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A critique of the H-1B system, by an H-1B recipient

Jun 14, 2026, 10:33am EDT
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Wild Wild East, by Tanul Thakur.

A critique of the US H-1B visa system authored by a former H-1B recipient and film critic, Thakur’s book follows the lives of three men over several decades, laying out schemes of worker exploitation, corporate tax avoidance, and the middlemen taking advantage of those desperate to work overseas.

Balancing the “broader socio-political picture with the pleasures and urgencies of old-school narrative journalism,” the historical systematic gaming of the H-1B system forms the “crux of the book,” The Hindu wrote. “But there is no one set of rogue players muddying the waters here.” Buy Wild Wild East from your local bookstore.

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