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Read-alikes: The Conch Bearer, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

by Ilene Cooper

Out of India

Many children in America have their roots in India, yet books set in India or detailing that particular immigrant experience are few and far between. That makes a novel such as Divakaruni’s The Conch Bearer (read the review), very welcome. Listed below are other books, including folklore and historical novels, that will be appreciated by readers who are rooted in Indian culture as well as those wanting to know more about it.

Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee. Neela: Victory Song. 2002. Pleasant Company/American Girl, $12.95 (1-58485-597-5); paper, $7.95 (1-58485-521-5).
Gr. 5–8. By the author of The Conch Bearer, this exciting adventure in the Girls of Many Lands series is set during India’s first fight for independence. Twelve-year-old Neela is swept up by patriotic excitement and even harbors a wounded freedom fighter. When her father does not return from a protest march, Neela travels alone to Calcutta to find him. As in The Conch Bearer, Divakaruni writes with precise, vibrant details of time and place.

Gilmore, Rachna. A Group of One. 2001. Holt, $16.95 (0-8050-6475-3).
Gr. 6–9. Fifteen-year-old Tara’s Canadian family is normally easygoing, but the arrival of Grandmother Naniji from India provokes all sorts of tension. Naniji criticizes Tara’s father for moving and her mother for being British, and she frowns at Tara’s lack of knowledge about India. It’s only after Tara learns about her grandmother’s involvement in the 1942 Quit India movement that she begins to understand Naniji’s fierce pride in her country.

Hidier, Tanuja Desai. Born Confused. 2002. Scholastic, $16.95 (0-439-35752-4).
Gr. 9–12. Seventeen-year-old Dimple Lala feels American, yet her family, steeped in Indian culture, is trying to arrange a traditional marriage for her. Dimple’s first meeting with the “suitable” boy her parents have chosen is like the movie Titanic, “but without the romance.” Then Dimple’s best friend decides to take the boy for herself. The writing, though dense and detailed, is a feast for the senses, giving life to a strong, multilayered (and multicultural) heroine.

Krishnaswami, Uma. Shower of Gold: Women and Girls in the Stories of India. 1999. Linnet, $19.95 (0-208-02484-0).
Gr. 6–10. Retold with immediacy, these stories from the Indian subcontinent include Hindu and Buddhist works, fables and folklore, and legends based on the lives of real women. Krishnaswami’s commentary is almost as interesting as the tales themselves.

Lasky, Kathryn. Jahanara: Princess of Princess, India, 1627. 2002. Scholastic, $10.95 (0-439-22350-4).
Gr. 4–8. Filled with period detail and related with immediacy by an intelligent, sensitive 14-year-old princess, this entry in the Royal Diaries series transports readers to seventeenth-century India to hear Jahanara’s stories about court intrigue and the royal family’s extravagant lifestyle. At the same time, Lasky’s meticulous research brings into focus such issues as women’s rights and the impact of Islamic extremism.

Sreenivasan, Jyotsna. Aruna’s Journeys. 1997. Smooth Stone, $6.95 (0-9619401-7-4).
Gr. 4–7. Eleven-year-old Aruna has been in the U.S. for seven years and is still self-conscious about her immigrant status. A trip to visit the family home in Bangalore helps her gain an understanding of her heritage and also appreciate the American values that are a part of her as well.

Whelan, Gloria. Homeless Bird. 2000. HarperCollins, $14.95 (0-06-028454-4).
Gr. 6–10. Set in the 1970s, this is the story of 13-year-old Koly, who is married to a sickly husband, then widowed and thrown into the streets by her mother-in-law. A women’s shelter helps Koly get back on her feet and find a way to use her considerable embroidery skills. A beautifully written book about universal feelings.

(Booklist/September 15, 2003)