrs. Edwards and her friends are nice and respectful to Neni, welcoming her as an equal — but Neni second guesses their motives, instead deciding the white women must be two-faced. Mrs. Edwards provides Neni and Jende with (some new, some used) clothing, toys, and medicine for their son and she even writes him letters to read on his sick bed. Mrs. Edwards also provides new and used clothing and supplies for Neni and Jende. Yet still Neni continues her racist beliefs about white Americans.
Over the summer, Neni is hired on by Jende’s boss as a temporary housekeeper/nanny assigned to help the family during their month long vacation to the Hamptons. Neni develops a close relationship with Mrs. Clark. She finds that even though the Clarks are rich, that doesn’t mean money solves all of their problems. Mrs. Edwards shares with Neni tales of her troubled past. Born a product of rape, and forced to live with an abusive mother, and now in a troubled marriage; Mrs. Edward’s drinks too much wine to cope with her issues. Her life is much more complicated than Neni originally thought.
After one particularly tumultuous fight with Mr. Edwards, Neni finds Mrs. Edwards in the master bedroom with a prescription of Vicodin and a half consumed bottle of wine. Neni takes a picture of Mrs. Edwards’ zoned-out state before helping her run a bath.
Mr. Edwards meanwhile, is a man struggling under the strain of 1,000 pounds of problems. His career at Lehman Brothers may be coming to an abrupt end. Mr. Edwards can the banking company’s policies and procedures could have a catastrophic impact on the American economy. He is begging his executives to consider a new path forward for the company, before it’s too late. He has actually fought for years with those in charge, trying to steer the company back to its moral roots.
Despite his efforts, Lehman has fallen. Life continues to get worse for the Edwards family when dark secrets come to light in supermarket tabloids. Mr. Edwards’ proclivities for prostitutes has been made public. He takes a job with Barclay’s, but his marriage and life seem to be in shambles.
Neni joins Judson Memorial “Church”. Although it’s not a Christian establishment, or an establishment based on faith of any kind. When Neni asks to be baptized as a Christian believer who believes in Jesus Christ as the son of God and the holy trinity — the church staff laughs and tells her they don’t believe in anything and they don’t care if she believes in anything either. Neni is at ease with these people despite at first having harsh thoughts because of their race (they’re white) and tells them of her and Jende’s latest immigration woes. Jende is set to appear before immigration court in one month and the case has a poor outlook.
Neni walks home from the church meeting, and sees protesters in the street yelling foul-mouthed attacks at the US government over the banking scandal. Admiring the protesters, she longs to be a US citizen so she too can advocate against the US government without being afraid of deportation.
At work, Jende is caught in a lose/lose situation. In an effort to stay out of his bosses’ personal business, he has lied by omission to Mrs. Edwards about the prostitutes. Jende is ultimately let go from his position.
Neni is determined to do something to help her husband. She goes to Mrs. Edwards with the picture she took in the Hamptons and blackmails her for ten thousand dollars in cash, telling her former boss she will send the photo to TMZ if she isn’t given money. Neni hates Mrs. Edwards and believes she is an evil person.
Mrs. Edwards falls into a deep depression after the blackmail encounter with Neni, and never recovers. She slips into a dangerous routine of opioid addiction and alcoholism and dies two months later. Instead of taking any personal responsibility for what has transpired; Neni blames America.
Jende is broken in this situation. He is working three jobs and sixteen hours a day, six days a week. Neni will need to drop out of school because they cannot afford tuition and the college only offers assistance to American citizens. They receive free healthcare and schooling for their children despite working tax-free, cash jobs, but it isn’t enough. There are no more better paying jobs, American families and illegal immigrants alike are losing their homes. The economic collapse is taking its toll on everyone.
Jende longs to return to Cameroon. He believes their luck has run out in America and with the money they’ve saved between his working for the Edwards family, and Neni’s blackmailing, he believes they can live a rich life in Africa.
Despite her dislike for white people, Neni now longs to stay in America rather than face the shame that she feels would accompany them back to Cameroon. Neni starts to hatch hair-brained schemes to stay. She wants to divorce Jende and marry an American citizen for a green card. She wants to give both of their children up for adoption to an American family so they don’t have to leave for Cameroon. During one particularly terrible fight, Jende slaps Neni repeatedly, hoping to knock some sense back into his wife. She forgives him, but their marriage continues to break apart.
Neni goes to Judson Memorial and seeks advice. The “pastor” tells her she will support her regardless, but advises her against these terrible ideas. They raise $1,400 for the family to take with them back to Cameroon and give a rousing speech about how America has been unkind to this family of illegal immigrants.
Full of shame and defeat, Jende files the paperwork to close his immigration case and willfully return to Cameroon. He seeks out Mr. Edwards to say goodbye and thank him for giving him such an opportunity. Mr. Edwards gives Jende a $2,000 gift — having no idea that Jende’s wife blackmailed Mrs. Edwards for $10,000 just before spiraling into the deep depression that brought on her demise.
Defeat and shame morph into hope. The monetary exchange rate between America and Cameroon is very good, and the $21,400 they’ve saved/procured will make them millionaires in Cameroon several times over. Jende is able to secure a new life for his family, with a mansion, maids, and cars. He is able to open his own farming business and send his children to the best schools in Cameroon, schools that will allow them to go to college in America or Canada when they’re old enough.
Despite their climbing into the Cameroon upper class, Neni isn’t happy. She decides that she loves New York, and still doesn’t want to return to Cameroon no matter how rich and powerful they’ll be when they get there. She takes her only bit of solace and joy from the fact that she will be in a league of her own compared to the other women of Cameroon with her designer clothes and American wigs, perfumes, jewelry, make-up, and lotions. Neni takes pleasure in going to great lengths to be certain the other Cameroonian women know how much she outclasses them.
For his part, Jende is extremely happy. He feels excited to be back with his family and is proud of the money they were able to obtain in America and the life he is now able to provide for his family in Cameroon.
Behold the Dreamers is an interesting and somewhat confounding read in that it doesn’t seem to shed (illegal) immigration in the best light, despite being written as a fictional advocation for simpler and less strict immigration laws.
The writing itself is beautifully done and engaging, and I expect to read more fantastic works from Imbolo Mbue, who is an extremely talented writer, in the future.
Book Ranking: 6/10
Have a book you’d recommend? Share your thoughts below and you may find a summary and review of your choice in an upcoming article.
Secret Coran-Stacy is an author, entrepreneur, artist, and philanthropist living the dream as a middle class suburbanite in Central Arkansas. Find out more by visiting www.secretstacy.com
