Born Confused

Dimple and her parents are waiting on very important guests to arrive – her mother’s best friend and Karsh, the son they would like her to marry.  Dimple wants nothing to do with this “tradition” and can’t wait for this evening to be over.  But none of them have any idea the journey this night will set off for Dimple, Karsh, Dimple’s best friend, or their families.

Born Confused is Tanuja Desai Hidier’s young adult novel about finding yourself when you’re never enough to fit in.  The book was received honors from both the Lincoln Awards and the Asian/Pacific Awards for Literature.  Hidier delivers characters that are classic teens, but also stand out as being too American, too Indian, or just too…. other.  This is a coming-of-age book that explores what it means to be comfortable in your own skin, regardless of what others think.

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I give Born Confused 4 out of 5 stars.  I really enjoyed the storyline and Hidier’s approach to sharing traditions and customs with readers who may not be familiar with them.  While this novel is geared towards readers in their late teens and early 20’s, I was pleasantly surprised at the maturity and well put together dialogue that leant itself to a more mature novel.  However, I take issue with the time spent discussing and practically glorifying underage drinking and drug use – this is not a novel I would want my younger high school readers to pick up.  I also found the reconciliation between Dimple and Gwyn at the end troublesome – it was such a distinct and frustratingly real break in their friendship to be so quickly and easily put back together.

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With the number of references to drugs and alcohol use in this book, I would recommend this book for more mature YA readers over the age of 18.  This was a first for me in that I actually want to actively discourage readers younger than that from reading this book.  I feel like this book lauds the latchkey kid scenario in Gwyn and event promotes illegal activity.  Normalizing these activities could result in less mature individuals landing in serious trouble and damaged records.

I chose Born Confused in honor of Diwali, which is observed on Sunday, November 12^th this year.  Diwali is a 5-day festival of lights celebrated primarily in the Hindu religion.  You may be familiar with rangoli, or the brightly colored sand art creations common to the festival.  Celebrations also include diyas (clay oil lamps), flowers, fireworks, feasts, and dancing.  I first learned of Diwali last year while reading another book with an Indian American main character and was immediately drawn in by the similarities between these celebrations and those in other religions, like Chanukah or Christmas.  If you’re looking to learn more about customs like Diwali, this book gives a great glimpse into how a typical Indian American family honors these traditions and celebrations in their own homes!

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What I’m Reading

• Current print book: Murder in Coweta County, Margaret Barnes
• Current audio book: Tom Lake, Ann Patchett
• Book I’m most looking forward to: The Woman in Me, Britney Spears