This book is my personal story of just how elusive the American Dream can be. I share my struggle as I work long shifts as a caregiver and Uber driver to make ends meet while I apply for legal status, hoping to bring my wife and children.

But this is more than just my story. It serves as a clarifying backdrop for the global migrant crisis and a rallying cry for change.

Here, I share not only my personal experiences as someone who has to take 3D (dirty, dangerous, and demeaning) jobs to survive, but the stories of other migrants I have met along the way as well. It is a rare and emotional insider's look at what it's like to leave everything for a better life for your family, only to be blocked at every turn.

My own harrowing journey as a Black African essential worker points toward an enlightened path away from corporate greed and exploitation, introducing a different political conversation about why I, and so many fellow migrants, are looking westward for better lives. Yasin Kakande is an international journalist, TED Global Fellow, and author of several critically praised non-fiction books, including Why We Are Coming and Slave States, which offer fresh perspectives on immigration and geopolitics.

His journalism career includes contributions to outlets such as The New York Times, Thomson Reuters, Al Jazeera, The National, and The Boston Globe. Yasin holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College and resides outside Boston.

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