The very first of its type for me, this book holds a special place in my heart. Lahiri is a gifted writer and she perfectly creates a portrait of the Ganguli family as they immigrate from Calcutta to Massachusetts. We see this journey through the eyes of the parents and then their son, Gogol. Gogol stumbles along (as do many first-gen kids), straddling that line between two very different cultures, never quite assimilating seamlessly into either side. I found the emotional struggle here struck a chord with me because it so closely mirrored my feelings as a young girl growing up in New York. It’s been over 13 years since its first publication and the story still resonates with generations of Indian Americans.
Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
Midnight’s Children is something special. I picked up a copy in college and was immediately drawn into Rushdie’s magical realism–style novel about India after the partition. 1,001 children are born at exactly midnight at the moment of India’s independence, each child born with extraordinary supernatural talents. India and these children are inexplicably connected. As India strives to forge an identity, these children strive to understand their abilities, identities, and their connection to each other. As they suffer, India suffers, and as they prosper, India does the same. Rushdie leans heavily into allegory to tell his tale and comes away with a book that is both magical and an honest commentary on the new India that emerged after British rule.
The Far Field by Madjhuri Vijay
While this is a good place to start, there are plenty of other titles to add to the list. Whether you’re a first-generation Indian kid or just a first-generation kid, we’d love to hear from you! What are some books that resonated with you? Come chat with us on Instagram and Twitter.
