This narrative Vegas Taxi: Memoir of a Cab Driver is a biographical journey when the narrator, starting from Lebanon where he lived for twelve years in a desperate situation, who had no future whatsoever, he lived under severe poverty with $200 monthly income. He had no chance to continue his education, his life was constantly threatened to death any time and any day, he lived in fear every moment, and above all, the lack of hope for a new life in the western countries was the most devastating to him. However, he did not give up, his determination in challenging all these obstacles, and his strength for survival were the only weapons he had to fight the difficulties he was facing. Therefore, he planned an insane escape route in order to get out of his hopeless situation. Afterwards, when desperation began to dominate his spirit, he received a call from the United Nation, they told him that his application was approved, which took ten years for them to approve it since the day he turned-in the application, and they told him to get ready to go to the land of dreams, the USA.
After his arrival to the USA, he started with great effort to build his life from scratch, and he did, as most foreigners do because they appreciate the new opportunities that have been offered to them. He worked very hard day and night, starting with his employment at a hotel/casino on the strip of Las Vegas then as a cabdriver. He drove taxi for fifteen years. The narrative is basically about the taxicab stories as tourists during the nightlife of Las Vegas enjoy being themselves away from their daily routine at their homes and in their ordinary lifestyle. So, the producing of this biographical story began, but it is not only about the funny stories that cab drivers tell their passengers to make an extra couple dollars for a tip, but the narrator also conveys the dark side of cabdrivers' lives. He discloses certain aspects of the mental agony that some drivers suffer from, which is portrayed through the antagonistic character Wahid, a Middle Eastern origin with different moral values. Wahid's main suffering is for being neglected by his American friends; the racism he must face every day is what agitates him the most. Nightmares haunt him increasingly, which even make him more frustrated with everything moving and going on around him. The narrator addresses specifically the American audiences to make them aware how certain diverse cultures find it difficult to cope with American culture, and how this conflict sometimes reaches mental breakdown for naturalized immigrants. This is an immigrant true story with a twist of a psychological approach in contrast to the protagonist who represents the bright side of Wahid's character.
Therefore, I wanted to contribute with my biographical story to relate it with the American audiences so they would have a better understanding of cross cultures' conflicts, an understanding that might bring people closer by mutual respect amongst the diverse cultures, and to help to disclose the ugliness of prejudiced attitude towards foreigners.