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Home Has No Borders: A Collection of South Asian Stories
From New York Times bestselling author Samira Ahmed and Sona Charaipotra comes this uplifting contemporary teen anthology celebrating South Asian stories and writers.
From first crushes to first heartbreaks, complicated family dynamics to community relationships, this powerful collection of stories explores race, class, culture, language, and the very idea of home as both a place and a feeling.
Edited by Samira Ahmed and Sona Charaipotra and featuring some of the most acclaimed, bestselling South Asian authors writing for teens today—this is an essential collection of captivating stories about what it means to be South Asian.
With stories by:
• Anuradha D. Rajurkar, award-winning author of American Betiya
• Fatimah Asghar, author of If They Come for Us and cocreator behind the Emmy-nominated miniseries Brown Girls
• Jasmin Kaur, celebrated author of When You Ask Me Where I’m Going and If I Tell the Truth
• Navdeep Singh Dillon, author of Sunny G’s Series of Rash DecisionsNikesh Shukla, acclaimed author of Coconut Unlimited, The One Who Wrote Destiny, Run, Riot, The Boxer, and Stand Up
• Nisha Sharma, celebrated author of My So-Called Bollywood Life, Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance, and The Karma Map
• Rajani LaRocca, Newbery Honor–winning author of Red, White, and Whole
• Samira Ahmed, New York Times bestselling author of Love, Hate & Other Filters, Internment, Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know, Hollow Fires, and the Amira & Hamza middle grade duology
• Sheba Karim, author of The Marvelous Mirza Girls
• Tanuja Desai Hidier, critically acclaimed author of Born Confused and Bombay Blues
• Sarah Mughal Rana, author of Hope Ablaze
• Tanya Boteju, author of Kings, Queens and In-Betweens and Bruised
• Tashie Bhuiyan, author of Counting Down with You, A Show for Two, and Stay with My Heart
• Veera Hiranandani, Newbery Honor–winning author of The Night Diary, How to Find You’re Not Looking For, and Amil and the After
• Kanwalroop Singh
• Rekha Kuver
From first crushes to first heartbreaks, complicated family dynamics to community relationships, this powerful collection of stories explores race, class, culture, language, and the very idea of home as both a place and a feeling.
Edited by Samira Ahmed and Sona Charaipotra and featuring some of the most acclaimed, bestselling South Asian authors writing for teens today—this is an essential collection of captivating stories about what it means to be South Asian.
With stories by:
• Anuradha D. Rajurkar, award-winning author of American Betiya
• Fatimah Asghar, author of If They Come for Us and cocreator behind the Emmy-nominated miniseries Brown Girls
• Jasmin Kaur, celebrated author of When You Ask Me Where I’m Going and If I Tell the Truth
• Navdeep Singh Dillon, author of Sunny G’s Series of Rash DecisionsNikesh Shukla, acclaimed author of Coconut Unlimited, The One Who Wrote Destiny, Run, Riot, The Boxer, and Stand Up
• Nisha Sharma, celebrated author of My So-Called Bollywood Life, Radha and Jai’s Recipe for Romance, and The Karma Map
• Rajani LaRocca, Newbery Honor–winning author of Red, White, and Whole
• Samira Ahmed, New York Times bestselling author of Love, Hate & Other Filters, Internment, Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know, Hollow Fires, and the Amira & Hamza middle grade duology
• Sheba Karim, author of The Marvelous Mirza Girls
• Tanuja Desai Hidier, critically acclaimed author of Born Confused and Bombay Blues
• Sarah Mughal Rana, author of Hope Ablaze
• Tanya Boteju, author of Kings, Queens and In-Betweens and Bruised
• Tashie Bhuiyan, author of Counting Down with You, A Show for Two, and Stay with My Heart
• Veera Hiranandani, Newbery Honor–winning author of The Night Diary, How to Find You’re Not Looking For, and Amil and the After
• Kanwalroop Singh
• Rekha Kuver
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 13, 2025
16 people are currently reading
3374 people want to read
About the author
Sona Charaipotra
14 books695 followersThe author of the YA doc dramedy Symptoms of a Heartbreak, SONA CHARAIPOTRA is not a doctor — much to her pediatrician parents’ chagrin. They were really hoping she’d grow up to take over their practice one day.
Instead, she became a writer, working first as a celebrity reporter at People and (the dearly departed) TeenPeople magazines, and more recently contributing to publications from the New York Times to TeenVogue. She was also the editor of the Barnes & Noble Teen blog. These days, she uses her Masters in screenwriting from NYU and her MFA in creative writing from the New School to poke plot holes in her favorite teen TV shows — for work of course. She’s the co-founder of CAKE Literary, a boutique book packaging company with a decidedly diverse bent, and the co-author of the YA dance dramas Tiny Pretty Things and Shiny Broken Pieces (now a Netflix original series!), as well as the upcoming psychological thriller Rumor Game. Her follow-up to Symptoms will be the YA contemporary romp How Maya Got Fierce, which draws on her magazine world experience and is pitched as the Bold Type meets Younger. She’s a former We Need Diverse Books board member. Find her sharing pictures of her kids and her chai on Instagram @sonesone2, talking writing and books on Twitter @sona_c, or pinning gorgeous lenghas and her favorite Indian food on Pinterest.
Instead, she became a writer, working first as a celebrity reporter at People and (the dearly departed) TeenPeople magazines, and more recently contributing to publications from the New York Times to TeenVogue. She was also the editor of the Barnes & Noble Teen blog. These days, she uses her Masters in screenwriting from NYU and her MFA in creative writing from the New School to poke plot holes in her favorite teen TV shows — for work of course. She’s the co-founder of CAKE Literary, a boutique book packaging company with a decidedly diverse bent, and the co-author of the YA dance dramas Tiny Pretty Things and Shiny Broken Pieces (now a Netflix original series!), as well as the upcoming psychological thriller Rumor Game. Her follow-up to Symptoms will be the YA contemporary romp How Maya Got Fierce, which draws on her magazine world experience and is pitched as the Bold Type meets Younger. She’s a former We Need Diverse Books board member. Find her sharing pictures of her kids and her chai on Instagram @sonesone2, talking writing and books on Twitter @sona_c, or pinning gorgeous lenghas and her favorite Indian food on Pinterest.
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May 31, 2025In a Nutshell: A teen anthology about South Asian diasporic experiences. I had been very excited for this collection, but much of the content wasn’t to my reading preferences. Thus might work better for other readers, hence leaving this without a rating.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This collection has sixteen stories written by South Asian writers, giving a voice to teens of South-Asian descent staying in another country (USA). The blurb declares that this book “explores race, class, culture, language, and the very idea of home as both a place and a feeling.” These themes made me hope for a stimulating experience, as the concept of showing diasporic experiences about their progenitors’ cultures is always an interesting one, especially when the culture is as rich and diverse as in the South Asian nations. However, the book didn’t work for me for quite a few reasons.
🚩 For a ‘South Asian’ anthology, the content is heavily dominated by India. As per SAARC, South Asia includes eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. But except for one story each from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, the stories are about the Indian diaspora. (If you are wondering why I, an Indian, am complaining about India getting the central role, it’s simply because it’s inaccurate to call a book “South Asian” and focus on only one country.)
🚩 I always love anthologies with themes as it is fun to see how authors interpret the theme and create a variety of tales. In this case though, a majority of the stories don’t bother about the theme. Their stories are about generic YA experiences, not South-Asian YA experiences. Quite a few of the tales are about love problems. YA readers might not have any issue with this, but I didn’t pick this book up to read YA romance and crushes and heartbreaks.
🚩 I am not comfortable with foul language popping up in teen/YA books. I might have overlooked this issue had there been only a couple of such occurrences, but twelve of the sixteen stories had bad language. (15 instances of f*ck, 6 of a*hole, 38 of sh*t.) I know some readers are okay with such words in YA books as they represent realistic teen conversations, but I am not. Even the romance content in a couple of the stories went beyond my preference level for this age group.
🚩 The writing style in two stories didn’t suit me. The second story is written entirely in small case, which suits poetry better. I like fictional stories to stick to proper sentence case. And in the final story, the lingo was too gen-z for my understanding and the sentences, too broken. (Was it supposed to be a story-in-verse? Its structure was so haphazard!)
🚩 Most stories contains several words from regional languages, but there is no glossary. In some cases, I didn’t need one as I was familiar with the language. But if the book has to work in the intended target market, a glossary is a must.
🚩 At 400 pages, this is quite lengthy for a short story collection, all the more if it is aimed at YAs.
On the pro side,
📍 The foreword by the two editors of Indian origin – powerful and heartfelt.
📍 The significance of the title, even if not every story lives up to it.
📍 The pacing – decently quick.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Only two stories reached/crossed the four-star mark as they delivered exactly what the theme promised. The rest of the stories were either 3 stars or below. My two favourites were:
All in all, this is a case of expectation-mismatch as well as preference-mismatch. I wanted a more culturally-focussed experience, but the stories turned out to be standard YA stuff. The cuss words exasperated me further. The book might still work for YA readers looking for stories with issues they can identify with. Not for me though.
I shall leave this without a rating as this simply wasn’t my cup of tea. It is undoubtedly one of my biggest disappointments of 2025. I had also planned to pick up "Magic Has No Borders", a "cousin" of this book, edited by the same team, and containing stories from South Asian folklore, but after this lacklustre experience, I am not so sure. Maybe in future, when I have put this sufficiently behind me…
My thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books for providing the DRC of “Home Has No Borders” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work out better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Threads || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This collection has sixteen stories written by South Asian writers, giving a voice to teens of South-Asian descent staying in another country (USA). The blurb declares that this book “explores race, class, culture, language, and the very idea of home as both a place and a feeling.” These themes made me hope for a stimulating experience, as the concept of showing diasporic experiences about their progenitors’ cultures is always an interesting one, especially when the culture is as rich and diverse as in the South Asian nations. However, the book didn’t work for me for quite a few reasons.
🚩 For a ‘South Asian’ anthology, the content is heavily dominated by India. As per SAARC, South Asia includes eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. But except for one story each from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, the stories are about the Indian diaspora. (If you are wondering why I, an Indian, am complaining about India getting the central role, it’s simply because it’s inaccurate to call a book “South Asian” and focus on only one country.)
🚩 I always love anthologies with themes as it is fun to see how authors interpret the theme and create a variety of tales. In this case though, a majority of the stories don’t bother about the theme. Their stories are about generic YA experiences, not South-Asian YA experiences. Quite a few of the tales are about love problems. YA readers might not have any issue with this, but I didn’t pick this book up to read YA romance and crushes and heartbreaks.
🚩 I am not comfortable with foul language popping up in teen/YA books. I might have overlooked this issue had there been only a couple of such occurrences, but twelve of the sixteen stories had bad language. (15 instances of f*ck, 6 of a*hole, 38 of sh*t.) I know some readers are okay with such words in YA books as they represent realistic teen conversations, but I am not. Even the romance content in a couple of the stories went beyond my preference level for this age group.
🚩 The writing style in two stories didn’t suit me. The second story is written entirely in small case, which suits poetry better. I like fictional stories to stick to proper sentence case. And in the final story, the lingo was too gen-z for my understanding and the sentences, too broken. (Was it supposed to be a story-in-verse? Its structure was so haphazard!)
🚩 Most stories contains several words from regional languages, but there is no glossary. In some cases, I didn’t need one as I was familiar with the language. But if the book has to work in the intended target market, a glossary is a must.
🚩 At 400 pages, this is quite lengthy for a short story collection, all the more if it is aimed at YAs.
On the pro side,
📍 The foreword by the two editors of Indian origin – powerful and heartfelt.
📍 The significance of the title, even if not every story lives up to it.
📍 The pacing – decently quick.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Only two stories reached/crossed the four-star mark as they delivered exactly what the theme promised. The rest of the stories were either 3 stars or below. My two favourites were:
😍 When Durga Devi Weeps - Rajani LaRocca: When I saw Rajani LaRocca’s name in the list of contributors, I was thrilled. I've enjoyed the two books of hers I've read. She writes beautifully and authentically to the culture. This story further confirms her status in my mind. Such a perfect story in terms of characters, writing, theme, and age-appropriateness! This is the kind of story I picked up this anthology for. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
😍 No Taste Like Home - Nisha Sharma: Meet-cute, but desi style. Perfect for the theme, great combo of culture and modernity, of expat feelings and third-gen confusion. Well executed story overall. A bit too insta for this desi mom, otherwise it would have gained all the stars. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
All in all, this is a case of expectation-mismatch as well as preference-mismatch. I wanted a more culturally-focussed experience, but the stories turned out to be standard YA stuff. The cuss words exasperated me further. The book might still work for YA readers looking for stories with issues they can identify with. Not for me though.
I shall leave this without a rating as this simply wasn’t my cup of tea. It is undoubtedly one of my biggest disappointments of 2025. I had also planned to pick up "Magic Has No Borders", a "cousin" of this book, edited by the same team, and containing stories from South Asian folklore, but after this lacklustre experience, I am not so sure. Maybe in future, when I have put this sufficiently behind me…
My thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books for providing the DRC of “Home Has No Borders” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work out better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || Threads || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
June 30, 2025
"Home Has No Borders" features several stories written by and featuring characters of South Asian people exploring their unique experiences.
The book features stories that deal with love, relationships, bullying, racism, identity, acceptance, among other common themes of this genre. Some of the stories lacked an engaging conflict, which made reading those stories a bit dull. I could see a younger audience being more engaged in the stories than I was as an adult reader.
"Star Anise" was my favorite story in the collection, likely because the conflict transcended the teen experience and was a bit more complex than the others. Other stories of note were "No Taste Like Home", "Memories of a Mango Tree", and "The Big Rig Blues". I probably won't choose to teach any of these in my classroom, but it could be a good independent reading text.
The book features stories that deal with love, relationships, bullying, racism, identity, acceptance, among other common themes of this genre. Some of the stories lacked an engaging conflict, which made reading those stories a bit dull. I could see a younger audience being more engaged in the stories than I was as an adult reader.
"Star Anise" was my favorite story in the collection, likely because the conflict transcended the teen experience and was a bit more complex than the others. Other stories of note were "No Taste Like Home", "Memories of a Mango Tree", and "The Big Rig Blues". I probably won't choose to teach any of these in my classroom, but it could be a good independent reading text.
July 8, 2025
All together rating: 4.5. The stories in Home Has No Borders range from devastating to cozy, making the reader bounce quickly from crying to smiling. My favorite had to be No Taste like Home, while my least favorite was Rakhi and Roll. Still an enjoyable anthology!
Seven of Swords ⭐️⭐️⭐️
We Dine With Our Dead ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When Durga Devi Weeps ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Simar, Aaron, and the Big Punjabi Wedding ⭐️⭐️⭐️
You Can’t Go Home Again ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One Island ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The Big Rig Blues ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lovesick ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Love The One You’re With ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Star Anise ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kick Flips in my Stomach ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
No Taste like Home ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Way it was Supposed to Be ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Memories of a Mango Tree ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jahaji ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rakhi and Roll ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Seven of Swords ⭐️⭐️⭐️
We Dine With Our Dead ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When Durga Devi Weeps ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Simar, Aaron, and the Big Punjabi Wedding ⭐️⭐️⭐️
You Can’t Go Home Again ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One Island ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The Big Rig Blues ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lovesick ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Love The One You’re With ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Star Anise ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kick Flips in my Stomach ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
No Taste like Home ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Way it was Supposed to Be ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Memories of a Mango Tree ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jahaji ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rakhi and Roll ⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 27, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Harpers for the Advanced Reader's Copy!
Now available.
I greatly enjoyed this collection of short stories centering South Asian disaporic experiences of growing up! From queer coming out stories to grieving the loss of friends and family to confronting xenophobia, this collection tackles a range of issues young South Asians face. I also enjoyed the balance of sad stories with humor and love stories and I especially appreciated the inclusion of different South Asian communities such as Indian, Fiji, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, etc. This was the type of collection I would love to read when I was a teen.
Now available.
I greatly enjoyed this collection of short stories centering South Asian disaporic experiences of growing up! From queer coming out stories to grieving the loss of friends and family to confronting xenophobia, this collection tackles a range of issues young South Asians face. I also enjoyed the balance of sad stories with humor and love stories and I especially appreciated the inclusion of different South Asian communities such as Indian, Fiji, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, etc. This was the type of collection I would love to read when I was a teen.
June 8, 2025
*An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Some of the stories were perfectly nice and fit the prompt or had a meaningful/enjoyable story, but none stood out as remarkable, and the anthology as a whole was not anything I would return to.
Seven of Swords - DNF
We Dine With Our Dead - 2 stars. Did not care for the writing style.
When Durga Devi Weeps - 3.5 stars. A fairly emotional story that hit the marks on the prompt.
Simar, Aaron, and the Big Punjabi Wedding - 2 stars. Not great but then the ending was WILDLY abrupt.
You Can’t Go Home Again - 2 Stars. Objectively fine in the writing style, but it missed the mark by a mile on the prompt and also, I am not here for couples supposedly that still love one another, have zero actual reason for breaking up/staying apart, but that do so because...????? We don't know.
One Island - DNF
The Big Rig Blues - 2.5 stars. Sisters and therapy mostly.
Lovesick - DNF
Love The One You’re With - DNF
Star Anise - 2.5 stars.
Kick Flips in My Stomach - 2 stars.
No Taste Like Home - 2.5 stars. Cute little start of a romance.
The Way It Was Supposed to Be - DNF
Memories of a Mango Tree - 3 stars.
Jahaji - 3 stars.
Rakhi & Roll - DNF. Did not like writing style.
Some of the stories were perfectly nice and fit the prompt or had a meaningful/enjoyable story, but none stood out as remarkable, and the anthology as a whole was not anything I would return to.
Seven of Swords - DNF
We Dine With Our Dead - 2 stars. Did not care for the writing style.
When Durga Devi Weeps - 3.5 stars. A fairly emotional story that hit the marks on the prompt.
Simar, Aaron, and the Big Punjabi Wedding - 2 stars. Not great but then the ending was WILDLY abrupt.
You Can’t Go Home Again - 2 Stars. Objectively fine in the writing style, but it missed the mark by a mile on the prompt and also, I am not here for couples supposedly that still love one another, have zero actual reason for breaking up/staying apart, but that do so because...????? We don't know.
One Island - DNF
The Big Rig Blues - 2.5 stars. Sisters and therapy mostly.
Lovesick - DNF
Love The One You’re With - DNF
Star Anise - 2.5 stars.
Kick Flips in My Stomach - 2 stars.
No Taste Like Home - 2.5 stars. Cute little start of a romance.
The Way It Was Supposed to Be - DNF
Memories of a Mango Tree - 3 stars.
Jahaji - 3 stars.
Rakhi & Roll - DNF. Did not like writing style.
April 24, 2025
This anthology truly moved me. Home Has No Borders isn’t just a collection of stories—it’s a powerful glimpse into identity, belonging, and what “home” really means. Each story brought something unique, yet together they felt so connected and meaningful. Some made me laugh, others hit hard emotionally, but all left me thinking. It’s honest, beautiful, and so needed.
May 26, 2025
3.5 stars! Overall, I enjoyed this and had fun reading all these stories, despite some of my ratings.
Seven of swords: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
We dine with our dead - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
When durga devi weeps - ⭐️⭐️
Simar, Aaron, and the big punjabi wedding - ⭐️
You can’t go home again - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One island - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The big rig blues - ⭐️⭐️.5
Lovesick - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Love the one you’re with - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Star anise - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kick flips in my stomach - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
No taste like home - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The way it was supposed to be - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Memories of a mango tree - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jahaji - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rakhi & roll - ⭐️⭐️.5
Seven of swords: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
We dine with our dead - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
When durga devi weeps - ⭐️⭐️
Simar, Aaron, and the big punjabi wedding - ⭐️
You can’t go home again - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One island - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The big rig blues - ⭐️⭐️.5
Lovesick - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Love the one you’re with - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Star anise - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Kick flips in my stomach - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
No taste like home - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The way it was supposed to be - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Memories of a mango tree - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jahaji - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rakhi & roll - ⭐️⭐️.5
May 25, 2025
The cover....gorgeous.
The subject matters....universal topics that many can relate to (loves, community and family).
The overall presentation...some writing is better than others.
Standouts: "When Durga Devi Weeps" - a tale that resonates with anyone who is asked 'So, where are you REALLY from' ?'; "Love the One You're With' -embracing your true self; and my favorite, "No Taste Like Home" -meet cute with cuisine as a common language (already a fan of this author and what drew me to this anthology in the first place).
This ARC was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
#HomeHasNoBorders #NetGalley
The subject matters....universal topics that many can relate to (loves, community and family).
The overall presentation...some writing is better than others.
Standouts: "When Durga Devi Weeps" - a tale that resonates with anyone who is asked 'So, where are you REALLY from' ?'; "Love the One You're With' -embracing your true self; and my favorite, "No Taste Like Home" -meet cute with cuisine as a common language (already a fan of this author and what drew me to this anthology in the first place).
This ARC was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperCollins, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
#HomeHasNoBorders #NetGalley
March 27, 2025
Genre: Anthology, Essays & Collections, Children & Teen/YA
Pub Date: May 13, 2025
A beautiful & bittersweet collection of South Asian coming-of-age stories that explore what “home” really means during a time of diaspora. My absolute favorite story was: we dine with our dead by Kanwalroop Kaur Singh. It was an amazing story from the perspective of a young girl and her Sikh community mourning the 1984 massacres against the Sikh.
These stories are a celebration & eye opening experience of South Asian voices. I enjoyed every single one of the stories and I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to gain a new perspective or learn more about South Asian culture and history.
Pub Date: May 13, 2025
A beautiful & bittersweet collection of South Asian coming-of-age stories that explore what “home” really means during a time of diaspora. My absolute favorite story was: we dine with our dead by Kanwalroop Kaur Singh. It was an amazing story from the perspective of a young girl and her Sikh community mourning the 1984 massacres against the Sikh.
These stories are a celebration & eye opening experience of South Asian voices. I enjoyed every single one of the stories and I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to gain a new perspective or learn more about South Asian culture and history.
March 26, 2025
Not the target audience I guess, but it kind of felt repetitive. I get that the experiences are familiar to all foreigners but idk I guess I needed something more exciting in at least one of the stories. My favorite was the one of the tennis player that didn’t drive his teammates because he was insulted by the drunk captain.
November 22, 2025
I have so much to say bc of how terrible this book was, and I'm so cut up about it.
I read Magic, and had a really delightful time reading it, so naturally got v excited that this would be just as stellar, specially bc it's on the refrain of home. WRONG.
I don't know how more than half the stories connect thematically to the concept or idea of home (perhaps i just missed something here and its my issue as an individual), the quality of writing differs SO much from story to story (ergo did this not go through some kind of editing process???), and now I'm in such a diurnal quandary of how to rate this bc some of the good stories (imho about 2-3) are getting their overall book rating watered down bc of HOW terrible the bad stories are. Special mention to the last story bc wtf was that. That one story brought down the WHOLE vibe of the whole anthology. I also love reading desi queer stories but literally three of the stories have the same plot... that weirdly goes nowhere??? I'm not sure how any of them managed to speak to the theme of home; they all appeared rather half baked to me.
I'm so disappointed bc I had such high hopes that were resolutely found to be validated when I read Samiras introduction words in particular and then the whole thing just fell flat. I'm very glad they managed to score Rajani bc that's a big get, but some of the inclusions from SA writers who have no other literary contributions is so odd, and this whole book is so specifically India heavy, when in fact it claims to be about the SA experience.
To anyone who might read this, skip this book, but give Magic a try. Its a far better quality book, and has so much heart.
I read Magic, and had a really delightful time reading it, so naturally got v excited that this would be just as stellar, specially bc it's on the refrain of home. WRONG.
I don't know how more than half the stories connect thematically to the concept or idea of home (perhaps i just missed something here and its my issue as an individual), the quality of writing differs SO much from story to story (ergo did this not go through some kind of editing process???), and now I'm in such a diurnal quandary of how to rate this bc some of the good stories (imho about 2-3) are getting their overall book rating watered down bc of HOW terrible the bad stories are. Special mention to the last story bc wtf was that. That one story brought down the WHOLE vibe of the whole anthology. I also love reading desi queer stories but literally three of the stories have the same plot... that weirdly goes nowhere??? I'm not sure how any of them managed to speak to the theme of home; they all appeared rather half baked to me.
I'm so disappointed bc I had such high hopes that were resolutely found to be validated when I read Samiras introduction words in particular and then the whole thing just fell flat. I'm very glad they managed to score Rajani bc that's a big get, but some of the inclusions from SA writers who have no other literary contributions is so odd, and this whole book is so specifically India heavy, when in fact it claims to be about the SA experience.
To anyone who might read this, skip this book, but give Magic a try. Its a far better quality book, and has so much heart.
July 22, 2025
Sixteen stellar writers serve up a collections of stories about what it’s like to be a South Asian teen today. Set mostly in the U.S., these teens are Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Indo-Fijian; some have mixed races and religions (one girl is Hindu/Jewish); some have never been to their parents’ country and some miss their original home. All grapple with what it’s like to be Brown. There’s romance and longing, grief and sadness, and a fair amount of humor among the stories. And there’s always food – food serves as a marker of home and comfort and a bridge to others. I didn’t always know what the food was, but I always enjoyed the heartfelt associations it brought up.
Many of the contributing authors were familiar to me – Samira Ahmed, Rajani LaRocca, Veera Hiranandani – and others are now on my radar. I found it amazing that the quality of the writing was so consistently high in such a big collection. I highly recommend this for libraries with a significant South Asian population and also for those that value diverse authors.
Many of the contributing authors were familiar to me – Samira Ahmed, Rajani LaRocca, Veera Hiranandani – and others are now on my radar. I found it amazing that the quality of the writing was so consistently high in such a big collection. I highly recommend this for libraries with a significant South Asian population and also for those that value diverse authors.
September 10, 2025
Home Has No Borders: three stars. A few of the stories are quite excellent, but many are really struggling to "show-don't-tell". The anthology is also weakened by poor editing throughout-- missing or extra words that stopped the flow of reading and caused sentences not to make sense. Very odd, definitely not an intentional/stylistic choice, possibly a printing error??
--List of stories included: (I DNF-ed a few, but didn't take specific notes)
Seven of Swords
we dine with our dead
When Durga Devi Weeps
Simar, Aaron, and the Big Punjabi Wedding
You Can't Go Home Again
One Island
The Big Rig Blues
Lovesick
Love the One You're With
Star Anise
Kick Flips in My Stomach
No Taste Like Home
The Way It Was Supposed to Be
Memories of a Mango Tree
Jahaji
Rakhi & Roll
--List of stories included: (I DNF-ed a few, but didn't take specific notes)
Seven of Swords
we dine with our dead
When Durga Devi Weeps
Simar, Aaron, and the Big Punjabi Wedding
You Can't Go Home Again
One Island
The Big Rig Blues
Lovesick
Love the One You're With
Star Anise
Kick Flips in My Stomach
No Taste Like Home
The Way It Was Supposed to Be
Memories of a Mango Tree
Jahaji
Rakhi & Roll
July 2, 2025
82/100
Home Has No Borders is the kind of anthology I wish every library had growing up—messy, layered, vibrant, and never one-note. There’s joy and heartbreak here, big family drama and tiny moments that cut deep. Not every story lands, and a couple feel too familiar, but the collection shines when it leans into specificity: queer longing, generational scars, aunties spilling secrets over tea. It’s a patchwork of what it means to be South Asian, and it’s clear these voices aren’t waiting for anyone’s permission to take up space. Read it for the highs, the heart, and the possibility of seeing yourself reflected.
Home Has No Borders is the kind of anthology I wish every library had growing up—messy, layered, vibrant, and never one-note. There’s joy and heartbreak here, big family drama and tiny moments that cut deep. Not every story lands, and a couple feel too familiar, but the collection shines when it leans into specificity: queer longing, generational scars, aunties spilling secrets over tea. It’s a patchwork of what it means to be South Asian, and it’s clear these voices aren’t waiting for anyone’s permission to take up space. Read it for the highs, the heart, and the possibility of seeing yourself reflected.
May 14, 2025
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The collection was a lot of fun, and I liked that it collected perspectives and experiences from South Asian authors. Some stories were stronger than others, but I enjoyed how they were united in getting the message across about the intersection of issues that impact the community, like racism, classism, and xenophobia, with typical teen issues, like looking family and friendship dynamics, finding community, and how that is all encompassed in the term “home.” Would recommend!
The collection was a lot of fun, and I liked that it collected perspectives and experiences from South Asian authors. Some stories were stronger than others, but I enjoyed how they were united in getting the message across about the intersection of issues that impact the community, like racism, classism, and xenophobia, with typical teen issues, like looking family and friendship dynamics, finding community, and how that is all encompassed in the term “home.” Would recommend!
May 28, 2025
I took off two stars because I feel like there was a lot of stories about Indians or Muslims but not much else. Maybe I’m just a dumb American.
Also the last story was just too whimsical in the writing style but I liked most of the other stories. Good companion to the other short story collection.
Also the last story was just too whimsical in the writing style but I liked most of the other stories. Good companion to the other short story collection.
July 18, 2025
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This is a great read that highlights regardless of where you’re from or where you call home; we all have struggles and hardships in life. That having friends and family close by can make all the difference and family doesn’t necessarily mean by blood.
September 17, 2025
I got this book from the library. I was a little disappointed. I thought these stories would be like one country per story but most of the stories were from India. I wish there was at least one story from Malay or Singapore because that is the region I think of when I hear south Asian. I did like some of the stories but most of them I didn't like. I am glad I don't own this book.
July 4, 2025
3.75 stars
November 16, 2025
Fascinating to see flashes of different cultures and religions. Fun read for those who like a nice age spectrum as well.
October 23, 2025
I really loved the story Memories of a mango tree. It's a very heart touching story.
Rest of the stories are good too, except for 2-3 which are based on same sex relationship which I don't prefer. My own opinion
Rest of the stories are good too, except for 2-3 which are based on same sex relationship which I don't prefer. My own opinion
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