How May I Help You?
An Immigrant's Journey from MBA to Minimum Wage
Format:Hardback
Publisher:University of California Press
Published:3rd Mar '17
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
In this moving and insightful work, Deepak Singh chronicles his downward mobility as an immigrant to a small town in Virginia. Armed with an MBA from India, Singh can get only a minimum-wage job in an electronics store. Every day he confronts unfamiliar American mores, from strange idioms to deeply entrenched racism. Telling stories through the unique lens of an initially credulous outsider who is "fresh off the plane," Singh learns about the struggles of his colleagues: Ron, a middle-aged African-American man trying to keep his life intact despite health concerns; Jackie, a young African-American woman diligently attending school after work; and Cindy, whose matter-of-fact attitude helps Deepak adapt to his job and his new life. How May I Help You? is an incisive take on life in the United States and a reminder that the stories of low-wage employees can bring candor and humanity to debates about work, race, and immigration.
"An interesting look at a puzzling society-ours-from the point of view of a sympathetic but not uncritical outsider." Kirkus Reviews "With careful candor and clarity, [Deepak Singh] shows the challenges facing new immigrants and the effort it takes to surmount them." Booklist
ISBN: 9780520293304
Dimensions: 210mm x 140mm x 23mm
Weight: 454g
305 pages