Scaachi Koul

***after rereading my own review***
After waiting a while and rereading my won review I don't feel any different. But it does feel like I veered off topic. This book very much invites you to. To talk about what you just read. To question what the writer meant. It doesn't always end in heavy conversations. But it certainly can start them.

***Initial review***

Partner: "Why does she keep talking about white people?"
Me: "... I can't even imagine where to start with that explanation."

This was such an uncomfortable read at times. It made me think about my own place in my culture. In my family. In the world. As a person. As a woman. As a child of two cultures.

But it was a good read. One of the best I had this year.

It made me cry. It made me angry. It made me laugh. It started uncomfortable conversations with my partner who didn't understand my reactions. It made me adore him even more. It made me angry at him for not understanding. It made me feel.

I feel like I learned something about a culture not my own while shaking my head because it felt so foreign.

I would recommend this to everyone but I do think not everyone would get something out of it like I did. The reason why would be part of the conversation about why she keeps talking that way about white people.
You either get it or you don't. And when you get it... Keep talking to other people who get it. You're not alone.
If you don't get it. Keep asking questions. And try to remove your own personal experiences from the conversation.

Scaachi Koul gets it. But even better, she tries to explain.… (més)

audiobook read by author (with quotes added by her father) biographical essays and observations from Canadian-born daughter of Indian immigrants

it seems like a lot of people had trouble relating to this author's experiences, but that's sort of the point. There is no "one experience" for all brown people, just as there's not one experience for all Canadians or Americans. The point is to get more of these diverse voices out there so that people can be more aware of this fact, and to help us build empathy with folks whose cultures are unfamiliar.

I strongly recommend the audio version; she's funny and it probably sets the tone better than the print version.

I did find the essay where she talks about "party culture" and getting roofied multiple times on different occasions to be eye-opening and important (horrifying, really), especially in light of current events. I would make every teen girl read it (and probably all genders, followed by an open discussion about consent, alcoholism, and alcohol-induced blackouts) if it would keep everyone safer.… (més)