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loverofvenus's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
look, i found value in reading this book, but i had chosen it for my english class's independent novel study and my presentation was absolutely mortifying. it was, frankly, entirely my fault for being ill-prepared, but if you're doing a book report—don't choose YA. just choose a "classic" and read the sparknotes study guide like everyone else.
american betiya is about rani kelkar, a highschool student living in illinois. she's the daughter of indian immigrants. the book explores her struggle to reconcile american and indian values through her romantic relationship with a kid called oliver. rani, like many of us, isn't allowed to date, but when a guy finally takes interest in her, she decides to do so anyway. oliver is the tall, white, tattooed painter. his home life isn't great but for the most part, he seems like a sweet guy. they went on "dates" during their lunch period and bonded over their shared love of art. but, as the two fall further and further into love, oliver's microaggressions strain their relationship more and more. from oliver calling rani "jaz," to dressing her in a sari for sex. this all culminates in the breaking point in their relationship—oliver invites rani to a showing of a mural of his and, as it turns out, the mural is of rani. rani in that sari from when they had sex in her father's car, her words written next to her, "my parents honestly wouldn't understand / i just really needed to see you / my family's super traditional / you know i love you / i couldn't let you in / my mom informed me that we're going to india / i take pride in my insecurities." oliver sees her & her family as oppressive. he refuses to have a nuanced perspective on the goings on of her life. and he defintely has a brown girl fetish. their breakup coincides with the death of rani's grandfather and, heartbroken, she travels to india for the mourning period. the book ties up with rani running into oliver at her photography display and rejecting him for the final time.
as a desi girl myself, i found this book quite interesting. indians are constantly de-sexualized, so seeing a brown girl being fetishized was new and offered an interesting experience for me to consider.
american betiya is about rani kelkar, a highschool student living in illinois. she's the daughter of indian immigrants. the book explores her struggle to reconcile american and indian values through her romantic relationship with a kid called oliver. rani, like many of us, isn't allowed to date, but when a guy finally takes interest in her, she decides to do so anyway. oliver is the tall, white, tattooed painter. his home life isn't great but for the most part, he seems like a sweet guy. they went on "dates" during their lunch period and bonded over their shared love of art. but, as the two fall further and further into love, oliver's microaggressions strain their relationship more and more.
as a desi girl myself, i found this book quite interesting. indians are constantly de-sexualized, so seeing a brown girl being fetishized was new and offered an interesting experience for me to consider.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Cursing, Racism, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicide, Drug abuse, and Death
Minor: Alcoholism, Addiction, Drug use, Bullying, and Domestic abuse
ambi_reads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
American Betiya follows follows two main persons - Indian American Rani and American Oliver.
As a person of Indian heritage myself, I was most definitely excited to read about its representation in the westernised world. I truly believe it is something we need more of.
I applaud the author for showcasing the discrimination that Indians also face on a daily basis. I applaud the author for showcasing the vibrancy and rich culture that we have - from our most amazing festivals, to the delicious food, to the respectable (to an extent) people, to the community we built, to the sacrifices made, to the language, to the clothing and so much more. I applaud the author for calling out persons who only accept certain parts of our culture while disposing of the rest showing why it SHOULD NOT be that way. This is the first novel of its kind that truly held ALOT of substance to the Indian culture I am proud to be a part of.
It most certainly hurt my heart and soul seeing the racism/discrimination being birthed from Oliver and his views on Rani and her culture. I definitely am a Rani. There are things in our households that are hard to explain to others but when we try, our family gets looked down at which hurts us in the process. The same was with Rani. I loved that the author showcased how the sacrifices our forefathers made has molded the way Indians think and act - they just want to protect their children from the harsh world that they know. I really did not like how Oliver could not understand this much nor respect the views following the fact that Rani did warn him beforehand. I loved that Rani was able to grow from this experience and cut ties from her toxic relationships to grow and truly identify real connections when they do show up.
On the other hand, I also really felt sorry for Oliver. Coming from a toxic home really takes on toll on someone and affects their personalities and their relationships with others as was seen with Rani and him. I did understand his view of art - it was the only way he could have truly expressed how he felt but sadly even through that medium, he was inconsiderate at times.
Overall, the character development was HIGH in this novel which I definitely enjoyed!
There were so many other themes I loved also:
1. Role Models and how they influence our view of the world
2. Friendships when strong enough truly knows no bounds
3. Family who is always there for you, love you and have the best intentions though we question their actions at times
Do be warned, some triggers present in the book are death of a loved one, suicide and drug abuse.
American Betiya had my emotions all over the place - from excitement to anticipation to hope to anger to frustration to pride to appreciation to love.
I really was unsure where the story would have ended but I am absolutely pleased with the choices made by all characters involved. This really is a remarkable book.
As a person of Indian heritage myself, I was most definitely excited to read about its representation in the westernised world. I truly believe it is something we need more of.
I applaud the author for showcasing the discrimination that Indians also face on a daily basis. I applaud the author for showcasing the vibrancy and rich culture that we have - from our most amazing festivals, to the delicious food, to the respectable (to an extent) people, to the community we built, to the sacrifices made, to the language, to the clothing and so much more. I applaud the author for calling out persons who only accept certain parts of our culture while disposing of the rest showing why it SHOULD NOT be that way. This is the first novel of its kind that truly held ALOT of substance to the Indian culture I am proud to be a part of.
It most certainly hurt my heart and soul seeing the racism/discrimination being birthed from Oliver and his views on Rani and her culture. I definitely am a Rani. There are things in our households that are hard to explain to others but when we try, our family gets looked down at which hurts us in the process. The same was with Rani. I loved that the author showcased how the sacrifices our forefathers made has molded the way Indians think and act - they just want to protect their children from the harsh world that they know. I really did not like how Oliver could not understand this much nor respect the views following the fact that Rani did warn him beforehand. I loved that Rani was able to grow from this experience and cut ties from her toxic relationships to grow and truly identify real connections when they do show up.
On the other hand, I also really felt sorry for Oliver. Coming from a toxic home really takes on toll on someone and affects their personalities and their relationships with others as was seen with Rani and him. I did understand his view of art - it was the only way he could have truly expressed how he felt but sadly even through that medium, he was inconsiderate at times.
Overall, the character development was HIGH in this novel which I definitely enjoyed!
There were so many other themes I loved also:
1. Role Models and how they influence our view of the world
2. Friendships when strong enough truly knows no bounds
3. Family who is always there for you, love you and have the best intentions though we question their actions at times
Do be warned, some triggers present in the book are death of a loved one, suicide and drug abuse.
American Betiya had my emotions all over the place - from excitement to anticipation to hope to anger to frustration to pride to appreciation to love.
I really was unsure where the story would have ended but I am absolutely pleased with the choices made by all characters involved. This really is a remarkable book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
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