You Bring the Distant Near

Title:

Author:

Perkins, Mitali

Subject:

Young Adult Literature

Young Adult Fiction

Description:

This elegant young adult novel captures the immigrant experience for one Indian-American family with humor and heart. Told in alternating teen voices across three generations, You Bring the Distant Near explores sisterhood, first loves, friendship, and the inheritance of culture—for better or worse.From a grandmother worried that her children are losing their Indian identity to a daughter wrapped up in a forbidden biracial love affair to a granddaughter social-activist fighting to preserve Bengali tigers, Perkins weaves together the threads of a family growing into an American identity.Here is a sweeping story of five women at once intimately relatable and yet entirely new.Full Cast:Sneha Mathan, as Narrator Shivali Bhammer, as Sonia Priya Ayyar, as Tara N’Jameh Camara, as Chantal Zehra Jane Naqvi, as Anna

Publisher:

Listening Library

Books on Tape

Date:

2017/09/12

Digital Format:

LIBBY AUDIOBOOK

MP3

Language:

English

ISBN:

9780525530862

Summary

This elegant young adult novel captures the immigrant experience for one Indian-American family with humor and heart. Told in alternating teen voices across three generations, You Bring the Distant Near explores sisterhood, first loves, friendship, and the inheritance of culture--for better or worse.

From a grandmother worried that her children are losing their Indian identity to a daughter wrapped up in a forbidden biracial love affair to a granddaughter social-activist fighting to preserve Bengali tigers, Perkins weaves together the threads of a family growing into an American identity.

Here is a sweeping story of five women at once intimately relatable and yet entirely new.

Full Cast:
Sneha Mathan, as Narrator
Shivali Bhammer, as Sonia
Priya Ayyar, as Tara
N'Jameh Camara, as Chantal
Zehra Jane Naqvi, as Anna

Author Notes

Mitali Perkins has written several novels for young readers, including Rickshaw Girl (a NYPL best 100 Book for children in the past 100 years), Bamboo People (an ALA Top 10 YA novel), and Tiger Boy , which won the South Asia Book Award for Younger Readers. Mitali was born in Kolkata, India, and has lived in Bangladesh, India, England, Thailand, Mexico, Cameroon, and Ghana. She currently writes and resides in San Francisco, where she is an adjunct associate professor at Saint Mary's College of California. mitaliperkins.com

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up-An immigration story spanning three generations of women is told in moving ways through multiple perspectives. Ranee considers her home to be in India, even as she moves to New York City from London with her husband and daughters. She has mixed success in imposing strict Indian traditions on her rebellious daughters, strong-willed Sonia and beautiful Tara who longs to be an actress. The story continues with her granddaughters: Sonia's daughter, easygoing and athletic Chantal, and intense Anna, who is Tara's daughter. Family relationships, particularly those among grandmother Ranee and her two granddaughters, play paramount roles as they all acclimate to American life while trying to hold on to Indian culture. The use of multiple narrators adds interest; Sneha Mathan, Shivali Bhammer, Priya Ayyar, N'Jameh Camara, and Zehra Jane Naqvi take on the roles of the individual women. All read expressively and clearly with varying Indian accents, giving listeners an immersive experience. VERDICT This is a wonderful addition to audiobook collections. Recommend it to students interested in immigrant experiences, Indian culture, and being torn between parental expectations and the heady promises of a free new life.-Julie Paladino, formerly at East Chapel Hill High School, NC © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Perkins (Bamboo People) delivers an unforgettable novel that spans decades and continents as it moves among three generations of Indian women, some new immigrants to the U.S., all struggling to bridge cultures. She begins in 1965 with sisters Sonia and Tara Das as they move from Ghana to London and then New York City, eager for new opportunities but very aware of the cultural expectations of their Bengali parents. The stories of Sonia's romantic and political rebellion (she's a devoted liberal and later marries a black man, sparking a rift with her mother) and Tara's acting aspirations segue into those of Chantal and Anna, their daughters, as the novel jumps ahead to 1998. It's a profound and moving story of personal growth-perhaps most dramatically in the case of Sonia and Tara's mother, Ranee, whose dourness and preoccupation with tradition give way to a broader embrace of American culture as she takes to the role of grandmother. Perkins's vibrantly written exploration of a family in transition is saturated with romance, humor, and meaningful reflections on patriotism, blended cultures, and carving one's own path. Ages 12-up. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* How do you make a sweeping family saga feel present and relevant for a teen audience? Jump across time and space and highlight just those pivotal adolescent moments that are as unifying as they are unique: starting a new school, claiming one's faith, embracing one's identity, or falling in love. Perkins has created a resonant and memorable tale that is both episodic and wholly unified. Sonia and Tara Das immigrate to New York City with their parents in the 1970s. They are swept into the culture of the vibrant city and quickly push back at their mother Ranee's traditional expectations of good Indian girls, while their more permissive father encourages Tara's acting, Sonia's activism, and independence for both. Twenty year later, their decisions echo in the lives of their own daughters. Sonia's daughter, Chantal, challenges her family to understand her biracial identity, while Tara's daughter, Anna, takes a stand to defend her rights in a creative and stylish way. It is Anna and Chantal who ultimately bring Ranee's character to life as the granddaughters, foils for each other, bear witness to Ranee's personal awakening after the 9/11 attacks. Full of sisterhood, diversity, and complex, strong women, this book will speak to readers as they will undoubtedly find a kindred spirit in at least one of the Das women.--Booth, Heather Copyright 2017 Booklist