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kricketa's review against another edition
5.0
this book is so good that kaavya viswanathan lifted entire passages of it for her book "how opal mehta got kissed, got wild, and got a life," and when i read the latter i actually recognized where they were from.
first read: april 2007
second read (in anticipation of the sequel!!): august 2014
this book is just as good, maybe even better, the second time around. i love desai hidier's style and how easy it is to get caught up in. found myself yellling "frock!" instead of my usual f-bomb the other day when i stubbed my toe. super excited for bombay blues!
first read: april 2007
second read (in anticipation of the sequel!!): august 2014
this book is just as good, maybe even better, the second time around. i love desai hidier's style and how easy it is to get caught up in. found myself yellling "frock!" instead of my usual f-bomb the other day when i stubbed my toe. super excited for bombay blues!
samiism's review against another edition
3.0
I thought I would be reading a fluffy YA book. I was wrong. Born Confused is actually quite deep. The downside is it becomes angsty and drawn out at times. The main character, Dimple, was written in such a way that I felt a connection with her. It felt like she and I were friends, and there were many times when I wanted to help her deal with what she was going through. I don't often encounter this kind of writing, which isn't a bad thing. I liked that the author was able to help me engage with the story.
catpingu's review against another edition
5.0
Best Asian-culture read ever! So accurate in its portrayal of the problems of Asian-American (or Asian-subcontinent) kids in modern-day America!
Not only is the language unimaginable hilarious, but it's also a very thought-provoking book.
The ending just sort of surprised me, and yet it didn't, it because at the end, it proved that there are sides to people that we haven't seen yet, and that we are always admiring of our friends.
Not only is the language unimaginable hilarious, but it's also a very thought-provoking book.
The ending just sort of surprised me, and yet it didn't, it because at the end, it proved that there are sides to people that we haven't seen yet, and that we are always admiring of our friends.
alinurursahar's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
daisey's review
2.0
This is an interesting coming of age story from a different perspective and with different influences than I've read before. I liked seeing how Dimple slowly learned to be herself and accept herself for who she was as she learned more about the people around her and accepted them as they were. The main plot line was fairly predictable, but I enjoyed how she used her photography to connect, learn, grow, and share throughout the story. In addition, although some of the scenes were wonderfully described in rich detail, other parts just seemed to drag on. I sometimes found myself skimming rapidly ahead.
Due to the length, writing style, and some more mature content, I would consider recommending this book to high school students, but not most middle school students.
* I received an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
Due to the length, writing style, and some more mature content, I would consider recommending this book to high school students, but not most middle school students.
* I received an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
rants_n_reads's review
5.0
I actually bought this book years ago, and only recently got around to reading it. I think I pushed it off, thinking it was just another YA romance. However, while there was romance, this book is one of the most beautiful coming-of-age stories I’ve ever read. The stories, the characters, and the way they are slowed down at just the right moments- it’s absolutely fantastic.
quiettalker's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book was amazing and I wish I had read it 20 years ago. The writing of Dimple and Gwyn's friendship was so spot-on in terms of both the representation of the difficulty of changing friendships AND as an allegory for the way brown women and white women are pitted against each other in society (and though Hidier is more than generous to Gwyn as a character, let's just say Hidier makes it clear that the deck is stacked in Gwyn's favor).
I was a little disappointed that it ultimately swung back towards the F/M romance. Also, the way transwomen were represented felt shocking to me but I'm still trying to figure out whether that's because the language we use to talk about gender has changed so much in the last twenty years or because the author wasn't being attentive.
I was a little disappointed that it ultimately swung back towards the F/M romance. Also, the way transwomen were represented felt shocking to me but I'm still trying to figure out whether that's because the language we use to talk about gender has changed so much in the last twenty years or because the author wasn't being attentive.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
karibaumann's review against another edition
3.0
Aargh. I am so conflicted about this book. It’s about a girl named Dimple whose family is from India, but she is American. Of course she feels pulled between her family and her culture, not fitting in fully in either place, which is why she feels like she was “born confused”. On one hand, I loved the main character and her almost Elizabeth-and-Darcy meeting with a friend of her parents. I loved this particular expression of what a lot of teenagers feel, whether their families are immigrants or not. And I loved how she began to find a place for herself with others who feel the same way. But. I didn’t like her best friend at all and I thought in many places it was hard to read and understand. I think it would make a good audiobook because you would be able to hear the inflections that were intended that were not always clear to me as I was reading. In the end, I will remember it as a sweet book about a character I really liked but that was frustrating to actually read.