Suburban Sahibs: Three Immigrant Families And Their Passage from India to America (Paperback)

by S. Mitra Kalita (Author) "Pradip Kothari arrived in November 1972, unimpressed with what he saw..." (more)
Key Phrases: central jersey, tech boom, county college, United States, Middlesex County, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Beautifully written-a book to be enjoyed by all -- Bill Bradley, U.S. senator from New Jersey, 1979-1996 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description
Edison, New Jersey, is in many ways the quintessential American suburb - under an hour from New York City by train, subdivided neatly into houses with identical floor plans, and dotted with mini-malls, gas stations, and monster movie theaters. Named after the famous inventor of the light bulb, town officials often boast it is the place "where tomorrow was born." "Suburban Sahibs" urges that this adage might still ring true. As immigration has continuously redefined America, it has also radically transformed the American suburb. By tracing the migration of three families from India to central New Jersey, this book delves into how immigration has altered the American suburb, and how the suburb, in turn, has altered the immigrant. From movie theaters showing the songs and gyrations of "Bollywood" to valedictorians named Patel and Shah, signs are everywhere that Middlesex County is home to one of the largest Indian populations in the world outside India. Although the reception from long-time residents has not been entirely welcoming, Indians have come to achieve economic success and their desire for political and social parity continues to grow stronger. In this captivating narrative, journalist S. Mitra Kalita traces the evolution of the suburb from a destination for new arrivals to a launching pad for them. She focuses on three waves of immigration in the post-civil rights era through the stories of three families: the Kotharis, Patels and Sarmas. In the late nineteenth century, tourists descended upon Edison to gawk at its Christmas lights displays. Today, thousands of Indians from all over the United States arrive in the same bedroom community to celebrate their own festivals of lights and colors. "Suburban Sahibs" attempts to answer the question of how and why they arrived, and it offers a window into what America has become; a nation of suburbs as well as a nation of immigrants.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press; 2nd edition (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813536650
• ISBN-13: 978-0813536651
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #937,222 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For residents of Edison and beyond ..., November 11, 2003

By	M. Cortese "m_cortese" (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Suburban Sahibs: Three Immigrant Families and Their Passage from India to America (Hardcover)

Growing up in Middlesex County in the 1980s and early 1990s, I was always curious about the seemingly sudden and rapid entrance of Patels, Mehtas, and Guptas into my community. Where did they come from? How could they leave their families and their native country? Why did they choose 'here?' Why did 'our' stores on Oak Tree Road close? Kalita's 'Suburban Sahibs' provides that much needed insight with an eloquent and expressive narrative that should be required reading for anyone of any ethnicity living in Middlesex County now or then.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful and honest look into the immigrant experience., November 11, 2003

By	Arun S. Nava (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Suburban Sahibs: Three Immigrant Families and Their Passage from India to America (Hardcover)

Kalita evokes a sense of familiarity with the families while taking the reader through a breadth of immigrant experience. The writer tells a story of nonfiction with candor that is at once tender and witty. A must read for anyone with a desire to look through the window into the immigrant experience -- an experience rife with turmoil and triumph.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a multi-generational perspective on immigration, November 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Suburban Sahibs: Three Immigrant Families and Their Passage from India to America (Hardcover)

it reads like a novel but you come away actually learning something. by the end of the book, i felt like i had really gotten to know each of the characters, the place they lived and gotten some real insight into a community.