"S. Mitra Kalita's Suburban Sahibs is a wonderfully crafted story of the personal struggles and victories of three immigrant families from South Asia living in the New Jersey suburbs. Amazingly, what emerges through the prism of their narratives is a much broader portrait of life in America today. Beautifully written-a book to be enjoyed by all."-Bill Bradley, U.S. senator from New Jersey, 1979-1996

"Kalita is a young second-generation Indian American. Her work explains what it means to be both Indian and American today. The portraits in these pages are discerning and empathetic-and we are introduced to a new generation that instead of looking back is looking around itself."-Amitava Kumar, author of Passport Photos and Bombay-London-New York.

This book sheds new light on the pursuit of the American dream for the estimated 1.7 million Indians living in the United States. Suburban Sahibs delves into how immigration has altered the American suburb, and how the suburb, in turn, has altered the immigrant.

America has long been a destination for newcomers seeking better lives. In recent years, immigration by South Asians to the United States has increased dramatically, doubling between the 1990 and 2000 censuses. Unlike most of the European immigrants of the last century, however, many South Asians are moving directly to the suburbs rather than settling in large cities.

S. Mitra Kalita focuses on three waves of modern-day immigration through the stories of three families: the Kotharis, Patels, and Sarmas. Readers learn why these families decided to leave India, experience the tensions they encountered upon their arrival in the U.S., and witness the realities of life here for South Asians.

Middlesex County, New Jersey, is home to one of the largest Indian populations in the world outside India. Their mark on the region has been gradual but increasingly visible: auto-repair outlets named after "Deepa" and "Singh," a thriving commercial strip of sari stores and sweet shops, and valedictorians named Patel and Shah. The reception from long-time residents has not been entirely welcoming-Indian American shopkeepers regularly contend with vandalism. Yet, as Indians achieve economic success, their desire for political and social parity grows stronger and their acceptance in the U.S. is less of a question and more of a reality.

The experiences of South Asians described in these pages offer a window into what America has become: a nation of suburbs as well as a nation of immigrants.

S. Mitra Kalita, a former Newsday writer, is an education reporter for the Washington Post. The daughter of immigrants from the Indian state of Assam, Kalita has lived in Washington, New York, Puerto Rico, and the suburbs of New Jersey. She serves as president of the South Asian Journalists Association.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Prologue: A New Year
Deported from Home
The Patels' Journey
A Gold-Paved Entry
Exercising Rights
Wanting More
Shaky Ground
Destructive Times
Standing Room Only
Downturns
Under a Mango Tree
Meeting Elephants
Farewells
The Festival Family
Classified
The Victor
Epilogue
Notes
Selected Bibliography