Busboys Books Presents: Natwar Gandhi for Still the Promised Land
Date and Time
Sep 9, 2019 6:30 pm
Location
14th & V
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Sep 9, 2019 6:30 pm
14th & V
This event is free and seating is first come, first served. Books will be available for purchase in the bookstore and full menu and bar will be offered during the event.
Still the Promised Land is the fascinating and deeply personal story one man’s perseverance and how he achieved the American Dream. Author Natwar Gandhi was an impoverished immigrant who made his way to the New World, where he recreated his life and ultimately became the chief financial officer of Washington, DC, where he played a key role in transforming the nation’s capital from a near-bankrupt municipality into a financially healthy major American city.
Gandhi’s life is both cautionary and instructive, difficult yet uplifting. Ultimately, it is a harrowing and inspiring account of how to survive seemingly hopeless circumstances and succeed in America. Despite the current political winds that often revile immigrants and immigration itself is denigrated, his journey demonstrates an impassioned message for present-day America. This topical book will spark important conversations about the need for change and why we must take action.
“My life experiences reaffirm faith in the United States and its future as a nation of tremendous opportunity for all those who want to come here, work and remake their lives, reflecting that the 21st can be an American century embracing all cultures—still the promised land,” saidGandhi. “The anti-immigration policy presently pursued by the Trump administration is misguided and must be replaced by measured and judicious immigration. Only through this enlightened approach can America achieve its manifest destiny as a great nation. Going against immigration runs counter to the American spirit and centuries of historical precedent.”
The publication date is Independence Day, July 4th, 2019. The book’s foreword was written by Alice Rivlin, an iconic figure in American history who died as the manuscript was being prepared for publication. Dr. Rivlin was the first director of the Congressional Budget Office, 1975-83; director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, 1994-96; vice chair of the Federal Reserve System, 1996-99; and chair of the D.C. Control Board, 1999-2001.
Natwar Gandhi served Washington, DC, as tax commissioner and independent chief financial officer. This book narrates his journey from a primitive Indian town—no paved streets, electricity, telephone or running water—to Mumbai and then, through hard work, determination and good luck, to New York. After academic and corporate stints, Gandhi became the CFO of America’s capital and played a significant role in stabilizing the city’s finances, transforming it from a deficit-plagued jurisdiction into a financially healthy municipality. Still the Promised Land provides an uplifting message for present-day America, where immigrants are often reviled and immigration is viewed as bad for the country.
