Born Confused-- Tanuja Desai Hidier

Born Confused is the open-hearted book about South Asian identity that I have been looking for. The book problematizes issues of first and second generation identity beyond the tidy "self-acceptance = yay" that I have now (sadly) come to expect from many of these books.

Dimple Lala is in the summer before her senior year. She lives in the shadow of her beautiful, blonde, spotlight-loving best friend Gwyn, and behind the lens of her beloved camera. These days, Gwyn is busy with her boyfriend, leaving Dimple in her darkroom with all the images of life once-removed. Things start to change when Dimple reconnects with her cousin Kavita and meets suitable-boy Karsh, who introduce her to the young desi scene in New York. Dimple slowly discovers a sense of connection-- to her parents, whose history she is uncovers; to Kavita, who keeps a secret; to her roots and innermost self. But when Gwyn falls for Karsh, Dimple feels herself losing both of them.

As conventional as some of the plot points are, I insist they are handled more beautifully here than in any comparable book. The NYU connection allows Hidier to introduce Dimple to things outside her suburban world-- academic discourse, reconciliation of cultural and personal identity, and more than token treatment of LGBT desis. I love how it's embracing but critical at the same time, proffering a lot of questions and no easy answers. It also seems very fair and right to treat Gwyn's identity struggle on par with Dimple's-- there is more to "finding yourself" than just the color of your skin. The book also breaks the mold in not resolving all identity issues then and there; really, how many young people completely find themselves in the course of a single (albeit formative) summer?

The writing is fabulous and, at times, very funny (the scene were Dimple comes home stoned is hilarious). The book is full of moments that I love-- Dimple's shots of the crowd at an underground/ bhangra dance party, the notes her dad sent her as a kid, the photographic correspondence she had with her departed grandfather, pictures of the beautiful Zara putting on her makeup. The prose is lush and energetic, and Dimple is a 100% genuine article.

Personal note: Dimple's revelations are an echo of my seismic internal shift after learning about this amazing organization and attending their South Asian summit. They do so much for all us ADs (B and C optional).