Scan barcode
nejmia_remis's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
dreamofbookspines's review against another edition
4.0
Other than wanting to stab Gwyn (the main character Dimple's "best friend") every other page, this is a thoroughly charming portrait of a teenage Indian girl who is trying to assimilate into American society. It's touching and seems very genuine. Dimple is easy to relate to, and so is her growing attraction to Karsh.
Gwyn, however, is not a nice person. She is a culture-appropriating douchebag who doesn't give a crap that she's hurting her "best friend" (or somehow she just hasn't noticed, in which case she's plain stupid). I've had that pretty friend who keeps you (the less conventionally attractive one) before, and they are never a nice person. I keep shouting "Dimple, you can do so much better than this bitch!" She redeems herself a bit in the end, but I still find the character an overwhelmingly not-nice person.
This is a charming and somewhat unconventional coming of age story, but I really think it's worthwhile. It's also an excellent illustrative novel for globalization/cultural appropriation/assimilation, and I've used it as a novel for my students (college-age) to read and discuss. The ones who read it enjoyed it.
Gwyn, however, is not a nice person. She is a culture-appropriating douchebag who doesn't give a crap that she's hurting her "best friend" (or somehow she just hasn't noticed, in which case she's plain stupid). I've had that pretty friend who keeps you (the less conventionally attractive one) before, and they are never a nice person. I keep shouting "Dimple, you can do so much better than this bitch!" She redeems herself a bit in the end, but I still find the character an overwhelmingly not-nice person.
This is a charming and somewhat unconventional coming of age story, but I really think it's worthwhile. It's also an excellent illustrative novel for globalization/cultural appropriation/assimilation, and I've used it as a novel for my students (college-age) to read and discuss. The ones who read it enjoyed it.
emmag42's review against another edition
2.0
I thought the beginning of the book was great, but after a while I just lost interest. The plotline, though lushly filled with references to Indian culture, was fairly cliche. The last hundred pages were honestly filler to me, and it took the last few chapters to spark my interest again. I was disappointed, really. I expected something fresh and interesting, but all I got was a lukewarm rendition of the same old story.
districtreads's review against another edition
5.0
This book just got me on so many levels. I’d heard so many good things about Born Confused, and I was definitely intrigued by the Indian-American main character, Dimple. Let’s take a minute to get real: I’m a first generation American, and I’ve often felt that I’m not entirely Syrian, or Albanian, or even American. I’m this hodge-podge mix of all of these things, though I strongly identify as an American. It can be a difficult thing as a teenager to try and fit in everywhere - at home I had to be the good little Muslim girl and student, while at school I tried to be a normal kid, one who didn’t bring lebne or falafel for lunch. After a while, I realized that I should just be myself, even if it made some people unhappy.
Dimple is just plain confused. Her parents want to set her up with Karsh, a suitable Indian boy, but what she really wants is a bad boy film student. When her (insufferable) friend Gwyn starts to crush on Karsh (and attempts to appropriate Dimple’s Indian culture, her family, and deludes herself into thinking she’s talented in any way – mostly I thought Dimple should just ditch the girl), Dimple begins to think that maybe he isn’t so unsuitable after all. While she’s falling for Karsh, she’s also falling for her culture…and herself. The characters are all incredibly well-drawn, including Dimple’s parents – who I loved – and her cousin Kavita. Even Gwyn, who again, I despised, was a multi-dimensional character with spirit. That said, I actually cringed at some of her quotes: “I mean, Sabina is supposedly doing Women’s Studies, right? Then how come there isn’t a single Elle or Cosmo in here?” UGH, GWYN. WHY. And she stands up at a South Asian identity conference and says something that made me want to face palm. Repeatedly.
But by the end, I was actually sobbing. I can’t remember the last time I felt so in love and moved by a book. I will be recommending this over and over again.
Cross-posted to http://off-the-book.org
http://www.off-the-book.org/2014/05/face-in-book-update-mini-review-edition.html
Dimple is just plain confused. Her parents want to set her up with Karsh, a suitable Indian boy, but what she really wants is a bad boy film student. When her (insufferable) friend Gwyn starts to crush on Karsh (and attempts to appropriate Dimple’s Indian culture, her family, and deludes herself into thinking she’s talented in any way – mostly I thought Dimple should just ditch the girl), Dimple begins to think that maybe he isn’t so unsuitable after all. While she’s falling for Karsh, she’s also falling for her culture…and herself. The characters are all incredibly well-drawn, including Dimple’s parents – who I loved – and her cousin Kavita. Even Gwyn, who again, I despised, was a multi-dimensional character with spirit. That said, I actually cringed at some of her quotes: “I mean, Sabina is supposedly doing Women’s Studies, right? Then how come there isn’t a single Elle or Cosmo in here?” UGH, GWYN. WHY. And she stands up at a South Asian identity conference and says something that made me want to face palm. Repeatedly.
But by the end, I was actually sobbing. I can’t remember the last time I felt so in love and moved by a book. I will be recommending this over and over again.
Cross-posted to http://off-the-book.org
http://www.off-the-book.org/2014/05/face-in-book-update-mini-review-edition.html
kayfenn6's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
vivlach's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
One of my favorite books of all time. A thoughtful coming-of-age and coming-to-self story with nuanced reflection on identity, culture (and its appropriation), love (romance, friendship, family), and art, written in gorgeous, shimmering prose. This book makes me want to dive into the world and discover something about myself.
tejaswininaik's review against another edition
1.0
Couldn't finish this book as the authoress was trying really hard to be funny. She failed miserably while creating a stereotypical book of American teen melodramatic TV shows.
shinychick's review against another edition
1.0
It seems like the sort of thing I'd love, but it was really hard to get into, and I just didn't enjoy it all that much.
shana629's review against another edition
3.0
Oh dear.
I loved this book as a teenager, perhaps heavily influenced by the fact that it was one of the only books where I felt represented as a South Asian girl. And after reading some sloppier YA books with a South Asian protagonist in recent years, I wanted to revisit this one, fully expecting it to be just as good.
But it's not.
Which is not to say that this book is bad. There are some really heart-warming scenes and like many others, I still find Dimple's parents the true heroes of the story. But revisiting the younger characters as an adult really changed my perspective.
Additionally, while I appreciate the author's incorporation of LGBTQ+ characters in the story, I think some of the scenes were really clumsily handled. Language means everything and she misses the mark here.
Finally, there's really no need for this book to be this long. So much of the book is over-written and tangential, and could have easily been corrected with solid editing. Still, there's a lot of nostalgia associated with this book for me. Overall, enjoyable!
I loved this book as a teenager, perhaps heavily influenced by the fact that it was one of the only books where I felt represented as a South Asian girl. And after reading some sloppier YA books with a South Asian protagonist in recent years, I wanted to revisit this one, fully expecting it to be just as good.
But it's not.
Which is not to say that this book is bad. There are some really heart-warming scenes and like many others, I still find Dimple's parents the true heroes of the story. But revisiting the younger characters as an adult really changed my perspective.
Spoiler
First, Karsh is nowhere near as perfect as I initially thought. His relationship with Gwyn reeks of "savior complex" and honestly, Dimple deserves better. But even more alarming is what an awful friend Gwyn is. I don't understand why Sabina's point about Gwyn culturally appropriating wasn't taken further. And even when Dimple called her out on it at the end, it seemed like Dimple somehow walked away feeling like she was just as guilty. Adult me so badly wanted Dimple to walk away from that friendship.Additionally, while I appreciate the author's incorporation of LGBTQ+ characters in the story, I think some of the scenes were really clumsily handled. Language means everything and she misses the mark here.
Finally, there's really no need for this book to be this long. So much of the book is over-written and tangential, and could have easily been corrected with solid editing. Still, there's a lot of nostalgia associated with this book for me. Overall, enjoyable!
angiediane's review against another edition
Absolutely could not finish this book. Main character was annoying, writing was overly descriptive and unnecessarily detailed, and it just could not hold my interest. I don't anticipate even trying to read this book again.