Customer Reviews

Immigrant, Inc.: Why Immigrant Entrepreneurs Are Driving the New Economy (and how they will save the American worker)

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4 star:		(3)
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The achievements documented in this book are impressive. Immigrants co-founded half the high-tech companies in Silicon Valley and a quarter of the biotech companies in New England. Immigrants are more likely than other Americans to launch companies and to obtain patents. Intel, co-founded by Hungarian immigrant Andrew Grove, employs 90,000 people, while Google, co-founded by Russian immigrant Sergey Brin, employs 20,000. An immigrant from India, Vinod Khosla, co-founded Sun Microsystems. The CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi, is Indian-born. News Corp. chief executive Rupert Murdoch is an immigrant from Australia. Yahoo! was founded by Jerry Yang, an immigrant from Taiwan; Paypal by Elon Musk, an immigrant from South Africa; eBay by Pierre Omidyar, an immigrant from France.

The authors focus on a few lesser-known immigrant success stories and tell them in some detail. There are Te-Ming Chiang, an immigrant from Taiwan, and Ric Fulop, an immigrant from Venezuela, who founded the battery-maker A123, which powers Black & Decker's professional power tools. There is Monte Ahuja, an immigrant from India who started working as a ditch-digger and sleeping on a cot at a Y in Cleveland, then founded Transtar Industries, which he built into the world's largest seller of transmission parts, with 1,800 employees and $500 million in annual revenues.

There is Farouk Shami, who was the most successful hairdresser in Ramallah, in the West Bank, and who after coming to America founded a shampoo, hair dye, and nail polish company with $1 billion a year in revenues. And Quy "Charlie" Ton, an immigrant from Vietnam whose more than 1,000 Regal Nails outlets are America's largest chain of nail salons.

Why the success? To some degree, immigrants are a self-selecting group. "To immigrate is an entrepreneurial act," the authors quote Edward Roberts, founder of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center, as saying.

Expanding immigration and overhauling immigration law seems to lag behind the Obama administration's other priorities, such as "stimulus," health care, financial regulation, and carbon reduction. But the authors make a case that changes to immigration laws could help close the federal deficit by creating more growth and more taxpayers, adding between $66 billion and $100 billion to federal revenues over 10 years. In the end judgments about immigration policy will, or should, turn less on calculations about the federal fisc and more on assessments of America's national character as a refuge and a place where newcomers can innovate and build new lives, as have the contemporary characters whose stories are so compellingly told in this book.

I found this book truly inspirational. "Immigrant, Inc." was well researched and clearly written, giving insight into the personalities and motivations of many of today's immigrants. Thank goodness there are people, such as these authors, who can shed light on the important and constructive aspects of immigration, especially in light of the overwhelming negative discussion that seems to pervade our media. I didn't know what to expect in this book, but I found it a pleasure to read and also an interesting window into the current, hot new ideas driving today's economy.

As one who has heard the stories of my ancestors for years, and traced their journeys from Italy to Ellis Island and beyond, I immediately purchased this book and couldn't have been happier to have done so. It is original, honest, thought-provoking, and in many ways inspirational. I too, am an immigrant, having emigrated to Italy, nearly 20 years ago, so the book fills me with a certain amount of pride. It not only reveals the importance of allowing new blood and new ideas into the lifestream of the U.S., or any country, but Robert Smith's book is a testament to the necessity of a brotherhood among nations.

Immigrants, Inc. is a well-written and well-researched book that should be read by anyone living in a big city who has a desire to better understand the person sitting next to them on the bus or standing in line with them trying to buy their weekday lunch. Although San Francisco isn't the biggest of cities, the racial and cultural diversity here is enormous and I found this book extremely enlightening in a way that helps me relate better to the various people I encounter on a daily basis.

It was hard to put this book down! Herman and Smith have wonderfully articulated and supported something I have been thinking about for years. This is such an important point and such a great book that I bought ten copies to give away. One friend I gave it to, an immigrant himself who planned to start a business, is so inspired that he has now accelerate his plans. Extremely well researched- the authors have included fascinating statistics that make a compelling case. The interviews are fun to read and give insight into the lives and dreams of immigrants today. As a grandchild of four immigrants, I am amazed at how many grandchildren of immigrants in this country seem to forget that they are that. I wish everyone would read this book. We should welcome and encourage immigrants- we will need their help!

I really do beleive this book is a must read whether you are a Immigrant yourself or trying to gain a better understanding of the value system behind Immigrants in this country. Herman and Smith do a great job of opening up the issues with our current immigration policies and taking us beyond the Mexican border.

Wow. What an awesome book. I'll admit I was a bit skeptical at first, fearing Immigrant, Inc. would be too academic. But the writing is fast-paced and the authors include plenty of interviews to keep it real. Immigrant, Inc. is an essential reminder of the ingredients that made this country great and the need to look back at our roots during these difficult ecomonic times. Richard Herman and Robert Smith argue convincingly that without the fresh energy, skills and work ethic of immigrants, our ecomony would go stale. As the daughter of an immigrant myself, I appreciate their perspective even more. I have a feeling this book will remain in print for years to come. It's a wonderful tool for any entrepreneur and, really, it's just a great read.

This book will appeal to many who like reading story after story of success and hope (and many do as is obvious from the massive success of the Chicken Soup series of books). I don't happen to be one of those people (though I do like a story scattered here and there) and so the delivery mechanism used was difficult for me to push through. However, even if you are like me and dislike lessons by parably only, you should consider this book as it contains valuable insights into the benefits immigrants are bringing to the United States. Don't buy into the myths that say immigrants get tax holidays and free loans that are not available to U.S.-born citizens. Are there programs for these people? Yes, but similar programs exist, with more funds available, for U.S.-born special groups too. The point is that we need the knowledge, culture variation and sweat-and-blood work ethic of these people and this book shows how we can learn from them.

Here we are, born in the ultimate location on planet earth and because we've grown up and lived our lives here without developing wildly successful businesses, we assume the immigrants who do must have an advantage. They do have an advantage - the same drive the pushed them to immigrate pushes them to succeed once they are here. This book makes this truth unquestionably clear.

If you're like me and one story for each point is sufficient, you might consider skimming through chapters 3-8, but make sure you fully read chapters 1-2 and 9-Appendix. They contain most of the non-story content and it is must read content. I only gave the book four stars from a personal preference perspective (which is what these reviews are for), but I wanted you to know that if the entire book was like chapters 1-2 and 9-Appendix, I would have gladly given it five stars. If you like a lot of stories, you will think this is a five star book, I'm sure.

Bob Smith and Richard Herman have combined wonderful storytelling with many facts and statistics to create an insightful look on the positive impact of immigrants. Written for both lay readers and professionals, entepreneurs, and anyone interested in immigration issues, Immigrant, Inc. shines light on both the positive attitudes and impact of immigrants. After reading the stories of many of the immigrants portrayed in this book, I gained a new respect for the determination, perserverance, and sense of adventure in immigrants. The positive impact it has had on me is to remind myself to "think like an immigrant." Wonderful read!

I work in the airline industry and love to travel around the world. "Immigrant, Inc." put into words what I've felt all along ----that taking risks and travelling outside of my native USA (and outside of my comfort zone) is essential to really understanding the beauty of other cultures, and the immense opportunities that are offered in America. I'm not an immigrant, but i enjoyed how this book spoke to Americans, encouraging me to "think like an immigrant" and to continue exploring opportunity wherever I might find it. Cool read. Happy travels!