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The Whole Story of Half a Girl
What greater praise than to be compared to Judy Blume!--"Each [Blume and Hiranandani] excels in charting the fluctuating discomfort zones of adolescent identity with affectionate humor."-- Kirkus Reviews, Starred
After her father loses his job, Sonia Nadhamuni, half Indian and half Jewish American, finds herself yanked out of private school and thrown into the unfamiliar world of public education. For the first time, Sonia's mixed heritage makes her classmates ask questions—questions Sonia doesn't always know how to answer—as she navigates between a group of popular girls who want her to try out for the cheerleading squad and other students who aren't part of the "in" crowd.
At the same time that Sonia is trying to make new friends, she's dealing with what it means to have an out-of-work parent—it's hard for her family to adjust to their changed circumstances. And then, one day, Sonia's father goes missing. Now Sonia wonders if she ever really knew him. As she begins to look for answers, she must decide what really matters and who her true friends are—and whether her two halves, no matter how different, can make her a whole.
After her father loses his job, Sonia Nadhamuni, half Indian and half Jewish American, finds herself yanked out of private school and thrown into the unfamiliar world of public education. For the first time, Sonia's mixed heritage makes her classmates ask questions—questions Sonia doesn't always know how to answer—as she navigates between a group of popular girls who want her to try out for the cheerleading squad and other students who aren't part of the "in" crowd.
At the same time that Sonia is trying to make new friends, she's dealing with what it means to have an out-of-work parent—it's hard for her family to adjust to their changed circumstances. And then, one day, Sonia's father goes missing. Now Sonia wonders if she ever really knew him. As she begins to look for answers, she must decide what really matters and who her true friends are—and whether her two halves, no matter how different, can make her a whole.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 10, 2012
86 people are currently reading
2338 people want to read
About the author
Veera Hiranandani
23 books461 followersVeera Hiranandani is the author of THE NIGHT DIARY, THE WHOLE STORY OF HALF A GIRL, and the chapter book series, PHOEBE G. GREEN. She has an MFA in fiction writing from Sarah Lawrence College and spent six years as a book editor. She now teaches creative writing at The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College and lives in New York with her family. She is working on her next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 263 reviews
September 29, 2020
This is a book that I have had for a very long time and just rediscovered the other day when I was reorganising books. I thought it was high time I finally read it!
Sonia Nadhamuni is an instantly likeable and relatable character. She attends a kind of school that I don't know the official name for, if there is one, but they don't have grades or tests and do things like writing plays that they then perform. It sounds fun! But then her father loses his job, so they can no longer afford to pay the tuition. Sonia switches to a public school and has to learn to navigate a whole new world. She is half Indian, half Jewish. This was not really an issue at her previous school, but here it is. The social groups are divided into white or black and she isn't sure where she fits in. At home, her dad has been diagnosed with clinical depression and is struggling. I thought the issues she faced both at home and at school were handled really well.
Her friendships with Kate and Alisha were interesting, and I appreciated all she learned about them and herself throughout the book.
My one issue, not with the book itself but the blurb, is that it gives away a significant plot point that happens near the final part of the book, which seems an odd choice. This hasn't come into my rating because it isn't the author's fault, but it did ruin some of the suspense.
That particular event was tense and excellently written. I will happily read more by this author.
Sonia Nadhamuni is an instantly likeable and relatable character. She attends a kind of school that I don't know the official name for, if there is one, but they don't have grades or tests and do things like writing plays that they then perform. It sounds fun! But then her father loses his job, so they can no longer afford to pay the tuition. Sonia switches to a public school and has to learn to navigate a whole new world. She is half Indian, half Jewish. This was not really an issue at her previous school, but here it is. The social groups are divided into white or black and she isn't sure where she fits in. At home, her dad has been diagnosed with clinical depression and is struggling. I thought the issues she faced both at home and at school were handled really well.
Her friendships with Kate and Alisha were interesting, and I appreciated all she learned about them and herself throughout the book.
My one issue, not with the book itself but the blurb, is that it gives away a significant plot point that happens near the final part of the book, which seems an odd choice. This hasn't come into my rating because it isn't the author's fault, but it did ruin some of the suspense.
That particular event was tense and excellently written. I will happily read more by this author.
May 15, 2012
This is a pretty good book, but it's disturbingly derivative of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, even to the scene at the first co-ed sixth grade party where they're playing kissing games and someone says this is boring, let's play two minutes in the closet. It was already a little too heavily reminiscent for me, with the question of what religion you are when your parents are two different things and you're not really being raised one or the other (though here there's a mixture of questions about religion and ethnicity, and Sonia isn't being raised atheist, but more-or-less a semi-secular Jew), moving to a new school, making new friends with girls who are cooler than you, etc. But it was that party scene that really annoyed me.
The interactions with Sonia's Catholic or Episcopalian friend Kate and Kate's family were the most interesting parts of the book. I was puzzled at first by why the book was acting like Kate's mother was worse than she is (it's implied that she's a shopaholic, and she's maybe a little shallow, but she's got a lot of good qualities; she certainly doesn't seem anti-Semitic, which is implied in Sonia's and Sonia's mother's reactions), until I understood that the author was showing Sonia's mother to be sort of judgmental and inclined to prejudice, too. But I think this point might be too subtle for young readers, who might read it thinking that Jackie is a bad person somehow. Both Kate and Jackie are nicely complex characters.
The other thing that bugged me (besides the Judy Blume stuff) is how much this book felt like a case study for a book on parenting psychology; Sonia notices and wonders about things that don't ring true to me as things kids put into words or thoughts, like the economic comparisons she makes between her house and Kate's (where the parents' jobs are less fancy but the house is more fancy). The best scenes are those with the parents, where all that stuff feels more natural coming out of their mouths instead of Sonia's. I don't know what a kid might make of it all.
The interactions with Sonia's Catholic or Episcopalian friend Kate and Kate's family were the most interesting parts of the book. I was puzzled at first by why the book was acting like Kate's mother was worse than she is (it's implied that she's a shopaholic, and she's maybe a little shallow, but she's got a lot of good qualities; she certainly doesn't seem anti-Semitic, which is implied in Sonia's and Sonia's mother's reactions), until I understood that the author was showing Sonia's mother to be sort of judgmental and inclined to prejudice, too. But I think this point might be too subtle for young readers, who might read it thinking that Jackie is a bad person somehow. Both Kate and Jackie are nicely complex characters.
The other thing that bugged me (besides the Judy Blume stuff) is how much this book felt like a case study for a book on parenting psychology; Sonia notices and wonders about things that don't ring true to me as things kids put into words or thoughts, like the economic comparisons she makes between her house and Kate's (where the parents' jobs are less fancy but the house is more fancy). The best scenes are those with the parents, where all that stuff feels more natural coming out of their mouths instead of Sonia's. I don't know what a kid might make of it all.
May 31, 2012
I absolutely loved this book. I started it before bed, and I couldn't put it down until I was done with the whole thing. I definitely related to the main character, Sonia, because she, like me, is biracial. Many of the questions she asks herself are questions I used to ask myself when I was in middle school. I thought the author did a wonderful job addressing this aspect of the novel. The author did a great job in demonstrating cliques and the difficulty of trying to fit in.
However, I did feel that there was some prejudice against public schools. Some things, I felt, weren't quite right. When I was a kid, only the "poorer" students got hot lunches. I always felt envious of the kids who brought sack lunches. We didn't get chicken nuggets and candy bars everyday. The author, speaking for Sonia, makes a comment how many of the kids in the public schools have fancy gizmos like iPods, while the kids in the school Sonia came from just didn't have all those things. I guess it depends on everyone's personal experience, but I know plenty of schools that cater to more disadvantaged students. I just didn't like the impression that was given of public schools. (The author is a Montessori teacher, so I think that played a large part in the way public school is portrayed.)
I also deeply appreciated the author's portrayal of being unemployed and the depression that can follow suit. I found it very convincing. Unemployment (and underemployment) is a problem many families are facing, and I think children in middle school who read this book who have an unemployed parent will appreciate getting to know a girl whose family is also struggling with unemployment.
This book just resonated with me. I wish it had existed when I was in middle school.
However, I did feel that there was some prejudice against public schools. Some things, I felt, weren't quite right. When I was a kid, only the "poorer" students got hot lunches. I always felt envious of the kids who brought sack lunches. We didn't get chicken nuggets and candy bars everyday. The author, speaking for Sonia, makes a comment how many of the kids in the public schools have fancy gizmos like iPods, while the kids in the school Sonia came from just didn't have all those things. I guess it depends on everyone's personal experience, but I know plenty of schools that cater to more disadvantaged students. I just didn't like the impression that was given of public schools. (The author is a Montessori teacher, so I think that played a large part in the way public school is portrayed.)
I also deeply appreciated the author's portrayal of being unemployed and the depression that can follow suit. I found it very convincing. Unemployment (and underemployment) is a problem many families are facing, and I think children in middle school who read this book who have an unemployed parent will appreciate getting to know a girl whose family is also struggling with unemployment.
This book just resonated with me. I wish it had existed when I was in middle school.
August 29, 2011
*4.5 stars*
Oh, I loved this book. Have you ever read a kids' book that started out being just a story, but then not only became real to you as you read, but also swamped you with your own childhood memories and feelings? That was this book, for me.
I loved the heroine, Sonia, and her family members, all of whom were real and complicated and caring and capable of really big mistakes for really good reasons...but as I read, caring deeply about all of them, I also found myself overwhelmed with the memories of my own experiences from around Sonia's age, because Veera Hiranandani writes with so much raw emotional truth about what it's like to be a kid at a brand-new school where everyone suddenly thinks you're weird because your experiences and outlook are different from theirs. As someone who changed schools a LOT as a kid, for various practical family reasons that were out of my control, I can say with authority that she got the conflicting and sometimes terrifying emotions and impulses exactly right...but it was the specificity and emotional truth of Sonia's own particular experiences (which were quite different than mine) that made the book so powerful for me.
Stylistically, I found the first few chapters (set in the spring three months before Sonia starts her new school) a little bit bumpy, but once she started school and the main storyline kicked into action, I was utterly absorbed and in love for the rest of the novel.
After spending the last six years at an alternate, private school where the kids don't get grades and everyone in her tiny class knows each other and gets along regardless of family background, 11-year-old Sonia is suddenly thrown into a large public school where the white kids and the black kids sit at separate tables...and everyone wants to know where Sonia - half-Indian, half-Jewish - fits into that divide. As she tries to find a way to somehow fit into that mix, she tries on various different identities, sometimes with really uncomfortable results. Worst of all, she ends up realizing that nearly all the beliefs her (liberal, feminist) parents have instilled in her are in total conflict with the outlook and expectations of almost all of the kids that she has to get along with in school...and her parents' own issues are bundled into the mix as her father fights clinical depression after losing his last job (the reason why Sonia had to leave her private school in the first place).
It all felt incredibly real, moving and absorbing, and I really loved the ending. I can't wait to read Veera Hiranandani's next book!
Oh, I loved this book. Have you ever read a kids' book that started out being just a story, but then not only became real to you as you read, but also swamped you with your own childhood memories and feelings? That was this book, for me.
I loved the heroine, Sonia, and her family members, all of whom were real and complicated and caring and capable of really big mistakes for really good reasons...but as I read, caring deeply about all of them, I also found myself overwhelmed with the memories of my own experiences from around Sonia's age, because Veera Hiranandani writes with so much raw emotional truth about what it's like to be a kid at a brand-new school where everyone suddenly thinks you're weird because your experiences and outlook are different from theirs. As someone who changed schools a LOT as a kid, for various practical family reasons that were out of my control, I can say with authority that she got the conflicting and sometimes terrifying emotions and impulses exactly right...but it was the specificity and emotional truth of Sonia's own particular experiences (which were quite different than mine) that made the book so powerful for me.
Stylistically, I found the first few chapters (set in the spring three months before Sonia starts her new school) a little bit bumpy, but once she started school and the main storyline kicked into action, I was utterly absorbed and in love for the rest of the novel.
After spending the last six years at an alternate, private school where the kids don't get grades and everyone in her tiny class knows each other and gets along regardless of family background, 11-year-old Sonia is suddenly thrown into a large public school where the white kids and the black kids sit at separate tables...and everyone wants to know where Sonia - half-Indian, half-Jewish - fits into that divide. As she tries to find a way to somehow fit into that mix, she tries on various different identities, sometimes with really uncomfortable results. Worst of all, she ends up realizing that nearly all the beliefs her (liberal, feminist) parents have instilled in her are in total conflict with the outlook and expectations of almost all of the kids that she has to get along with in school...and her parents' own issues are bundled into the mix as her father fights clinical depression after losing his last job (the reason why Sonia had to leave her private school in the first place).
It all felt incredibly real, moving and absorbing, and I really loved the ending. I can't wait to read Veera Hiranandani's next book!
July 6, 2012
Summary:
When Sonia's dad comes home from work one day and announces he's lost his job, Sonia's whole world changes. Her parents can't afford to send her and her little sister, Natasha, to the small, private school they've been attending (FINALLY!! someone else goes to a small private school!), so Sonia has to adjust to public school, where no one can pronounce her Indian last name. It's a much bigger world that's missing her awesome teacher, Jack, and her best friend, Sam.
Sonia is surprised by how much more emphasis seems to be put on race and religion in public school (she's half-Jewish and half-Indian), and meets two people: Alisha, an African-American girl who loves to write; and Kate, a bubbly, blonde, popular middle school cheerleader captain. Sonia feels like she has to choose between Alisha and Kate, because of Kate's friend Jessica, who is the ultimate snob and torments Alisha.
When Sonia tries out for the cheerleading team, she becomes more popular and gets invited to a boy-girl party. She leaves Alisha behind and becomes closer with Kate. But Sonia still has some growing up to do.
Review:
At the beginning, I was thinking, "I've heard this all before. Dad loses job, daughter becomes cheerleader, makes new friends, leaves others behind...blah blah blah." I'd disregarded Sonia's half-Indian, half-Jewish background, though, which works into the story way more than I thought it would.
The characters were all complex, which I really didn't expect, either. I really don't like when popular blonde cheerleaders are characters in books, because they're almost always shallow and one-dimensional. I assumed Kate would be the same way. But no! She was completely believable. She was more than just a cheerleader, she was a person with parents and a life - shopaholic parents, but still. (Eighty dollars for shoes? I was a little taken aback by that. I'm sure it happens, but not to me!) Towards the end of the story Kate started to be kind of a brat, very shallow. I think Sonia was a little quick to judge her, though. Everyone makes mistakes.
I wish Alisha had shown up more in the book, but I'm glad she and Sonia became friends. (See? This book was so real that I'm talking about the characters like they exist!)
I'm also really happy that Veera Hiranandani looked the issues in this book straight in the eye and took them on, not allowing any easy answers. There need to be more books like that for middle-grade and young adult readers. I picked it up thinking it'd be a fluffy read about a sixth-grader's first year in middle school, but I couldn't have been more wrong! Even if you're older than Sonia, read it. She's more mature than I was in sixth grade.
The boy-girl party was very well described and detailed. It's one of the places I would not want to be. And the part where she leaves school in the middle of the day because she's so mixed up and angry about her dad's leaving? The best scene in the whole book. I was running through that field with Sonia.
It cut deep, and I didn't expect it to. Not many books leave you turning over things in your mind, but this one certainly did. Maybe it was because I didn't expect much from this book, but I loved it! I would definitely recommend it to anyone in fifth/fourth grade or up, because the boy-girl party scene might be not appropriate for younger kids. But overall, it's a great novel!
When Sonia's dad comes home from work one day and announces he's lost his job, Sonia's whole world changes. Her parents can't afford to send her and her little sister, Natasha, to the small, private school they've been attending (FINALLY!! someone else goes to a small private school!), so Sonia has to adjust to public school, where no one can pronounce her Indian last name. It's a much bigger world that's missing her awesome teacher, Jack, and her best friend, Sam.
Sonia is surprised by how much more emphasis seems to be put on race and religion in public school (she's half-Jewish and half-Indian), and meets two people: Alisha, an African-American girl who loves to write; and Kate, a bubbly, blonde, popular middle school cheerleader captain. Sonia feels like she has to choose between Alisha and Kate, because of Kate's friend Jessica, who is the ultimate snob and torments Alisha.
When Sonia tries out for the cheerleading team, she becomes more popular and gets invited to a boy-girl party. She leaves Alisha behind and becomes closer with Kate. But Sonia still has some growing up to do.
Review:
At the beginning, I was thinking, "I've heard this all before. Dad loses job, daughter becomes cheerleader, makes new friends, leaves others behind...blah blah blah." I'd disregarded Sonia's half-Indian, half-Jewish background, though, which works into the story way more than I thought it would.
The characters were all complex, which I really didn't expect, either. I really don't like when popular blonde cheerleaders are characters in books, because they're almost always shallow and one-dimensional. I assumed Kate would be the same way. But no! She was completely believable. She was more than just a cheerleader, she was a person with parents and a life - shopaholic parents, but still. (Eighty dollars for shoes? I was a little taken aback by that. I'm sure it happens, but not to me!) Towards the end of the story Kate started to be kind of a brat, very shallow. I think Sonia was a little quick to judge her, though. Everyone makes mistakes.
I wish Alisha had shown up more in the book, but I'm glad she and Sonia became friends. (See? This book was so real that I'm talking about the characters like they exist!)
I'm also really happy that Veera Hiranandani looked the issues in this book straight in the eye and took them on, not allowing any easy answers. There need to be more books like that for middle-grade and young adult readers. I picked it up thinking it'd be a fluffy read about a sixth-grader's first year in middle school, but I couldn't have been more wrong! Even if you're older than Sonia, read it. She's more mature than I was in sixth grade.
The boy-girl party was very well described and detailed. It's one of the places I would not want to be. And the part where she leaves school in the middle of the day because she's so mixed up and angry about her dad's leaving? The best scene in the whole book. I was running through that field with Sonia.
It cut deep, and I didn't expect it to. Not many books leave you turning over things in your mind, but this one certainly did. Maybe it was because I didn't expect much from this book, but I loved it! I would definitely recommend it to anyone in fifth/fourth grade or up, because the boy-girl party scene might be not appropriate for younger kids. But overall, it's a great novel!
March 15, 2012
A big thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!
I just thought this book was a winner all the way around - a perfect book for the middle grade age group. It deals with many issues that will hit home with middle schoolers: popularity, identity, new schools, friend problems and family problems.
Sonia loves her life - she has a great best friend - Sam, a fabulous private school called Community, and a quirky, but loving family. Then one day her father brings home the news that he has lost his job and Sonia's world is turned upside down. She finds out that she can no longer go to the private school that she loves so much; she will have to go to public school where she doesn't know anyone. This drives a wedge between her and Sam, and all of a sudden Sonia feels like she doesn't have a friend in the world. Her family is not the happy, fun family it once was. Her dad is depressed and quick to anger. Her mom is stressed out and worried. And Sonia's little sister, Natasha...well, she's just six.
Things start to look up when Sonia befriends one of the most popular girls, Kate, and discovers she has a talent for cheerleading. She joins the squad and finally begins to feel like she might be starting to fit in. But then, something absolutely horrible happens - her father disappears. Once again, her world is upside down. But now she is beginning to see who her real friends are. And she begins to realize what the important things in life really are.
I absolutely adored Sonia, and I think that most young readers will too. She is trying to figure out who she is. She is Indian on her father's side, Jewish (well, sort of) on her mother's side, and is often mistaken as African American. She is basically just trying to find her place in the world. The events that happen with school and especially with her father will keep the reader enthralled until the very end. I highly, highly recommend this book! A wonderful debut for Hiranandani - I will definitely be looking for more from her in the future!
I just thought this book was a winner all the way around - a perfect book for the middle grade age group. It deals with many issues that will hit home with middle schoolers: popularity, identity, new schools, friend problems and family problems.
Sonia loves her life - she has a great best friend - Sam, a fabulous private school called Community, and a quirky, but loving family. Then one day her father brings home the news that he has lost his job and Sonia's world is turned upside down. She finds out that she can no longer go to the private school that she loves so much; she will have to go to public school where she doesn't know anyone. This drives a wedge between her and Sam, and all of a sudden Sonia feels like she doesn't have a friend in the world. Her family is not the happy, fun family it once was. Her dad is depressed and quick to anger. Her mom is stressed out and worried. And Sonia's little sister, Natasha...well, she's just six.
Things start to look up when Sonia befriends one of the most popular girls, Kate, and discovers she has a talent for cheerleading. She joins the squad and finally begins to feel like she might be starting to fit in. But then, something absolutely horrible happens - her father disappears. Once again, her world is upside down. But now she is beginning to see who her real friends are. And she begins to realize what the important things in life really are.
I absolutely adored Sonia, and I think that most young readers will too. She is trying to figure out who she is. She is Indian on her father's side, Jewish (well, sort of) on her mother's side, and is often mistaken as African American. She is basically just trying to find her place in the world. The events that happen with school and especially with her father will keep the reader enthralled until the very end. I highly, highly recommend this book! A wonderful debut for Hiranandani - I will definitely be looking for more from her in the future!
March 20, 2012
I originally picked this up because I thought it would be great to have a book dealing with a mixed race teen, since I am of mixed race as well. However, a few things left me...unsettled, about it.
First, I didn't realize Sonia would be so young, she was only 11. The issues you face and how you talk about them differ drastically in middle school and high school, so I would have liked to see her a little bit older, in order to relate to her better.
Also, I didn't feel like the addition of the environment change from private to public school was necessary to propel the plot. You could have stuck Sonia into middle school from regular elementary school and it would have been easier for girls to relate to her. We have schools like that in my city, and I'm friends with people that go to them, and when they transferred to public schools it wasn't nearly as bad for them (I'm slightly biased, though, because IB is an international program so most people have more cultural sensitivity. Most people). So I feel like it was unnecessary drama.
And the ending was very frustrating for me. I felt like there was no bridge between who Sonia was and popular American culture, that the author was saying "It's not possible to be true to your roots and also be popular/a cheerleader." Which, in my opinion, is NOT the message this book should send. EMBRACE dual heritage, but do not let it be your defining characteristic in that way. I just really didn't agree with the value I gathered from the author.
I wanted to like this book. I really did.
First, I didn't realize Sonia would be so young, she was only 11. The issues you face and how you talk about them differ drastically in middle school and high school, so I would have liked to see her a little bit older, in order to relate to her better.
Also, I didn't feel like the addition of the environment change from private to public school was necessary to propel the plot. You could have stuck Sonia into middle school from regular elementary school and it would have been easier for girls to relate to her. We have schools like that in my city, and I'm friends with people that go to them, and when they transferred to public schools it wasn't nearly as bad for them (I'm slightly biased, though, because IB is an international program so most people have more cultural sensitivity. Most people). So I feel like it was unnecessary drama.
And the ending was very frustrating for me. I felt like there was no bridge between who Sonia was and popular American culture, that the author was saying "It's not possible to be true to your roots and also be popular/a cheerleader." Which, in my opinion, is NOT the message this book should send. EMBRACE dual heritage, but do not let it be your defining characteristic in that way. I just really didn't agree with the value I gathered from the author.
I wanted to like this book. I really did.
November 27, 2019
This book felt busy and dated. The author attempted to tackle many issues: new school, interracial and interfaith family, as well as depression, and none of them really won out enough to feel natural or make me as a reader care. The cheerleading references all felt dated, and the black/white confusion and conversation was odd every time. I think by 2012 when this book was published, people knew there are more than two options.
August 6, 2014
SPOILER ALERT --- I agree with other reviewers who felt like this was a knockoff of Blume's "Are You There God, It's Me Margaret?". It's hard to believe that some schools consider using this book in the classroom. The themes of a young girl trying to find where she fits in and religious identity are almost identical in both books. The spin the bottle and closet scene is almost identical too.
Both books are definitely oriented for girls not boys. Like Blume, Hiranandani leaves the ending very open. There is no real conclusion, no real lesson. For a middle school student struggling with the common issues of that age, this book may leave them confused and even more lost.
I was disturbed with the repeated spin the bottle/minutes in the closet scene where the boy puts his hands on the main character and forces his tongue down her throat. I thought the author might use that as a chance for the main character's mother to really step up and take a stand, but she doesn't. She's fairly nonchalant and her only advice to her 6th grade daughter is don't do what you don't want to do. For boys, this isn't the kind of behavior we want to introduce to them. Yes, they learn things from other kids. But as parents and teachers I'm not comfortable with intentionally introducing it in this manner.
I didn't view this as a book that builds character or instills the kinds of qualities I want children to have. I didn't really see a single character who demonstrated strength. The kids tended to flounder (as many middle school children do), but again, I would prefer to see some of the characters demonstrate qualities we would like our children to develop. They have enough friends and classmates floundering as it is. I felt the same way about the adult characters. It tended to lend a very depressing tone to the book.
For children facing issues at home, the disappearance of the father, his depression and subsequent hospitalization could be unsettling. There was no clear hope or assurance of his getting better, only that he would try. For adults, we understand the reality of that. For children, many of them are looking for hope not just a dismal reminder of reality.
I think there was much more potential for this book. Overall, I thought the book was rather boring and slow. It doesn't have to be a Pollyanna story, but the unique situation that the main character is in could have translated into a much more valuable and interesting story.
Both books are definitely oriented for girls not boys. Like Blume, Hiranandani leaves the ending very open. There is no real conclusion, no real lesson. For a middle school student struggling with the common issues of that age, this book may leave them confused and even more lost.
I was disturbed with the repeated spin the bottle/minutes in the closet scene where the boy puts his hands on the main character and forces his tongue down her throat. I thought the author might use that as a chance for the main character's mother to really step up and take a stand, but she doesn't. She's fairly nonchalant and her only advice to her 6th grade daughter is don't do what you don't want to do. For boys, this isn't the kind of behavior we want to introduce to them. Yes, they learn things from other kids. But as parents and teachers I'm not comfortable with intentionally introducing it in this manner.
I didn't view this as a book that builds character or instills the kinds of qualities I want children to have. I didn't really see a single character who demonstrated strength. The kids tended to flounder (as many middle school children do), but again, I would prefer to see some of the characters demonstrate qualities we would like our children to develop. They have enough friends and classmates floundering as it is. I felt the same way about the adult characters. It tended to lend a very depressing tone to the book.
For children facing issues at home, the disappearance of the father, his depression and subsequent hospitalization could be unsettling. There was no clear hope or assurance of his getting better, only that he would try. For adults, we understand the reality of that. For children, many of them are looking for hope not just a dismal reminder of reality.
I think there was much more potential for this book. Overall, I thought the book was rather boring and slow. It doesn't have to be a Pollyanna story, but the unique situation that the main character is in could have translated into a much more valuable and interesting story.
December 10, 2014
Sonia Nadhamuni is half-Indian, half-Jewish, and thoroughly confused. Suddenly forced into public middle school after years of idyllic private education, Sonia finds that she just doesn’t fit in to her new environment. Her skin color and clothing and hobbies were never an object of discussion at her old school, but now her mixed heritage is causing an identity crisis. On the one hand, she has an in with the popular cheerleader girls who want to dress her up and make her over. On the other hand, she is friendly with a decidedly nicer but uncool girl who likes her for who she is.
With everything in her social life so up in the air, Sonia is a girl torn in two.
To further complicate matters, there is trouble brewing in the Nadhamuni home. Sonia’s father, newly unemployed, is grappling with clinical depression and having trouble adjusting to his new circumstances. When he suddenly disappears without a word, Sonia has to decide who she really is and who she wants to be.
Sonia is a highly relatable and likable narrator and her story is a realistic and enjoyable one that older readers, particularly fans of authors like Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, will get into.
This review originally appeared on ABookandaHug.com
With everything in her social life so up in the air, Sonia is a girl torn in two.
To further complicate matters, there is trouble brewing in the Nadhamuni home. Sonia’s father, newly unemployed, is grappling with clinical depression and having trouble adjusting to his new circumstances. When he suddenly disappears without a word, Sonia has to decide who she really is and who she wants to be.
Sonia is a highly relatable and likable narrator and her story is a realistic and enjoyable one that older readers, particularly fans of authors like Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, will get into.
This review originally appeared on ABookandaHug.com
March 27, 2012
Sonia has always gone to the same small non-traditional school, which she loves. She has lots of friends and gets along with all of her teachers too. When her dad loses his job she has to transfer to the local public school, where making all new friends and fitting in doesn't come easily. Sonia's dad is from India and her mom is Caucasian. In her new school no one looks like her. And just as she is having trouble in school, her home life is extra stressful too. Her dad isn't working, so he's crabby, and her mom has to take on extra hours at her job, so she's crabby too. But when her dad has a breakdown, Sonia realizes that there are more important things than popularity and clothes. A good middle school book.
October 10, 2015
The Whole Story of Half A Girl was a wonderful surprise for me. Sonia like many of my students, is not always sure how how they fit in. Sonia is portrayed as a "real" teen. The relationships within the family also rang true for me. Though, I kinda of wished that the Dad let the family know he was ok. But, someone with such a deep depression is not thinking clearly. When the family sees Dad for the first time in treatment, Sonia holds back. I love the fact that the author wrote the scene this way. The author stayed true to Sonia. Sonia is old enough to realize the long road ahead for her whole family. The ending did have a ray of hope.
Great read!
Great read!
April 1, 2013
The Whole Story of Half a Girl
Veera Hiranandani
This book is about Sonia, a half Jewish-Indian girl. Sonia has to change from a community school to normal school since her dad lost his job. Now here's her problem- She doesn't want to go. She doesn't want to leave Jack, her teacher, Sam, her best friend and all the other students in the community. She also is annoyed of being half Jewish-Indian and being a half cheerleader at her old school. I liked this book because of the way the author set it up. I liked the character Sonia as I could relate to her in some ways.
Veera Hiranandani
This book is about Sonia, a half Jewish-Indian girl. Sonia has to change from a community school to normal school since her dad lost his job. Now here's her problem- She doesn't want to go. She doesn't want to leave Jack, her teacher, Sam, her best friend and all the other students in the community. She also is annoyed of being half Jewish-Indian and being a half cheerleader at her old school. I liked this book because of the way the author set it up. I liked the character Sonia as I could relate to her in some ways.
January 2, 2025
I didn't love this book, but I am going to recommend it to my daughter when she is a little older. It isn't the most beautifully written book, but it deals with tough topics (parent's losing jobs, mental health issues, challenges with friends) in an age appropriate manner.
I was a little disappointed on how Kate's character was dealt with in the end. I like the nuance to her character - a popular girl who isn't all mean but doesn't always make the right decision. The second to last chapter made her too much of a cliche for my taste.
I was a little disappointed on how Kate's character was dealt with in the end. I like the nuance to her character - a popular girl who isn't all mean but doesn't always make the right decision. The second to last chapter made her too much of a cliche for my taste.
January 11, 2012
Really enjoyed this book, it was really sweet, she was half Indian, half Jewish, and didn't know where her place was. It was really good!
January 15, 2024
3.5 stars
April 12, 2017
Fifth-grader Sonia Nadhamuni is half-Indian and half-Jewish, but no one seems to mind at The Community School, a place where students call the teachers by their first names and learn things like how to make sushi or how to take the sap from a tree. But Sonia's parents have some bad news. Sonia's dad has lost his job, and they won't be sending Sonia and her sister to The Community School next year. Instead, Sonia's sixth grade year will be at the local public middle school, where no one can pronounce her last name and she will get actual grades from her teachers for the first time. At school, Sonia doesn't know where she belongs. With Alisha, the plainly-dressed writer who sits with the other black kids at lunch? Or with Kate, the fashionable and friendly blonde who sits with the other cheerleaders? On top of these worries, Sonia's dad is acting strange and sad, things aren't the same with her old friend Sam, and Sonia's been fighting with her mom for the first time ever. Will Sonia ever feel whole again or is she doomed to always be half a girl?
I loved this book. It is amazingly almost-free of cliche, and so well-written that it really reminded me of being in middle school. The author also deals with questions that I'm sure a lot of kids have and gives them credit for being able to think complexly about them. This book deals with depression, a parent losing his job, old and new friendships, race and being biracial, peer pressure, money issues and conspicuous wealth, etc. I could see how some people might think this is too many issues to deal with in one pretty small book, but I thought it was dealt with really well. The characters are all fairly complex, and some reminded me of people I know in real life.
This book would be great for a kid starting at a new school or dealing with any of the other issues in the book, but really I think it would be great for anyone (especially girls). I highly recommend it! It would be best for fourth to seventh graders. Readlikes might include Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu (although Breadcrumbs is fantasy) and See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles (although I haven't read it myself yet).
I loved this book. It is amazingly almost-free of cliche, and so well-written that it really reminded me of being in middle school. The author also deals with questions that I'm sure a lot of kids have and gives them credit for being able to think complexly about them. This book deals with depression, a parent losing his job, old and new friendships, race and being biracial, peer pressure, money issues and conspicuous wealth, etc. I could see how some people might think this is too many issues to deal with in one pretty small book, but I thought it was dealt with really well. The characters are all fairly complex, and some reminded me of people I know in real life.
This book would be great for a kid starting at a new school or dealing with any of the other issues in the book, but really I think it would be great for anyone (especially girls). I highly recommend it! It would be best for fourth to seventh graders. Readlikes might include Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu (although Breadcrumbs is fantasy) and See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles (although I haven't read it myself yet).
September 4, 2012
This book is targeted to middle schoolers, but it made my grown-up self cry. Some difficult themes (a parent losing a job and suffering from clinical depression), but the protagonist's voice is clear and thoughtful, and her depiction of trying to find her place at a big, unfamiliar high school after years in a smaller, more protected environment rang absolutely true. A pleasure to read.
September 16, 2018
It would be nice to feel so free, to do whatever I felt was right and true. And then I remember that I used to feel that way all the time.
the whole story of half a girl by Veera Hiranandani was surprisingly enjoyable. I thought it was going to be a bit shallow, as middle grade books can be, especially in the beginning. It always takes some adjusting to that lower reading level—the simple sentences, less developed plot lines—but Hiranandani did a great job creating emotion and sympathy for her main character, despite the simple storyline.
Hiranandani’s novel centers around Sonia, a half-Indian, half-Jewish sixth grader. Sonia seems to have a pretty cushy life in the beginning, going to a Montessori-like private school (I later learned the author teaches at Montessori, makes sense) and does not seem to want for much. But as it does in many stories, tragedy strikes.
I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a middle grade book, but I felt like this author did “sad” without it being too traumatic. I think that’s good for kids in the younger grades. I would feel comfortable handing this to any kid age eight or above.
Sonia finds out early in the novel that her father has lost his job, which means she can no longer attend her hippy-dippy community school and will have to switch to public school the following year. From the setup, and her reaction, the reader can assume she’s led a pretty sheltered life prior to this.
Unemployment leaves Sonia’s dad wandering the house, planning activities, and later smoking on the porch in his bathrobe. There are some definite ups and downs. We later find out that Sonia’s dad is suffering from clinical depression, his first serious bout of it in over 12 years.
Meanwhile, as Sonia tries to navigate her way through public school, she starts to realize a few things, like the fact that the black and white kids don’t sit together in the cafeteria, and that being popular is often equated with being mean. None of this was groundbreaking insight, but I did like the character of Sonia a lot. She was clever, insightful, and though she made some bad decisions at times, she also made some really good ones.
I’m always the serious one, the one reading in the corner who people leave alone. Sometimes I like it that way. Sometimes I don’t.
I liked that the author made her points about race and identity without being too preachy about it. She does it through the innocent eyes of Sonia, which leaves the reader to make their own judgments about the situation. I never felt like the topic of race was being pushed to the center ground, but more skirted around in a subtle manner.
I actually marked off a few pages where there were some really obvious micro-aggressions to share with my students. We’ve been talking about them in Advisory, and these were the perfect examples.
‘Where are you from?’ Cindy asks.
‘Here,’ I say.
‘But your name. Where’s that from?’
‘My father’s from India,’ I say.
‘Oh, like does he wear feathers in his hair and stuff?’ Cindy still squints. Heather giggles softly behind her.
‘Why would he wear feathers in his hair?’ I ask.
‘He’s not that kind of Indian, idiot,’ Heather says to Cindy and nudges her in the arm. Cindy shrugs. ‘He probably wears a turban, right?’ Heather crosses her arms, pleased with herself.
When I brought up micro-aggressions in my Advisory, they thought they were “over the top,” or as they say, “extra”. I think this is the perfect example of that innocent, off-hand comment that sounds pretty racist but isn’t necessarily meant as racist. You can’t really be sure.
As Sonia starts to see how things work in her new school, she starts to question where she fits in. Is she black or is she white? If she’s neither, what does that mean? She’s half-Jewish, but she doesn’t feel Jewish. They only do Jewish things when her grandparents are around. This was a little reminiscent of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, but less intense.
For everything that reminds me of who I am, there’s always something reminding me of who I’m not.
Recently, a student of mine’s father passed away. He bravely stood up at All School Meeting to speak to us about how his father had been acting prior, and so many other students reached out, explaining how their parents had passed or also dealt with feeling really sad sometimes. This book is so relatable to so many kids who are going through similar things, and is eye-opening for those who are not.
Early on in her days at her public school, she is targeting by one of the popular girls as someone who “could be cool”. She becomes Kate’s new best friend and from the outside, what seems like her new project. Sonia ends up joining the cheerleading team and spending a lot of time with Kate and her stay-at-home mom. This aspect of the story was strangely reminiscent of Mean Girls. I kept picturing the mom from that movie.
Throughout the novel, Sonia deals with two major things—her identity, and her father’s illness. These two struggles lead to an array of events and inner crises for her. She struggles to fit in, while also being herself. She struggles with peer pressure and some low-key racism from kids at school, like being called a “cow-worshipper” and being asked if she’s black because she sits at a lunch table with her black friend.
I think this is an ideal middle grade book. Everything about it screams middle school and it has some great discussion-worthy topics for the classroom. Outside of the classroom, I would say kids of all ages and adults would enjoy this. We can all remember those awkward middle school years, and relate to the situations in this book in one way or another.
Overall, it’s sad, but not too sad, topical, but not too preachy. I would give it a 4/5 stars. I will definitely be passing this one on to my students.
November 11, 2021
I expected to like this way more than I did.
July 13, 2013
I found this book on a recommended list because I'm always looking for cultural inclusion titles. However, this quickly turned into much more than just a traditional story of cultural inclusion.
Sonia is half-Jewish, half-Indian, and half a cheerleader and busy trying to find her way in public school for the first time. This is a story about how difficult it is for all of us to "find our spot" in the world. Sonia has been attending Community, a small, private school; but, when her father loses his job everything has to change.
Just as Sonia is reaching that age of self-discovery she has to adjust to a huge public school, social clicks, her father's depression and her mother's absence because she is working more now.
Sonia makes friends, but are they true friends? How do we even know when people are genuine? How do we even know where we fit in the world around us? I particularly enjoyed the parts of the story where Sonia explores which racial category she fits into more clearly. The truth is people aren't easy to categorize.
As I read this book I kept thinking about Judy Blume's book "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret." That book effectively explored the difficulty Margaret had finding her place in the world. Now, with this book I think we have an updated more culturally aware book with similar messages. I'll definitely be sharing this book with teachers at my school and probably buy more than one copy. I expect it to be popular.
Sonia is half-Jewish, half-Indian, and half a cheerleader and busy trying to find her way in public school for the first time. This is a story about how difficult it is for all of us to "find our spot" in the world. Sonia has been attending Community, a small, private school; but, when her father loses his job everything has to change.
Just as Sonia is reaching that age of self-discovery she has to adjust to a huge public school, social clicks, her father's depression and her mother's absence because she is working more now.
Sonia makes friends, but are they true friends? How do we even know when people are genuine? How do we even know where we fit in the world around us? I particularly enjoyed the parts of the story where Sonia explores which racial category she fits into more clearly. The truth is people aren't easy to categorize.
As I read this book I kept thinking about Judy Blume's book "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret." That book effectively explored the difficulty Margaret had finding her place in the world. Now, with this book I think we have an updated more culturally aware book with similar messages. I'll definitely be sharing this book with teachers at my school and probably buy more than one copy. I expect it to be popular.
Read
March 7, 2014I thought this book was very interesting, and politically correct. A young girl named sonia is having issues accepting herself in a new school full of different cultures and ideas. This is book is recommened for children age 9-14. I feel the book is meant to emotionally connect to the reader so they have a better umderstanding of what the book is about. The text makes you wonder about alot of things. It makes you reflect on yourself. I recommend this boook to many! ( maybe even parents so they can unstand the way young kids think and feel about themelves and others).
November 19, 2017
What an excellent story. And how seldom one sees bi-racial families in literature even though it's so normal in life.
A complex story about lives and identities and the tween years of trying to fit in but still remaining true to who you are, being allowed to make your mistakes in a supportive family and finding out that everything is not the way it appears, particularly when it comes to families.
A complex story about lives and identities and the tween years of trying to fit in but still remaining true to who you are, being allowed to make your mistakes in a supportive family and finding out that everything is not the way it appears, particularly when it comes to families.
September 27, 2011
It is a fact that I know what it is like to be a girl in this world. I found this book very realistic. It is easy to relate to Sonia. I know what it is to be searching for where one fits in and realizing there is no fit because we cannot all be categorized. This is one of many steps to finding one's identity. This book has integrity and I like that.
September 6, 2014
I read this book in three big chunks and while when I sat down to read I devoured it, I didn't think about it when I wasn't reading. A good story, with true-feeling situations (for the most part) and consequences, but the message of self acceptance is pretty blatant (which is good or bad depending on your reader/purpose).
December 8, 2017
This is a story about a girl who, after being private school all her life, starts grade 6 in a public school. I enjoyed this book and it's look at friendship and trying to belong. There was also a thoughtful and well done side plot about having a family member with depression and what that is like.
December 17, 2019
I thought this was a great book. A girl has to deal with changes like transferring to public school, being half Jewish and half Indian, and choosing who to be friends with.
February 19, 2015
It was sad but I really liked it. It may not be for everyone. I did get scared and disapointed at times but I get way in to book when reading them sooooooooo... YEAH
August 4, 2012
The main character is in sixth grade. She's been at a private school her whole life, a "hippie" school (Community). There was a very small class size, the same teacher for year, no tests (all essays and projects), lots of field trips, etc. Her father loses his job, and she will have to start middle school in a public school (Maplewood). Her father is from India, and her mother is Jewish. At her private school, she never thought about what that really meant, but at public school, there are clear lines drawn between black and white, rich and poor, and she has to discover who she is and who she wants to be.
Other issues in the book: making friends, being new, having a parent with depression, losing a parent, having parents with different nationalities and religions, and parents who stick together during rough moments in a marriage. One character gets bused from a different part of the city, because Maplewood is supposed to be a better public school than where she would regularly go. There is a lot going on in this novel, and I really enjoyed it. I recommend it.
It is a clean read.
"Jack, my teacher, passes out recipes from the next and last country our fifth-grade class will be studying—India. I look down and see the makings of biryani, which is a special kind of rice dish. Jack always teaches us about the country's food first, then gives us the lay of the land and the history. Getting to know the food, Jack says, is the best way to really understand a country, just like sharing a meal with someone helps you get to know them. You can tell a lot from what a person eats."
"'It's hard for me, sometimes.' he says.
I nod.
'I grew up with very little. You have so much. Mom and I have wanted you and Natasha to have lots of opportunities, and we've worked hard to give them to you. But I also wish I could give you . . . ' He stops and rubs his forehead. 'I hoped I had given you some perspective. I would have been so lucky to go to a school like Maplewood, let alone Community. In my school we sat on the floor, held slates on our laps, and tried not to get bitten by scorpions.'"
"I sit cross-legged on my bed and look around my room. I look at the big, heavy furniture, the soft rug, my blue and green tie-dyed comforter and matching pillows, my closet full of clothes and toys, my bookshelf full of books. I think of my dad in India sleeping on a mat on a roof covered with mosquito nets. I think of him sweating in his dusty schoolroom with his little chalkboard. I think of him stealing a mango for fun. Here I am, the luckiest girl in the world, but all I can think of is what I don't have."
"Nobody seemed to mind that I was sitting at the table. Actually, nobody seemed to notice me. But I noticed me. I was used to being darker-skinned than everyone at Community except for Marshal, whose parents are from Trinidad, but everyone at this table made me stick out like a ghost. The kids who sat here were black, while all the other tables were filled with white kids. Alisha told some of the other kids that I had been to Paris. They seemed less impressed but asked me some questions, mostly about the Eiffel Tower. I answered, ate my sandwich, and tried not to think of Community. Or why the white kids and black kids didn't sit together here. Or where you were supposed to sit if you were too dark to be white and too light to be black? And that was how my day went."
"Kate's church is in a stone building that, I swear, looks like a smaller version of Notre Dame in Paris. Inside are all these stained-glass windows and shiny wooden benches, and the ceiling's a hundred feet up in the air. I don't really listen that carefully to the priest during the sermon, but it sounds like sort of the same stuff the rabbi talks about when we go to the temple with my grandparents. I wonder why they're supposed to be so different, being Jewish and being Christian. They both talk about what God is, and what we can do to be better people, and stories from the Bible that teach us lessons."
"I look away. If I look at her any longer, watching her crying, I'll tell her it's okay, and it's not. I thought she liked me because I was different, but maybe she just liked me because she thought she could make me the same."
"'A boy kissed me at the party,' I say. I wonder if this will make her angry. I straighten up, wipe my nose, but keep my eyes down.
'Did you want him to kiss you?' Mom asks, pronouncing every word carefully.
'No, not really. We were playing a game, Spin the Bottle.'
'Oh,' she says. She takes a few seconds before continuing. 'So you felt like you had to let him kiss you?'
'Yes,' I say, lifting my eyes.
'You don't ever have to kiss anyone unless you want to. Even it's embarrassing not to. I think being embarrassed is easier to get over than kissing boys you don't want to kiss.'
'I guess,' I say, and know that she's right. It would be nice to feel so free, to do whatever I felt was right and true. And then I remember that I used to feel that way all the time."
"I smile and hold on to my grandmother's feathery, bony hands, her skin so light and soft it's almost translucent. My hands look really dark against hers. I stare at them, amazed that we're even related. I wonder if she ever thinks that, or if Mom ever did, holding the hands of her Indian-looking children. Did anyone ever wonder if we really belonged to her?"
"'Why don't you ever want to go back to India?'
He thinks for a minute. 'Did I say that?'
'Yes.'
'I didn't mean it.' He thinks some more. 'I went through some sad things there. We lived through the partition. We had to leave our home. My parents died there. But I don't mean to make it a sad place for you. India will always be where I became the person I am, and a part of who you are too. It's funny. I've lived in this country for twenty years, and people still look at me as a foreigner. I don't even have an accent anymore. Sometimes it can be, well, tiring, to always feel different.' He takes a deep breath like he's tired just saying it.
'Yes, I know.'"
Other issues in the book: making friends, being new, having a parent with depression, losing a parent, having parents with different nationalities and religions, and parents who stick together during rough moments in a marriage. One character gets bused from a different part of the city, because Maplewood is supposed to be a better public school than where she would regularly go. There is a lot going on in this novel, and I really enjoyed it. I recommend it.
It is a clean read.
"Jack, my teacher, passes out recipes from the next and last country our fifth-grade class will be studying—India. I look down and see the makings of biryani, which is a special kind of rice dish. Jack always teaches us about the country's food first, then gives us the lay of the land and the history. Getting to know the food, Jack says, is the best way to really understand a country, just like sharing a meal with someone helps you get to know them. You can tell a lot from what a person eats."
"'It's hard for me, sometimes.' he says.
I nod.
'I grew up with very little. You have so much. Mom and I have wanted you and Natasha to have lots of opportunities, and we've worked hard to give them to you. But I also wish I could give you . . . ' He stops and rubs his forehead. 'I hoped I had given you some perspective. I would have been so lucky to go to a school like Maplewood, let alone Community. In my school we sat on the floor, held slates on our laps, and tried not to get bitten by scorpions.'"
"I sit cross-legged on my bed and look around my room. I look at the big, heavy furniture, the soft rug, my blue and green tie-dyed comforter and matching pillows, my closet full of clothes and toys, my bookshelf full of books. I think of my dad in India sleeping on a mat on a roof covered with mosquito nets. I think of him sweating in his dusty schoolroom with his little chalkboard. I think of him stealing a mango for fun. Here I am, the luckiest girl in the world, but all I can think of is what I don't have."
"Nobody seemed to mind that I was sitting at the table. Actually, nobody seemed to notice me. But I noticed me. I was used to being darker-skinned than everyone at Community except for Marshal, whose parents are from Trinidad, but everyone at this table made me stick out like a ghost. The kids who sat here were black, while all the other tables were filled with white kids. Alisha told some of the other kids that I had been to Paris. They seemed less impressed but asked me some questions, mostly about the Eiffel Tower. I answered, ate my sandwich, and tried not to think of Community. Or why the white kids and black kids didn't sit together here. Or where you were supposed to sit if you were too dark to be white and too light to be black? And that was how my day went."
"Kate's church is in a stone building that, I swear, looks like a smaller version of Notre Dame in Paris. Inside are all these stained-glass windows and shiny wooden benches, and the ceiling's a hundred feet up in the air. I don't really listen that carefully to the priest during the sermon, but it sounds like sort of the same stuff the rabbi talks about when we go to the temple with my grandparents. I wonder why they're supposed to be so different, being Jewish and being Christian. They both talk about what God is, and what we can do to be better people, and stories from the Bible that teach us lessons."
"I look away. If I look at her any longer, watching her crying, I'll tell her it's okay, and it's not. I thought she liked me because I was different, but maybe she just liked me because she thought she could make me the same."
"'A boy kissed me at the party,' I say. I wonder if this will make her angry. I straighten up, wipe my nose, but keep my eyes down.
'Did you want him to kiss you?' Mom asks, pronouncing every word carefully.
'No, not really. We were playing a game, Spin the Bottle.'
'Oh,' she says. She takes a few seconds before continuing. 'So you felt like you had to let him kiss you?'
'Yes,' I say, lifting my eyes.
'You don't ever have to kiss anyone unless you want to. Even it's embarrassing not to. I think being embarrassed is easier to get over than kissing boys you don't want to kiss.'
'I guess,' I say, and know that she's right. It would be nice to feel so free, to do whatever I felt was right and true. And then I remember that I used to feel that way all the time."
"I smile and hold on to my grandmother's feathery, bony hands, her skin so light and soft it's almost translucent. My hands look really dark against hers. I stare at them, amazed that we're even related. I wonder if she ever thinks that, or if Mom ever did, holding the hands of her Indian-looking children. Did anyone ever wonder if we really belonged to her?"
"'Why don't you ever want to go back to India?'
He thinks for a minute. 'Did I say that?'
'Yes.'
'I didn't mean it.' He thinks some more. 'I went through some sad things there. We lived through the partition. We had to leave our home. My parents died there. But I don't mean to make it a sad place for you. India will always be where I became the person I am, and a part of who you are too. It's funny. I've lived in this country for twenty years, and people still look at me as a foreigner. I don't even have an accent anymore. Sometimes it can be, well, tiring, to always feel different.' He takes a deep breath like he's tired just saying it.
'Yes, I know.'"
June 11, 2020
See my video review: https://www.goodreads.com/videos/1638...
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