Born Confused by Tanuia Desai Hidier

Dimple Lala just wants to be a normal American teen, but her traditional Indian family keeps putting a glitch into her ideal. Dimple wants desperately to be like her best friend, Gwyn, who is blonde and thin- very much Dimple's idea of the American girl. Gwyn, however, is trying to find her own identity and loves the traditional culture and look of Dimple's family. Just when Dimple is beginning to succeed at pulling away from her family's traditions, being Indian becomes cool. Gwyn suddenly wants to borrow Dimple's traditional clothing and accessories, and Dimple's parents find a "suitable boy" for her to meet. Dimple loves her family, and does not want to hurt them, so she puts up with meeting the suitable boy, Karsh. Karsh comes to meet Dimple and her family with his family. He does not meet Dimple's expectation for the American boy she want to be with someday. Karsh is very Indian, down to his appropriate clothes. Dimple dismisses him as a nerdy guy she would not be interested in. She soon changes her mind when she finds out that Karsh, like Dimple, has another side to him. Karsh turns out to be one of the hottest Indian DJ's in New York City. This artistic side appeals to Dimple as she herself is an artist. Dimple wants to be a photographer. She finds that she likes Karsh after all. However, Dimple has already told her friend, Gwyn, that she would have nothing to do with Karsh, and Gwyn thinks Karsh is up for grabs. What should Dimple do? Tell Gwyn that, sorry, she wants to go after Karsh after all? or let Gwyn pursue Karsh? Making matters more complicated, Gwyn and Karsh seem to be hitting it off. Suddenly, Gwyn is acting like the good Indian girl that Dimple's parents wish she would be. Dimple always wanted to just be American, but maybe it's not so bad to mix the two cultures after all. Dimple is conflicted about betraying her true self, but first she needs to figure out what her true self is. Is she purely American, Indian, or a mixture of the two?

I loved this book and was almost sad to finish it. Although she is confused about herself, Dimple stable character contrasts greatly with Gwyn's self destructiveness. The story has a great lesson in discovering that people are not always as they seem and that a person does not have to claim one single identity to "fit in" or please others. Nothing is simple in this story, and, in the end, the characters learn that is okay. The author's writing will pull you into Dimple's life, and you will find yourself rooting for her in whatever she wants to do. Hidier is very good at portraying the angst and desires that go along with being a teen.

Book; 13+; ISBN 9780439510110; New York: Scholastic Press, 2003