HOME HAS NO BORDERS

This anthology centering on South Asian diaspora teens in the West examines the issues that come with navigating vastly different cultures.

This well-curated collection features contributions from well-known names, like Rajani LaRocca and Veera Hiranandani, as well as newer voices. Former Marine–turned–truck driver Jyoti and her brother, who’s newly enlisted in the Navy, bond over cha and chicken boona in “The Big Rig Blues” by Navdeep Singh Dhillon, while unpacking the realities of misogyny both at home and in the U.S. military. For Jivi in “we dine with our dead,” by Kanwalroop Kaur Singh, graffiti is an outlet for expressing her rage at the violence and erasure affecting Sikhs like herself in America. Dance helps Sri Lankan Canadian Iyla and Sithara ford the volatile Tamil-Sinhala divide in “One Island,” by Tanya Boteju. In “Love the One You’re With,” by Sheba Karim, Ali, a Muslim boy living in the American South, is closeted at home, but a job in a house of horror gives him someplace where he can be himself. Nish, from Nikesh Shukla’s “Kick Flips in My Stomach,” finds belonging among a motley crew of mostly brown skaters in Bristol, England. In “Jahaji,” by Rekha Kuver, Deepa, an Indo-Fijian Midwestern girl, begins to heal from the loss of her mother in the company of a fellow immigrant. The broad representation of life experiences is a strength of this appealing work.

An engaging and inclusive exploration of identity and belonging.