By Rajani LaRocca
Amazon rating: 4.9/5, grades 3-7
Good Reads: 4.47/5
Common Sense Media: 5/5
4Rbooks: 6/6, grades 6-8
209 pages
Synopsis:
Reha is a 13-year-old Indian girl living in the US with her mother and father. She finds herself trying to navigate between the two worlds she lives in, American and Indian. During the week Reha enjoys hanging out with her friends Sunny and Rachel, listening to WPOP radio station, and watching MTV. She also finds herself starting to like a boy named Pete. At home she eats Indian food and participates in Indian customs. On the weekend she is surrounded by her family of fellow Indians, eating more Indian food, and participating in more Indian customs. She wants to be the best Indian daughter possible, but also wants to fit in and be more like her American classmates.
Life is thrown into more turmoil when her mother becomes ill and is forced to go the hospital. Thanksgiving and Christmas come and go without her mother coming home. Reha, who has dreamed of being a doctor even though the sight of blood makes her faint, tries to help as much as she can and is given an opportunity to make everything right. Reha must find the courage and love to get her through this time, and to deal with what may come after.
Parental Guidance: mild
There is an early description of Reha’s birth being in a pool of blood.
Because Reha’s mother works in a lab, Reha wants to be a doctor, and her
mother’s disease is blood related, blood is a theme throughout the
book.
There are scenes in the hospital with details about her mother’s treatment
and condition. Child appropriate, but still could be tough for
sensitive children or those who are dealing with loss.
There is a very chaste kiss between Reha and a boy.
Recommendation:
This was one of the best books I have ever read for middle school aged children. It’s the first book I’ve given a 6/6 score. Sensitive, emotional, genuine, and real it’s a beautiful story written in the words of a 13/14-year-old girl. It’s written in free verse which adds to the emotional drama, and makes it a quick and easy read, when you aren’t tearing up and crying. It includes some of the most beautiful and well written passages I’ve read this year, from the interactions of Reha to the world, to herself, and to the world of sickness and health, including a kid friendly way to explain chemotherapy and its effects.
Most students should appreciate this story, but I can see it resonating more with girls, especially girls with immigrant parents who will understand Reha’s struggle to find her place in both worlds, where she is now and where her family came from.
I think it’s too emotionally raw for younger readers unless guided through and read together with parents. Teachers would need to be careful using this book in class without considering the possible experiences of their students to Reha. It is definitely a YA novel that I think adults would enjoy as well, especially the 1980’s cultural references.
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