Behold the Dreamers

A Novel

De: Imbolo Mbue

Narrado por: Prentice Onayemi

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

A wonderful story from start to finish.

I could not put this book down. Loved the New York setting. I also found the background of the immigrant story enlightening.
A must read for anyone.

Thank you for telling our story

very relatable and heartfelt story. as a Cameroonian myself living in the United States and having grown up in Cameroon, I completely hear the author. I wish a Cameroonian read the story though... it would have been nice to hear Buea well pronounced or our pidgin well spoken. overall, I loved it!!!!!

I usually zone out but could not stop listening!

Beautiful story. Honest and heartwarming. The narrator was incredible! He really made all the characters come alive.

Lovely and personal

What a very moving story of the struggle of an immigrant family to make their way in America. Lovely narration and very direct, personal voice.

loved it

Loved the narration. Great story and very eye opening to what it's like to be an immagrant in America.

Loved it all!

Loved everything about this book, but I must emphasize the incredible performance of Prentice Onayemi. He really brought this book to life.

Wished the story would never end...

Great characters, wonderful descriptions of places, and believable circumstances all combined to make a fabulous read. The narrator performed so well that each character was made more alive in the voice the narrator used. A truly heartfelt story, I wished the story would never end.

Good book, fair narrator

As a US citizen originally from Cameroon, this book was quite entertaining. I did not grow up in Limbe and had only visited once when I was 4. I grew up in Yaounde which I left in my late teens to come to the States so I couldn't identify with a few of the generalizations in this book which I thought were peculiar to some and not all regions in Cameroon. All the same, I enjoyed the book because in addition to the feelings of nostalgia it brought up in me, it also brought up laughter and tears.
I must say, however, that I wish a Cameroonian narrator had been used to narrate the book. As much as the narrator tried his best, his accent was not like a Cameroonian's and a lot of words were mispronounced such as Limbe which he called Limbé, etc.
Good book overall.

👍👍

i absolutely loved this book!! im happy they went back home. im happy the husband didnt find out anything

Stepping into another's shoes

Enjoyed seeing NY city through others' eyes. Interesting to read about the cultural differences between the United States and Cameroon.
Beautifully told story.