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An American Brat
From Bapsi Sidhwa comes “an exceptional novel” (Los Angeles Times), the story of a young woman caught between two cultures.
Growing up in Pakistan in the 1970s, Feroza Ginwalla is precocious, impetuous, and increasingly affected by the rising tide of religious fundamentalism there. When her family decides to send her to America for a change of scenery and influence, a chain of amusing events and encounters ensues. She enrolls at a conservative Mormon college in Idaho, falls in love with a young man who is clearly not Parsee, and experiences her new country as only an immigrant can, even while her family worries that she is straying too far.
Hilarious, touching, and illuminating, An American Brat is an indelible and “sensitive portrait of how modern America appears to a new arrival” (New York Times).
Keywords:
adolescence, adventure, Asian, assimilation, college, comedy, coming of age, cultural, differences, diversity, family, female, freedom, funny, girls, growing up, immigrants, immigration, international, multicultural, novels, Pakistan, Pakistani, Pakistani authors, parents, students, teens, travel, women
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Praise and Prizes
“A sensitive portrait of how modern America appears to a new arrival . . . Bapsi Sidhwa’s writing is brisk and funny, her characters painted so vividly you can almost hear them bickering.”
New York Times
“Bapsi Sidhwa’s plot is compelling. Her style is inimitable.”
Saint Paul Pioneer Press
“Funny and memorable . . . An exceptional novel . . . A remarkable sketch of American society as seen and experienced by modern immigrants.”
Los Angeles Times
“This is a hilarious, prolific and deeply enlightening tale of a girl who experiences her new country only as an immigrant can, and comes of age on her own terms. To those who don’t know about the Parsi community, this is a great primer. Bapsi Sidhwa’s vibrant writing and her lively characters go hand in hand in making this one of her most poignant and entertaining works yet.”
South Asian Women’s Network
“An entertaining, often hilarious portrait . . . This chronicle of a strong, intensely alive young woman’s emotional growth is gripping.”
Publishers Weekly
“Entertaining and enlightening . . . Bapsi Sidhwa’s portrayal of American culture . . . is humorous and affecting; her depiction of Pakistani culture being infiltrated by religious fundamentalism is illuminating.”
Library Journal
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