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BOOKLISTS: The Indian Subcontinent and Beyond

Bindi Babes by Narinder Dhami
Three Indian-British sisters team up to marry off their traditional, nosy aunt and get her out of the house.

Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier
Dimple Lala doesn't know what to think. Her parents are from India, and she's spent her whole life resisting their traditions. In this funny and thoughtful story she finds her heart, her culture, and her place in America.

For Matrimonial Purposes by Kavita Daswani
Unmarried at twenty-four Anju is a great source of worry to her family. Despite the best efforts of relatives, fortune-tellers, and matchmakers to arrange a marriage, she can't seem to find a husband-or at least one she's willing to marry.

A Group of One by Rachna Gilmore
Learning from her grandmother that her family was active in the Quit India movement of 1942, a rebellion against nearly two centuries of British occupation, gives fifteen-year-old Tara new pride in her heritage, but she still objects when her teacher implies she is not a "regular Canadian."

Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
When thirteen-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated arranged marriage, she must either suffer a destiny dictated by India's tradition or find the courage to oppose it.

Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai
Sampath Chawla was born in a time of drought that ended with a vengeance the night of his birth. All signs being auspicious, the villagers triumphantly assured Sampath's proud parents that their son was destined for greatness. Twenty years of failure until one day someone mistakes him for a holy man. The humorous events that follow makes for lively reading.

In Beautiful Disguises by Rajeev Balasubramanyam
The sixteen year old main character of this book, inspired by romantic Hollywood matinees, determines that film stardom is her way out of an arranged marriage to a rascal. She decides to run away and…

Love, Stars, and All That by Kirin Narayan
An astrologer predicts that the man meant for Gita will appear in March, 1984. Several men enter her world at the preordained time, and she unhesitatingly leaps to the wrong conclusion. Is her quest successful…?

Maya Running by Anjali Banerjee
Maya, a Canadian of Indian descent, struggles with her ethnic identity, infatuation with a classmate, and the presence of her beautiful Bengali cousin, Pinky, who comes for a visit bearing a powerful statue of the god Ganesh, the Hindu elephant boy.

Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins
Secretly in love with her best friend and business partner Steve, fifteen-year-old Jazz must spend the summer away from him when her family goes to India during that country's rainy season to help set up a clinic.

Motherland by Vineeta Vijayaraghavan
Fifteen-year-old Maya is disgruntled when her mother impels her to visit India for the summer to reacquaint herself with her extended Indian family. Over the course of three months, Maya learns why a rift has always existed between her mother and herself, an understanding that allows her to bridge that gap. Maya also comes to realize that her home -- her motherland -- can be anywhere.

Naming Maya by Uma Krishnaswami
When Maya accompanies her mother to India to sell her grandfather's house, she uncovers family history relating to her parents divorce and learns more about herself and her relationship with her mother.