Throwback Thursday: Born Confused

Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier 2002
PUSH/Scholastic

Rating: 4.5/5

IQ "She'd told him I was the Indian girl. The Indian girl. Somehow neither description rang completely true to me in terms of how I felt inside, but the thing was I'd never really consciously thought of myself as American, either. Of course I did the Pledge, too, along with everybody else for years of mornings, but like everyone else I wasn't really thinking about the words. I mean, I definitely wanted liberty like Gwyn had with the car keys and no curfew and justice for all would be great, especially in high school where people were definitely not created equal (proof: cheerleaders). But I didn't know if that had so much to do with the stars and stripes; it seemed to be more about the jeans and teams." Dimple pg. 13

Dimple Rohitbhai Lala is confused. She doesn't feel American or Indian. Being Indian is now cool, even her best friend is wrapped up in the 'romance' of India, wearing saris and a bindi dot. Dimple's still trying to forget about her ex boyfriend who broke up with her a year ago and her best friend, Gwyn, is spending less and less time with her. Her parents have decided it's time for her to meet a 'suitable boy' so they set her up on a blind date. Dimple dismisses him as a mama's boy and ignores him. Until she's at a club and discovers that he's one of the best DJs in NYC. Dimple now wants the 'suitable boy' because he seems so unsuitable. Of course, Dimple essentially relinquished claim on him when she declared him a mama's boy and too soft....

The only problem with this book is that it moves veeerrryyy slowly and it times it reads like a 'everything you need to know about South Asian culture' guide. I loved learning about South Asian culture' the terms, the food, the clothes, but at the same time, some of this information is passed down through lectures or infodumps done by characters. Other than that, I absolutely loved this book. You don't have to be South Asian to identify with this book (although I have no doubt you would love this book even more if you were), anyone who is second or third generation can relate to not feeling quite American but not feeling as though you are a part of your culture either. We seem to be stuck between two worlds and are constantly trying to reconcile them. Every page in this book contains at least one memorable line, there are a lot of deep thoughts being shared between characters and these conversations are golden. They are the type of conversations that many dream of having with your friends, when you can tell them anything at all, be completely vulnerable and they'll still love you. It wasn't until the end that I understood why Gwyn and Dimple were friends. Gwyn treated Dimple poorly for most of the book (especially her claim that she knew about Indian culture because she had a Indian friend. Oh jeez), but at the end, she more than makes up for it.

Dimple is one of the most fantastic main characters I've ever read. She's awkward, confused and funny. I love that Dimple really comes alive when she takes pictures (her camera is named Chica Tikka which means third eye. Great name!) and when she's talking about her pictures. I could perfectly envision her snapping away at everything she saw and being able to see the beauty in every image. I could also really relate to Dimple's 'perfect life.' Gwyn tells Dimple that she would never understand what it means to come from a 'broken' family because her home life is perfect, her parents are in love. Gwyn and Karsh (the suitable/unsuitable boy) are discussing their single parent homes and while Karsh is more sympathetic to Dimple's point, Gwyn is not.

"'What do you mean? They don't hold hands, I've never seen them kiss. In fact, I'm not even sure how I got here, to tell the truth.' [Dimple]
-What's kissing and holding hands? said Gwyn almost snobbishly. That's a dime dozen. They wake up together every morning, they sleep together every night; they managed to cross an ocean together and not fall apart. And they adore you. That's pretty perfect and you're complaining? What's wrong with you? You could use all that love to go out and conquer the world!
I wasn't complaining. I was just trying to find my place in this conversation, but it was looking more and more like a sold-out show." (pg. 247) I get that. It seems weird to want to fit in by complaining about how much your life stinks, but I've felt that way before too. It's an uncomfortable feeling when everyone thinks your life is perfect and refuses to see that you might still be unhappy. Karsh is probably one of the best YA crushes ever. He's not perfect though since he sends so many mixed signals (half the time it was obvious that he had feelings for Dimple but then the other half of the time he was really into Gwyn). One of my favorite scenes is at the end when *SPOILER* (highlight to read) Karsh is saying that he can't believe Dimple didn't know he was into her and she defends herself by telling him about all his mixed signals;
"Like that time you came over and out of all the pictures I'd taken chose the one of her [Gwyn]for the one you wanted, the one you wanted to keep.
-Dimple, he said, and he looked at me first surprised then very soberly.-Of course I picked that one.
-Of course?
-That was the only one with you in it, he said." pg. 484 Not gonna lie, my heart melted at that line. I'm growing sappy!*End of Spoiler*

Born Confused is a priceless tale of friendship, tradition, culture, love and being seventeen. The story is a riot to read because Dimple can be very melodramatic and her parents can mix up some American phrases with quite amusing results. While the story can move very slowly and seem to be drifitng aimlessly, there are frequent witty observations and bursts of laughter. I would love to meet Dimple and Karsh (I could leave Gwyn) and just explore the Desai neighborhoods of NYC with them. I love that there are so many complex characters and storylines (like the one with Kavita, Dimple's cousin). I wish all the information about Indian culture and South Asian culture in general had been presented in a more easygoing/natural manner, but nevertheless I appreciated the information. You will not forget Dimple and her mixed-up and messy life. Highly, highly recommended.

Disclosure: Bought. One of my best purchases for sure!

South Asian Author Challenge

This will be the page where I link to all my reviews for this challenge. My hope is to finish at least one challenge by the end of the summer and I think I might be this one.



Hosted by S. Krishna from Jan 1, 2010-Dec 31, 2010

The rules



There are four different commitment levels and I'm going with the highest one which is 10. I'll review 10 YA books by South Asians and I'm also going to read 2 MG books by South Asian authors.

1. Indie Girl by Kavita Daswani

2. Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins

3. Beneath My Mother's Feet by Amjed Quama

4. Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins

5. Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos

6. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

7. Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan

8. Child of Dandelions by Sheenaz Nanji

9. Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier

10. A Group of One by Rachna Gilmore

11. Naming Maya by Uma Krishnaswami (MG)

12. Neela's Victory Song by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (MG)

Throwback Thursday: Indie Girl

Indie Girl by Kavita Daswani 2007
Simon and Schuster/Simon Pulse

Rating: 3/5

IQ "In our house, we woke up every morning to bhajans-devotional Hindi songs. And my dad, no matter how late it was or how tired he felt, would end his day listening to something from his own boyhood in India, a lyrical and melancholy raga or an enduring classic from an old Bollywood film. These were the songs my parents grew up with and even though the bulk of my days were filled with MTV hits, those same days were bookended by songs that were nostalgic and soulful, linking my youth to that of my parents." Indie pg. 97

Indira (Indie) Konkipuddi is obsessed with fashion. Not just the wearing of the clothes but how the fashion industry operates, who decides what's hot and what's not. Her dream is to be a fashion reporter and the best way to do this is to get an internship with Celebrity Style magazine. This her favorite magazine and it excels in fashion reporting, plus the founder of the magazine, Aarlyn Taylor is Indie's role model. Indie meets Aaralyn at her school's career day talk and volunteers to babysit Aaralyn's two-year-old son (Kyle). Never mind that she knows very little about toddlers, she needs that internship! Soon Indie finds out that Celebrity Style is in financial trouble and that a famous Hollywood acrress is having her wedding dress made in India. This is big news and Indie is sure that if she shares this with Aaralyn, Aarlyn will see her as more than just the babysitter. However, the world of fashion is full of surprises, good and bad.

This is a cute and frustrating story. I've never been a fan of young professionals taking all the verbal abuse that their monster bosses give them. I think at a certain point, you should have too much self-respect to constantly take being torn down. as a result, I didn't understand why Indie continuously bent over backwards to help Aaralyn as it became pretty clear how she was going to treat her. I just wanted Indie to stand up for herself sooner than she did. Also, the ending was a bit unbelievable and it felt as if something was missing. Indie Girl ended right when I didn't want it to end. SPOILER/Highlight to Read: Aaralyn's change of heart was too sudden. I wasn't expecting it at all, in fact I was hoping that Indie would tell her off and quit and Aaralyn would remain a jerk. And to end with Indie going to India? That was the part of the story that I was looking forward to reading the most! Furthermore, the romance interest seemed to be just thrown in there for convince. The story could have moved on quite well, without the help of a guy. He didn't add anything to the story and I only halfway understood why Indie was attracted to him.

I did like that Indie was so determined. She knew what she wanted and she would stop at nothing to get it. I thought her volunteering to babysit the son of the editor in chief of Celebrity Style was realistic (I can easily imagine myself doing the same thing to get closer to someone who can offer me something I want). I also liked that Indie was so proud of her Indian culture. She didn't try to hide it and while she had a few embarrassing encounters, she wasn't ashamed to be Indian. She acknowledges that she may not be "the ideal Indian daughter" who always makes her parents happy, but she tries. Another thing that I enjoyed was that the parents weren't useless in the novel. They made Indie think through their advice, warnings and actions. I thought it was interesting that Indie's mom didn't wear saris, she wore jeans and oversized t-shirts. She never pressured Indie to celebrate any part of their Indian culture that she didn't want to. Therefore, Indie doesn't feel confused or too out of step with her traditional parents. Her father is also fairly modern (or American I guess you could say) and is open to new ideas. I think this is part of the reason as to why Indie embraces her Indian culture, she follows the Indian customs she loves and doesn't worry about the ones that bother her. Another one of my favorite parts of Indie Girl was reading about the emerging fashion scene in India.

Indie Girl is a fluffy, cheerful story about following your dreams and learning to stand up for yourself. The characters aren't especially well developed, but the involved parents and evil boss are a bit more fleshed out and since they really effect Indie that's ok. The romantic interest needed to have some more depth though. This story is low on action and can be a bit baffling but it's not meant to be deep and it's simply fun. Fans of chick lit will particularly enjoy this book.

Throwback Thursday was created by Taste Life Twice (they've been sadly MIA lately). In this meme I read books that I may have missed growing up, from 2007 or earlier.

Secret Keeper

Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins

Rating: 5/5

IQ "After all, during the first thirteen years of my life, nobody defined me first as a girl-not even myself. That did give me a strange kind of freedom. I remember thinking I could do anything, be anything, go anywhere...Perhaps I should be grateful that I was able to become a person before I had to become a woman. Not every girl gets that chance. Still, it makes me sad, but I don't quite know why." Asha pg. 104-105

This review is going to be in letter form to the author. I sort of stole this idea from A Striped Armchair, hope you don't mind, Eva!

First here's some background on the book. Asha, Reet and her mother must go live with their father's brother and his family while their father travels to America to get a job. Times are hard in India. The country is going through political turmoil during the time of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and there also economic issues as well, making it nearly impossible for Asha's father to get a job. Asha is the "ugly" one in the family as she's skinny and even worse, dark-skinned. Her older sister, Reet is the light, beautiful one who receives many marriage proposals. Before Asha's father left, he told her to take care of her mother and sister and Asha takes this responsibility very seriously. However, months are going by with no letter from their father asking for them to move to America and their finances are draining away, they are becoming a hindrance to Asha's uncle and his family.

Dear Ms. Perkins,
I am writing to express my great love for Secret Keeper. You made 1970s India come alive for me, even though Asha, her older sister Reet and her mother rarely left the house of Asha's uncle in Calcutta, I was still able to get a clear picture of the social, political and economical situations of India during this time.

There's something I need to get off my chest:The Ending! How could you do that to me??!!!!!!!!!! The ending was excellent, don't get me wrong, I appreciated the lack of cliffhangers and having most of my questions answered. However, this is one book that I didn't want to have a realistic ending, I wanted a happy ending. I want to demand it's re-written to satisfy me, lol.

Other than that, I loved everything. I even loved the ending, albeit begrudgingly and I did tear up. I understand why Nathalie would want to have dinner with Asha, she's amazing. Asha is the younger sister but she acts the way an older sister should and the way a boy would (her mother never had any sons). Asha is brave, determined and is going places. She loves school, especially reading and she dreams of being a psychiatrist (I'm not a fan of psychiatrists, but I would definitely hire Asha to be mine!). She has impulsive moments, but for the most part she hatches out a plan and thinks it all the way through before implementing it.

The other characters were wonderful as well. The budding romance (if you can even call it that) between Asha and her next door neighbor, Jay Sen was wonderful to read about. Jay is so sweet and he helps Asha to realize how beautiful she really is. I must admit Reet annoyed me at times because as the older sister she should have stepped up more than she did. All the characters had many layers that you skillfully peeled away to expose their true selves. Even the seemingly awful Aunt had her moments. I got to know Asha's family as she too became reacquainted with them. I thought it was interesting how Asha and her sister refer to their mother retreating into depression as being taken prisoner by the Jailor. It's quite a true anaolgy and I sympathized with Asha while she struggled to free her mother from the clutches of the Jailor.

More than anything this book opened up my eyes to how good women of my generation have it. I don't think girls my age (high school and younger) understand how bad women were treated in the past. We had so very few rights and it was even worse to be a woman of color. Granted, this story does not take place in America so the situation could have been better in America than in India. The older sister must get married before the younger, women are not allowed to walk around after they have their period and once your husband dies, you must wear a white saree and give up eating meat. It wasn't fair, women had very little freedom and could hardly achieve anything. This book also brings up questions concerning family relationships, how much we should do for our families and how often should we place them before ourselves. I think this is a common thing among women not just back then but today as well. Women don't always put themselves first and sometimes they need to.

Thank you for opening my eyes to another culture, time and place in a story that is absolutely enthralling. My only regret is that I waited so long to read Secret Keeper, I was missing out. I fully intend on reading the rest of your books.

Sincerely,
Ari

PS The one thing I couldn't visualize was the game of cricket. It essentially sounds like baseball so that's the image I went with :)

Child of Dandelions

Child of Dandelions by Shenaz Nanji 2008

Rating: 4/5

IQ "It's just a house, she thought. It became a home only when it was filled with the love, trust and hopes of her family. Turtles carry their homes with them so they are always at home. I will carry my home with me." Sabine pg. 174

Child of Dandelions adds a much needed breath of fresh air to the historical fiction genre in depicting an even that is rarely covered. It tells the story of fifteen year old, Sabine a wealthy Indian Ugandan citizen living in 1972 during the rule of Pres. Idi Amin. On August 6, Amin announces that all foreign Indians must leave Uganda within 90 days or else. Sabine's father is confident that this rule only applies to non Ugandan citizens (like the British Indians) and Sabine agrees. Her mother, however, is worried for her family's safety. Sabine's world begins to change as Africans grow more upset with Indians, more and more Indians begin to leave, and her best friend, Zena, who is African grows distant. Also, Sabine's uncle Zulfiqar disappears. Finally, it is announced that all Indians must leave Uganda. Sabine and her family must decide if they are going to leave their home, where they successful and happy and start over in a new land or stay in Uganda and protect their home.

This was such an interesting event to read about. I'd heard of the expulsion of Indians from Uganda (there's a movie about Idi Amin called The Last King of Scotland, which I haven't seen), but I didn't know much about it or the reasons behind it. When Africa was first colonized by the British, the whites (wazungus) were the wealthiest and highest class, then Indians (wahindi), middle class (mostly traders) and Black Africans (wananchi) who were mostly poor. After the British left, the Indians becamse the wealthiest class, who helped grow Uganda's economy. Unrest heightened because Africans were upset that the minority group (Indians) controlled the majority group's (Black Africans) home. Amin took power in a military coup and decided to help Africans get their rightful land back by forcing all the Indians to leave. The book includes an afterword that explains in further detail. Reading about the tense relationship between Indians and Africans made for an engrossing read. In a way, the Africans were treated like slaves. Indians were not allowed to marry Africans and Africans who worked for Indian families could not use the same silverware or anything else that Indians used, Africans had to have their own set. There wasn't actual segregation laws, just unspoken ones. The author does an excellent job of describing Uganda. I could envision Little India, the homes that African laborers lived in, the wealthy homes that Indians lived in, etc.

I liked how each chapter of the book is divided into a day on the countdown. Chapter one is day one, etc. The chapters are short, but to the point and it's never tedious, all the chapter add to the plot. The reader sees the effects of this countdown and expulsion indirectly through the actions of other characters. The characters were genuine, but not all of them were fully developed. I would have to liked see more of the friendship between Zena and Sabine, it seemed a bit shaky to me, even though they claimed to be best friends, since Zena dropped her so easily. Adding in the romance between Sabine and Zena's brother, Ssekore helped the main character mature and show how the expulsion of Indians really affected relationships.However, we learn very little about Ssekore and his story cold have added a little more to the story. One of the most interesting parts was when Sabine hired detectives to find her uncle. Their methods are different from Western detectives and it was interesting watching them operate.

Child of Dandelions is an original, well done book about the 1972 expulsion of Indians from Uganda. The book talks about the beauty that Uganda was (the Pearl of Africa) and I highly recommend this book to all readers interested in Africa and India. It's not very graphic and the topic is so under represented it adds to every reader's world knowledge. 8th grade and up

My Challenges! 2010 Debut Author, South Asian Author

I'm currently writing this in an airplane on my way home :)

I've decided to participate in the 2010 Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kirsti at the Story Siren. You can find more information about the challenge here It's from Jan. 1, 2010- Dec. 31, 2010.

My goal is to read all the poc debut books of 2010 and I'm not sure how many that is so this list is a work in progress.

I'm going to read

1. The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzlalez

2. Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai

3. A Mesquite in the Rose Garden by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

4. Caleb + Kate by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma

5. Sea by Heidi R. Kling (this book may be an off-color review since the main character is white but an important secondary character is Indonesian)

6. Eighth Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (MG)

7. Tortilla Sun by Jen Cervantes (MG)

8. Secret Saturdays by Torrey Maldonado (MG)

South Asian Author Challenge

Date: Jan. 1, 2010-Dec. 31, 2010

This challenge is hosted by S. Krishna and you can find more info here

Since I have a whole year to do this challenge my goal is to read 10 books. I want to read 10 YA with two extra MG books. The book must be by an author of South Asian descent and about South Asian culture (South Asia consists of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka).

A list is not needed for this challenge, but for me lists keep me focused and on task (this list is in no particular order).

1. Indie Girl by Kavita Daswani

2. Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins

3. Beneath My Mother's Feet by Amjed Qama

4. Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins

5. Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos

6. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

7. Neela's Victory Song by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (MG)

8. Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan

9. Child of Dandelions by Sheenaz Nanji

10. Naming Maya by Uma Krishnaswami (MG/YA)

11. Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier

12. A Group of One by Rachna Gilmore

I found a great resource here , it's given me so many awesome titles to check out. I will be reading all these books on the list even after the challenge ends.

I found that site through this list which is another fantastic resource. It lists YA books for teens from all ethnic backgrounds!

24-Hour Read-A-Thon update


I'm going to have to edit the Read-A-Thon a bit due to the fact that I'm participating in a service project on Monday so I'll have to get up early. Therefore, I'll need plenty of rest on Sunday so I'm going to start my Read-A-Thon Friday night and go till Saturday night. I will try and post a review on that Friday and Saturday as well.

I'm so excited for all the challenges and the read-a-thon :D