Here We Are: American Dreams, American Nightmares [B1075]

2019 HCDJ 1st edition in nice clean condition. A heartfelt memoir of the immigrant experience from NPR Silicon Valley correspondent Aarti Shahani. After arriving in New York City in the 1980s, the Shahani family opens a small electronics store. Aarti, their youngest child, wins a scholarship to one of Manhattan's most elite prep schools. They are well on their way to the American Dream, until their fortunes turn. When they mistakenly sell watches and calculators to the wrong people-members of the Cali drug cartel-the family gets caught in a legal case that destroys them, incrementally, over the course of 15 years. Here We Are is the hearing the Shahani family never had, despite all the time they spent being judged. Aarti's father never recovers from the humiliation. And she, who has the chance to leave and live a better life, forever feels singularly defined by his (and their) crisis. She's torn between moving on and looking back. This family saga is full of colorful characters: a feisty mom who'll take sewing shears to anyone who threatens her blood; a big brother, caught between the Old World and New, who agrees to an arranged marriage; a big sister who refuses to lose her sense of humor, even in the notorious jail Rikers Island. As we follow the Shahanis' extreme ups and downs, Here We Are becomes a fascinating insider account of the elusive nature of legality and of the deep schism in American culture by which the "deserving" are deified and the "undeserving" demonized, at times relentlessly. Ultimately, Here We Are is a coming-of-age story, a love letter from an outspoken modern daughter to her soft-spoken Old World father.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "This true story is very relevant given our situation with immigration in America today. This is a story of Aarti Shahani, now a NPR correspondent, growing up in Queens, NY after moving from India. It's the true story of what happens to undocumented immigrants upon entering the US, how they navigate immigration and documentation status and how they are treated. This story was written in 2019 and her family's situation happened prior to 2001, so even though immigration issues have been currently bubbling in our country, this story proves that our justice system has always been broken. Shahani is an incredible storyteller and she's had quite a life. You walk away from this book with a deep appreciation for the immigrants in our country. I don't want to give too much away about this book, but I highly recommend it."; "Important story about the strength of love and the power dynamics in America. This book is relatable and important - like Shahani says, America is a country of immigrants and we all have an immigration status. When I come across books written by NPR journalists, I am compelled to read them since it's nearly guaranteed they will be well-written and easy to finish."