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Comments (45)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 45 items
Feb 01, 2024tparriag rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
We need more of these voices, not only to tell our story to people born and raised in North America, but for those "back home" sho may still romanticize immigrating to another county of milk and honey.
Apr 08, 2023ryner rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
As a new immigrant in the United States, Jende is hoping to give his family a standard of living and opportunities they would never have had in their native Cameroon. His wife Neni is now attending college, and he has landed an agreeable…
Feb 08, 2022firebird770 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The title fits so well with the characters. Well written and fast moving by a woman who knows first hand and has experienced life in Cameroon and America. She balances topics of immigration, marriages in trouble, friendships and…
Dec 31, 2021jhurly rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
An extraordinarily moving, visceral story of an immigrant family in New York. Mbue poignantly describes the delicate, and often difficult, balance of living between two cultures, the process of acculturation, and the ultimate defeat of…
Dec 23, 2021trickbag22 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Jende and Neni are immigrants from a poor country in Africa where there is little hope of bettering oneself financially or in respectability. They come to America and are hoping to gain green card status. Through a number of circumstances…
Oct 24, 2021
Read this. Discussed at a book club. Good, but not enough to read again.
Aug 25, 2021IndyPL_TheresaC rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The Story of a young Cameroonian family who believed that they could achieve the American dream. The husband Jende gets a job as a chauffeur for Clark Edwards, an executive for Lehman Brothers, and is now able to send money home, provide…
Apr 20, 2021IntrovertReader rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book, about a family of Cameroonian immigrants who live in New York at the beginning of the 2008 recession, was thought-provoking. Sometimes the “American Dream” is just too hard or it’s not all that legends make it out to be.…
Dec 29, 2020nain8 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book is great, with some very emotional parts that make you really contemplate the situation. Personally, I was able to relate to some parts of the story and really enjoyed the relatability of it. Also, I liked the ending even though…
Dec 16, 2020brenreadss rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
an amazing and very true dialogue of what it means to be an immigrant and surviving in america for the first time. this story is heartbreaking but valiant while connecting two totally different families through themes of similarity. mbue…
Dec 11, 2020joe_strnad rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable fiction that thoughtfully touches on issues of race/class/gender. Characters and themes are morally complex. The ending is not what I was expecting or wanting, but that's life... Plus, this is Jende and Neni's story and they…
Sep 15, 2020sjanke2 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This is one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to (thanks for the rec, Cale!). Prentice Onayemi is an extraordinarily talented narrator, and I will seek out his other audiobook projects. This book, its characters, and their plights…
Aug 23, 2020dekelpodolsky rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
What a great book! Easy to read, captivating and very real. Would particularly speak to anyone who is an immigrant. Thought provoking about the parallelism between the economic crisis of 2008 and the current Covid-19 one.
Apr 15, 2020susan_findlay rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This book shouldn't have taken as long to read as it did, but Covid-19 happened, leaving me with no time for anything outside of work and family. With that out of the way, I thought this book was a fantastic look into a lifestyle I've…
Jul 18, 2019
This book is about a couple from Cameroon who are living in New York City and are actively trying to secure their papers so they can stay. It is also about an American couple who hire the African husband to be their chauffeur. The two…
Jun 22, 2019nalahblueberry5 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this easy to read, full of believeable characters and foreign culture novel. Good job. Would read her again, for sure
Jun 13, 2019
26 copies. 12 available. American dream immigrant story. Cameroon culture.
Feb 13, 2019cycloPhil rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Good reflection on how quickly the American dream falls apart when immigrants see the real US. Nice dive into a bit of Cameroonian culture too.
Feb 12, 2019joianng rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
i cried though this entire book and the ending just made me want to jump off a cliff. It was so captivating and emotion pulling and the ending just upset me. But that's how you know its a good book. I finished it in about 4 days. Real page…
Jan 19, 2019Linyarai rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I read this for the "A Character That Is An Immigrant" part of my 2019 reading challenge. I found it pretty slow, I enjoyed the first half of the story more than the second half. I was pretty disappointed in his decision in the end.
Oct 29, 2018mayog rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Imbolo Mbue holds up a mirror to the American Dream and raises all sorts of questions about its worth, questions worth pondering through the eyes of these two families. Set at the advent of the Obama era, Mbue's story of Cameroonian…
Jun 22, 2018LPL_KateG rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
My book club enjoyed this and had a great discussion about immigration, the American Dream, class differences in various places, and what it means to live a satisfying life. This novel was compelling and had characters who were complex and…
May 23, 2018MyTake rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I loved the pace, the plot twists, the references to another culture. It's impressive that this book is her first. I look forward to reading other books that she may write.
Apr 07, 2018orange_lobster_23 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The lives of Cameroonian immigrants aspiring U.S. citizens and Jende Jonga and his wife Nendi become intertwined with that of his Lehman executive employer and family in this tense and heart-breaking story set in 2007 N.Y.C. A sad and…
Mar 29, 2018uncommonreader rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
This is not a badly written book, but it tells an ordinary story through a rose-tinted lens. A family of immigrants from Cameroon, believing in the American dream, are desperate to stay in the United States for its material benefits. The…