Imbolo Mbue's 2016 novel Behold the Dreamers is the story of Jende Jonga and his family
recent immigrants from Cameroon and Clark Edwards and his WASP family. Clark has amassed great
wealth as an executive at Lehman Brothers a major investment bank. It is Jende's good fortune
to be hired by Clark as his chauffeur enabling his wife to finance a course to become a
pharmacist. A seemingly bright future for both families: the fulfilment of the American Dream.
But the onset of the Great Recession of 2007 - 2008 leads to the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers.
Clark and Jende lose their jobs along with many others. How do the two families cope with the
crisis? Will Jende and his family be permitted to stay in America? Issues of immigration race
and class marriage and family life provide much food for discussion. This edition includes
an interview with the author and a short biography as well as carefully researched
annotations.
