Behold the Dreamers (Oprah's Book Club)

A Novel

By: Imbolo Mbue

Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

A compulsively listenable 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.

Named one of BuzzFeed's "Incredible New Books You Need to Read This Summer".

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.

©2016 Imbolo Mbue (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Imbolo Mbue would be a formidable storyteller anywhere, in any language. It's our good luck that she and her stories are American." (Jonathan Franzen, National Book Award-winning author of Purity and Freedom)

"Dazzling, fast-paced, and exquisitely written, Behold the Dreamers is one of those rare novels that will change the way you see the world. Imbolo Mbue is a breathtaking talent." (Christina Baker Kline, number-one New York Times best-selling author of Orphan Train)

"Who is this Imbolo Mbue and where has she been hiding? Her writing is startlingly beautiful, thoughtful, and both timely and timeless. She's taking on everything from family to the Great Recession to immigration while deftly reminding us what it means to truly believe in 'the American dream.'" (Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming and Another Brooklyn)

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.

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.

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!!!!!

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.

Wonderful story - wonderful narrator!

You feel truly transported into these peoples' lives. The ups and down and joys and sorrows - you're right there with them. Narrator's accents are wonderful.

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