I kind of liked this book. And it is hard for me to rate the book totally objectively since it was so "pro" immigration while I am pretty much "anti" immigration. The book's title says the immigrants are driving the US economy. Something I did not feel was proven within the book's covers. And the book's title says immigrants will save the American worker. Another something that was not proven within the book's covers. While it is true that many immigrants (particularly from the Asian continent, and more specifically from India and China) are successfully starting companies using their engineering and technology training, they are not driving the US economy nor are they making even a dent in saving American workers. As far as I can tell the book paints a picture that these immigrants are really just opportunists exploiting the US for their personal gain at the expense of US workers.



Another shortcoming I found with the book was that it was not always clear whether the authors were talking about all immigrants who create companies or just immigrants with STEM (science, technology, engineering, or math) training, skills, and backgrounds. Immigrants that open a restaurant that serves Indian cuisine are considered entrepreneurs. So are immigrants who open a Chinese restaurant or dry cleaning establishment. But these companies don't "save" the American worker. The companies started by immigrants with STEM backgrounds might help some American workers, but the net effect is usually to hurt the American worker by eliminating his or her jobs. How does this save the US worker? It doesn't.



The book points out that immigrants come to the US because they don't have opportunity for financial success in their homelands. The immigrants with STEM backgrounds typically have college degrees from their homelands, but they come to the US to get a graduate education from a US school. Some can find jobs upon graduating from a US school, and they typically become professionals: doctors, engineers, computer scientists, and research scientists. These immigrants take jobs from US workers. Not good. And the others who cannot get a job create their own by starting their own companies. Some jobs for US workers will be created. But they are not saving the US worker as the title to the book states.



There is talk in the book of a New Economy, and of a Global Economy. I was unable to learn from the book how the New Economy was something America was benefiting from. And I also thought mentioning a Global Economy along with America as the land of opportunity was illogical. If we really have a global economy, then how can America stand out as a land of opportunity? Why don't the immigrants just stay home and make their millions at home? This leads back to what I say in paragraph one above about immigrants being nothing more than opportunists.



Someone who reads between the lines in this book will see that the real message to be gathered from the pages is that a young person in the US should study the sciences, engineering, and computers. People trained in these fields can convert their ideas into patents that can be coupled with business plans and sold to venture capitalists. Unfortunately for America most of its youth are being raised by religious people who don't want their children to study science. We all know science and religion contradict one another. We had a US President recently who limited stem cell research because of his religious beliefs. As a result, America is not raising people who can be good entreprenreurs. Without science training it is difficult to get a patent. Without a patent it is difficult to get VC money. And without VC money it is difficult to be a successful entrepreneur. This is especially true if you are trying to drive the New Economy and save the American worker.



In the US we have an education system that is weak in training our youth about science. And that same education system poo-pews the thought of students eventually becoming self-employed. The US education system is TOTALLY geared toward kids going to school so they can get a job - be hired by an existing company. This is why our country is going down the tubes. We don't need immigrants. We need a better education system that is not limiting.



The big problem as I see it with immigration is that we do not have anything near to a global economy currently. And when we do, then no country will be a land of opportunity. When a land of opportunity exists today, that means that tomorrow it will be exploited, and the next day it will not be a land of opportunity. Having said this, I cannot imagine any scenario where immigrants are going to drive the New Economy nor save the American worker.



This was a book of stories. I would have liked it much better if it had been more a book centered around the exhibits in its Appendix. I think each exhibit could have been made into an interesting chapter. I suspect if the authors had written their book the way I suggest, then they wouldn't have titled the book the way they did. I won't say I did not like this book (2 stars), and I probably could say it was just Ok (3 stars), but it had some aspects that I liked (4 stars). So I'll give it that rating. 4 stars!

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