Aarti Namdev Shahani’s ‘American Dreams, American Nightmares’

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Most Americans have an immigration story somewhere in their family history, but ever since the founding of our nation, people have been asking who truly belongs in America. At a time when the immigration debate is at the forefront of political divisiveness, a new book by NPR tech correspondent Aarti Namdev Shahani, Here We Are: American Dreams, American Nightmares, explores the compelling questions of citizenship by unraveling the complicated story of one family’s immigrant narrative.

Like many immigration stories, Shahani’s present-day story is filled with both tragedy and hope. Born to Indian parents living in Casablanca, Shahani came to the United States as a 6-year-old in the early 1980s. Her family settled in Flushing, Queens, N.Y., and her father opened a small business selling electronics, but after he was accused of having dealings with a notorious Colombian drug cartel, their entire family became entangled in the U.S. legal system. In her memoir, Here We Are, Shahani exposes the government’s poor treatment of immigrants and the racism often present in the criminal justice system. Through her passionate, witty and wise writing, she demonstrates how the aftereffects of 9/11 compounded her family’s already difficult situation and proves that bureaucratic systems do not always serve those they are intended to protect.

Shahani spent years working on her father’s defense and describes how, as a young adult, she founded a nonprofit to help other immigrant families find their way to freedom. Her debut book is a textured portrait of American immigration as well as a love letter to her father.

Aarti Namdev Shahani will converse with Joy Powers, producer of WUWM’s Lake Effect, at Milwaukee Public Library’s Centennial Hall on Sunday, October 13, at 2 p.m.