Writing from the upper west side of Manhattan, where Harlem intersects with waves of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Korea, Cambodia, Ivory Coast, India, Native America and from all over the globe, hattie gossett vividly invokes her neighbourhood experience. With wit and candour she questions why so many people are forced from their home countries, only to be despised as interlopers; why older immigrants see younger ones as enemies; who gets paid a living wage, who gentrifies, who send money home. A breathless tapestry.