How May I Help You?: An Immigrant's Journey from MBA to Minimum Wage

by Deepak Singh

In this moving and insightful work, Deepak Singh chronicles his downward mobility as an immigrant to a small town in Virginia. Armed with an MBA from India, Singh can get only a minimum-wage job in an electronics store. Every day he confronts unfamiliar American mores, from strange idioms to deeply entrenched racism.   Telling stories through the unique lens of an initially credulous outsider who is “fresh off the plane,” Singh learns about the struggles of his Ron, a middle-aged African-American man trying to keep his life intact despite health concerns; Jackie, a young African-American woman diligently attending school after work; and Cindy, whose matter-of-fact attitude helps Deepak adapt to his job and his new life.   How May I Help You? is an incisive take on life in the United States and a reminder that the stories of low-wage employees can bring candor and humanity to debates about work, race, and immigration.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, India, Social Justice

283 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 14, 2017

About the author

Deepak Singh was born in 1973 in the city of Lucknow, India. He has worked for the BBC World Service. He is a freelance journalist and a radio producer. His work has been featured on NPR’s affiliate WVTF, PRI’s The World, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and World Vision Report. He divides his time between India and America.

Reviews

[Susan O'Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what I expected with this memoir. Whatever it was, I came away with much more when I turned the last page of "How May I Help You? An Immigrant's Journey from MBA to Minimum Wage."

Singh brought me into his world - a world of struggles not in a desperate country, but one of desperation to fit into the American dream. A MBA does him no good as he's forced to start at the bottom in a new country. It's not just a new job, but a new life that he faces, one where he has to take new steps each day to learn the culture, the language, social customs and more.

He opened this reader's eyes to look beyond the name badge and see the person standing there. This should be required reading for all new managers with international staffs. Good job, Deepak Singh!

ARC provided by NetGalley

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. It surprised me, maybe because the story of how Singh came to the United States is different from how I had pictured the usual pattern of Indian immigration before reading it: educated, usually well-to-do people coming for additional education in medicine and the sciences, and then staying. Singh comes from a middle class - but not wealthy - family which values achievement and education, and Singh's acceptance into a prestigious MBA program is celebrated: this is his big chance.

He works hard, although he doesn't really like his profession. He also achieves success in pubic broadcasting. But then comes the unexpected event that changes his life: he falls in love with an American woman, a doctoral student in anthropology, who is studying in India for a year.

They marry, but then she must return to North Carolina to continue her studies and her career, and within a few months, Singh decides to join her. So he arrives in North Carolina and is flung into a storm of culture shock. He has to wait while he gets a work permit. Everything is so strange to him. He and his wife live with other under-funded young academics; she's busy and, of course, her demeanor is different back home in her own society. Deepak (and this is cool, I learn to pronounce his not uncommon name: it's THEE-puck) is unable to use his Indian MBA and eventually finds himself employed at a Radio Shack-like electronics store in a nearby mall.

His tale of acclimation, of his experiences in retail sales (so painful, funny, and familiar to those of us who've done retail), of getting to know his co-workers and their customers is sharp, incisive, and deeply sympathetic. He has a unique opportunity to view a section of the American work force that is struggling - working hard, but struggling. It's well worth a read.

[SACHIN KUMAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

Loved the honesty and observation/ understanding of Characters... Aspring middle class Indians dream desperately of going to America and once they are there every moment initially is spent on readjusting and correcting their image of America and Americans..... I have stayed in the US for few years as part of my job in IT companies and could completely relate to Deepak's observations.... Author's ability to find common grounds in social structures in 2 completely different societies is excellent....

[Gabriella Alziari · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was marvelous! I absolutely loved this book. Singh's writing is honest, descriptive, and animated. He tells his story with humor and grace, while also addressing the tough circumstances of his coworkers. He expertly addresses his challenges in moving to America and puts everything out on the table. I loved seeing the USA through Singh's eyes, especially when he talks about Black Friday and the concept of suing (which was both interesting and funny). This is an important book for everyone to read, and definitely enhances one's understanding of what it means to be an immigrant in the USA.

[Ann Epstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deepak Singh takes readers along on his amazing journey from his childhood in India to his sales job at an American electronics store. Readers will cringe at each new humiliation and cheer at each challenge overcome. A timely book about immigration that reveals big truths about society through small stories about people.

[Surabhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few lines from the epilogue that sum up the book quite well,
"If i had never left india,chances are that I would have never worked as a salesman in retail.I would have continued to have an apathetic attitude towards low wage workers.Working on the sales floor in Virginia,one of the hardest things I had to deal was losing my privilege.I had to accept that it was okay to serve people instead of being served.I had to be nice to people who weren't always nice to me.I developed a sense of empathy for folks who worked in retail and everyone who was struggling to make ends meet."
And this is exactly how i felt after reading this book,kudos to the author for presenting this so beautifully😍

[Meera Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

How May I Help You? is a memoir that traces Deepak Singh's experiences in America, as a well educated individual who is compelled to work a minimum wage job. Through chapters that unravel his descent into American society, we are also pulled into the lives of his colleagues and acquaintances who are themselves struggling to get by in a world that is foreshadowed by apathy and fallacy. Spanning across two years and some, this book brings to light the strong culture shock that Deepak deals with, when confronted by an America quite unlike the picture painted by the big screen. What this autobiography succeeds in doing commendably is emphasizing that people may be separated by oceans and borders but we all couldn't be more alike due to our shared sufferings and encounters.

As someone who has aspired to live abroad, the synopsis of this book was very intriguing to me. At the same time, I don't really read autobiographies. That said, How May I Help You? is a very smooth read, captivating because of its simplistic depiction of a foreign society and earnest in its portrayal of a profession that isn't held in high esteem. The author's writing style is very straightforward which I appreciate when it comes to non-fiction; I found myself wanting to finish the book in one sitting. The story is endearing to say the least. I'm sure we've all felt lost at some point in time and so Deepak's sentiments resonate with us. To be stranded in a foreign land, unable to form genuine connections with people there, can be a heartrending experience. I really liked how diverse lifestyles were reflected in addition to Deepak's. All of which help us get a better understanding of the non-glitzy aspect of living in America.

It also draws comparisons to the low income group in India, trying to find a togetherness in the struggles of people across the world. The voice of immigrants and diasporic communities is always a refreshing one and this book is no different. We come to learn just how ignorant people can be about other cultures, misled by popular representations. Kudos to the author for having aptly delineated themes of poverty, loneliness, camaraderie and personal growth. Don't be intimidated by the harsh realities that are mirrored here; it is one that we should acknowledge. All in all, I really liked this book and it has encouraged me to pick up other memoirs. I would definitely recommend it to everyone; whether you read autobiographies or not, DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS!

What do you get out of it? An honest glimpse of what it means to be working abroad, devoid of any sugar coating. And a taste of culturally diverse mindsets. 

Thank you Penguin India for sending me this book in exchange for a review. 

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Deepak's account emigrating from India to the US. Living somewhat of a spoiled and upper social class lifestyle that allows him to get his MBA, he moves to Charlottesville, VA with his American wife. Not only is everything from food, transportation, weather, social customs among many other things very different but he mostly struggles with the fact that despite his degree, professional experience and fluency in English he cannot get a job remotely close to what he had in India. He finally succumbs to taking a retail sales position in an electronics store. In an honest, sometimes humorous, oftentimes frustrating way, he explains his initial difficulties on the job - from status symbol issues to plain selling techniques. The immigrant perspective is worth a read, but the book also shines a spotlight on minimum wage earners period, no matter their cultural background, as Deepak's befriends his coworkers and details some of their stories as well.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been trying to read more about the immigrant/refugee experiences this year and this book added a new dimension to my reading. Deepak Singh immigrates not because he has an unhappy life in India or because he is fleeing war or famine, but because he marries an American and has a desire to escape some frustrations about his life in India. So much about Deepak's experience seemed unfair to me. Seeing the American retail system and even aspects of our economy and culture through his eyes was interesting.

I didn't particularly "understand" Deepak's motives in marrying his wife and immigrating. Those things weren't explored much at all. But the book delivered exactly what it promised - a journey form MBA to minimum wage. And while this book wasn't necessarily well-written, it is Deepak's own voice and his voice should be heard.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me totally by surprise. The title made me want to read it, as I have experience with immigration as well as with India and Pakistan. It is basically a book about an immigrant who has a graduate degree from India and needs a job in Virginia where his American wife is working for her PhD.

The book took me by surprise. The author - Deepak - got a job in a store rather resembling one of the Radio Shacks I have often shopped in. He made the job search itself interesting, and bit by bit learned how the retail business worked, how customers responded to him, how to sell electronics, and how to get along with his fellow workers. Simply - he made a difficult life change into an interesting book, and his enthusiasm made the book hard to put down.

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I heard about Deepak Singh’s “How May I Help You? An immigrant’s journey from MBA to minimum wage”, I knew I wanted to read it. (And happily, an electronic copy soon became available on Libby.)
Deepak’s writing is plain and not particularly literary, but his true life story offers a unique insight into the awkward adjustment of an Indian MBA holder to the life of an electronics shop salesman in Charlottesville, Pennsylvania.
From the employ of BBC India to the thinly pseudonymised “Electronics Hut” in the US, Deepak takes on his new job with a positive attitude, and does not wallow in shame or sink into depression because he has to do a job that is ‘beneath’ him.
Of course, like any Asian boy, his first concern is what his parents would think, and the shame it would cast upon his family who had scrimped and scraped to pay for his MBA tuition.
But he ploughed on despite language and slang issues, and tries his best to maintain a measure of morality, shows deep empathy, and finally emerges as somewhat of a sales ‘top dawg’!
I especially enjoyed the parallels he drew between his experiences and people he gets to know in the US, with that he has in Lucknow, India, and how it drives him into pensive introspection.
Deepak effectively conveys the mental disjunct that ensues when a thoroughly Indian (though considered relatively anglicised back in Lucknow) man has to work with those in the lower strata of a strip mall.
A book like this is what the magic of books is all about. How else would one understand what it is like to grow up in Indian or be an immigrant working on such a sales floor?
Really enjoy books that cross cultures, and this allow us to cross cultures twice over too. A good read.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

After completing his MBA, Deepak’s first job as Radio Journalist with the BBC allowed him to bring home $300/month, as much as his father made. Deepak met an American girl, Holly, doing research in India on scholarship. After Holly gets accepted into a Doctoral Program in Washington DC, Deepak follows her.

The story walks through nuances Deepak encounters upon reaching America: how different Holly acts with her friends, he never learned to drive so he must rely on rides or the bus, challenges obtaining a work visa, few job opportunities and how uneducated people are about international countries (ie. Many were ignorant to the difference between Hindu & Hindi, they assumed all dark-skinned people were from the Middle East and they laughed when American slang expressions were not readily understood).

This memoir was a 2017 reminder of ways in which Americans can assist visitors from outside our country. In India, Deepak was not accustomed to being friendly with salesmen and street vendors. His job in the Electronics Hut provided him with a valuable perspective and he treated these individuals differently upon his return to India.

[Anjali Menon · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 / 5 Stars!!!
This book resonated with me. While reading this I felt as I was the one having all those experiences. It was like I picked up this book at the right moment in my life, felt like the author really got me. Being an MBA myself and also having a dream to work abroad, this book was like a reality check for me. The struggles are real even here, in India, to land a good job even though you are an MBA but, having to get a job anywhere outside India with your academic qualifications being of no use is a real bummer. It's like all your work and efforts have gone to drain if you don't have an international degree. Having said that, I know every country has their own set of qualifications.
The reality of the people living in America is so different than what we imagine. Differences in their cultures, lifestyle, treatments towards different sects of society, racial discrimination and the hardships of any and every outsiders who comes there having visions to change their future was really portrayed well.

[Ietrio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book refreshing. Sure, Singh is a disgusting person. Like probably all living people. And that is the best part of the book. The story itself is not spectacular in any way. But what is seldom written is this sincerity. He feels big, although the facts show he is far from it. He is nationalistic. Yet he needs to get out. He dislikes the people for whom he is employed. Even his masculinity is shattered by what his culture deems womanly : fears and uncertainty.

And although the author, the editor and probably most of the readers seem to imply that is a road going down: from mba to minimum wage, I see as a succession of great leaps forward: from nobody to somebody.

On one hand, maybe Singh needs more years to contemplate the transition. On the other hand, more years would have erased some of the feelings that are still fresh in his memory. Win something, lose something.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was an interesting read, an Indian immigrant's perspective on his challenges of moving to America after marrying an American woman and having to secure minimum wage employment although back in his home he was a successful MBA graduate. Sadly, he had assumed that his skills and education back home would translate into a good profession in America, but quickly realized that he would have to accept low-skilled jobs in order to make money. With that acceptance, the author takes us on a trip through his employment adventures in a electronics store in a mall (something like a Radio Shack), where he faces a myriad of issues as he learns the nuances of sales while trying to take in American culture. An enjoyable book with a good bit of insight into American life from an immigrant's perspective and the challenges of assimilating into it.

[Anil Dhingra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deepak Singh has written a great honest book, his life story as he moved from Lucknow, India, to USA in 2003. As a professional with MBA degree he had a great job in India till he married an American girl and decided to migrate on spouse Visa.
He writes about the struggle, the non recognition of his degree, looking for a job, working in retail on minimum wage. Still he keeps the writing light, funny at times, never dull or self pitying.
He has an inquisitive mind, good observation so writes about the people, their stories and struggles. Points out the similarity and difference between USA and India.
It's a ground level reporting from the basic level of life in USA. Very informative and interesting.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is actually a worthwhile book, but perhaps for a younger audience. If late junior high or early high schoolers read this, I think it could be valuable to show them a different perspective at a formative time in their lives, but this book was written too simply and didn't dive deeply enough to be for an adult (in my opinion). I do have direct life experience with family who are immigrants who had better jobs in their home than in America, so I've also seen the perspectives illustrated here firsthand, and admittedly that may also have something to do with my tepid response to the book as whole.

[Nidhi Timmancharala · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was surprising because we Indians have different vision about American life. But it was eye opening as well. I feel so great after reading this book. Because every situation teaches us something and it is our duty to understand it well and act on it in right manner. And the kind of patience, dedication and courage Singh has shown is appreciated. Never giving up and living for one self not for others validation is something to learn from this book.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was assigned to my son in a college course but he never read it so I decided to give it a go. Deepak Singh provides good insight into what an immigrant might face when trying to adjust to life in the US - even if that person speaks English well and is educated. It's not as simple as just "get a job!"

[Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to help you gain some new perspective on life as an immigrant. It's an easy read & I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters (so many of the characters were relatable in the retail world). I did wonder about Deepak & his wife staying together though because it didn't seem like there was still any romance for them once they left India!

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a new comer in USA, I like this book and feel easy to get the feeling with the writer. I like the plait way he used to write, and the reality of USA he showed through his book and the compare between USA and India he made when he recalled his life in India.
All in all, I think this is good book.

[Lil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read. Nice view of America from a different perspective.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.
I wish the book continued a little further with the story

[Nisheetreddy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very poor writing. The story is not even slightly interesting.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author earned an MBA in India but when he came to America with his wife he found himself working at a store in the mall. I found this outsiders look at American retail to be very interesting.

[Indra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the so natural, human story telling style. Could relate very well with the author. Didn't want this book to end.

[Linda Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. He wrote another one that the library doesn't have, so I bought it.

[Dharma Bhagavathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book. A quick and easy read. I could relate to some of the incidents Deepak explains - racism, Americans' cluelessness about India/Asia/etc.

[Mukul Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read

The book shows the stark contrast between the two Americas very well and flows smoothly. "The grass is always greener on the other side " is clearly shown.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's very well-written and I did not want to put down. I admire his work ethic and his ability to overcome his fears about selling to Americans. The only thing I would change is the ending. I wanted to know how it went when is parents found out about his work in America. How did he go from that original job to his current work? I enjoyed the story so much but felt like it wasn't finished.

[Mills College Library]

331.62092 S61741 2017