The Shahanis came to New York City from India—by way of Casablanca—in the 1980s, only to discover how complicated the immigrant experience can be. Precocious daughter Aarti earned a scholarship at an elite Manhattan prep school, going on to award-winning work as a National Public Radio correspondent. Her father set up a small electronics shop but saw it become a nightmare when he unwittingly sold watches and calculators to the Cali drug cartel. It landed him, unjustly, in prison on Rikers Island and in danger of deportation.

In a discussion of her new memoir Here We Are: American Dreams, American Nightmares, Aarti Shahani walks through her family’s wrenching story and how it reflects the extremes of American culture. The “deserving” are deified. The “undeserving” are demonized. Co-presented by Rainy Day Books.