Elizabeth
asked
Alka Joshi:
I absolutely The Henna Artist! How exciting also to hear about the next book! I teach 1st and 2nd graders, and next year will be teaching them about early Asian civilizations. I feel like this book introduced me to a culture I do not know a lot about, and gave me a starting place for research and lesson planning! Are there any sources you would suggest for this? Thanks!
Alka Joshi
Dear Elizabeth,
What a wonderful comment! THANK YOU so much. One of my goals was to give readers many different stories about the Indian people and about the nation's history--all the stuff we don't learn in our school textbooks. I did a lot of research: 1:1 interviews and watching movies and reading books by Indians from the 1950s. I spent so much time with my mother during the first two years of writing THE HENNA ARTIST that her memories made it into the details of the narrative. My father filled in lots of historical and political info about that time period. In the Acknowledgements section of the book, I list all the authors I read and the movies I watched. That could provide a wealth of resources! Hugs, Alka
What a wonderful comment! THANK YOU so much. One of my goals was to give readers many different stories about the Indian people and about the nation's history--all the stuff we don't learn in our school textbooks. I did a lot of research: 1:1 interviews and watching movies and reading books by Indians from the 1950s. I spent so much time with my mother during the first two years of writing THE HENNA ARTIST that her memories made it into the details of the narrative. My father filled in lots of historical and political info about that time period. In the Acknowledgements section of the book, I list all the authors I read and the movies I watched. That could provide a wealth of resources! Hugs, Alka
More Answered Questions
Lyrical
asked
Alka Joshi:
Your writing is so immersive Alka. Such a treasure to read. This senior woman in a small town in Ontario Canada has never travelled to exotic places like India but with your narrative I feel the warmth, smell the scents as you describe them, see the beautiful saris and wish to experience them one day. My only question is what books have inspired you to become the kind of author you are?
Elizabeth Good
asked
Alka Joshi:
Hi Alka! I'm so late to the party in just reading The Henna Artist, but was swept away. So already have the new book & love that it centers on Malik. How was the beautiful cover was chosen for THA? I was struck when you mentioned BLUE hibiscus! Had never heard of that. Your descriptions are so vivid! What a beautiful paean to your mother this book is. THANK YOU for writing these. From a fellow Monterey Bay resident.
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