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A review by jugglingpup
American Betiya by Anuradha D. Rajurkar
5.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book.
I don’t even know where to start with this book. It was at times very difficult and heartbreaking, but at others it was lighthearted and loving. Rajurkar was able to navigate incredibly touch and complex topics of identity and abuse. It was impressive.
Rani loves her family, though sometimes she can still be embarrassed by them as any teen is well aware of. I loved how the book started and ended with a very similar scene (I promise this is the closest I will get to a spoiler). The very first scene introduced the idea that Rani was loved and surrounded by a large and extended family. It also went into how her family had auntie-uncles and some of the differences that her family had from the stereotypical white families. I was hooked. They were loud, they were real.
Rani knows she will be a pediatrician. Her family supports this and she even visits with a family member who is a doctor so she can see how things are. No one expects her to date and they think boys are just a distraction from her having a good life. I loved how consistent her family was, how their ideas made sense. All of the ideas did not come out of nowhere. It was just incredible how real and fleshed out every character was. None of the words said or actions taken were without a solid foundation. I never felt like I was surprised by what happened in a bad way.
The romance started so quick, I thought it was going to be a stereotypical YA romance. I can get behind some fluffy romance. But this was anything but fluffy. It was immediately more intense. The way Rani doubted herself and what she remembered, the way that Oliver acted. It was such a great look at how emotional abuse can happen in a relationship. I had never seen racism and fetishization in a relationship covered in a YA book before. I AM HERE FOR IT. Please give me these complex looks at relationships. This is probably the best book I have read about abuse, partially because it is not only about abuse.
Rani’s family is not abusive. They are loving and do whatever they can to support her. They are strong willed, especially her mother. I loved the juxtaposition of the abusive partner to her family. So many people think that artists are going to be the most liberal and not have any issues and that traditional families are constricting and abusive. Rani shows that this is far from the case. I loved how it showed that even “woke” people can be racist and have issues. It is especially gross when they don’t address these issues and then say they are an expert on these areas. I really can’t say enough about the characters of this book.
I highly recommend this book. It is exactly the sort of book I wanted and needed to see.
I got an ARC of this book.
I don’t even know where to start with this book. It was at times very difficult and heartbreaking, but at others it was lighthearted and loving. Rajurkar was able to navigate incredibly touch and complex topics of identity and abuse. It was impressive.
Rani loves her family, though sometimes she can still be embarrassed by them as any teen is well aware of. I loved how the book started and ended with a very similar scene (I promise this is the closest I will get to a spoiler). The very first scene introduced the idea that Rani was loved and surrounded by a large and extended family. It also went into how her family had auntie-uncles and some of the differences that her family had from the stereotypical white families. I was hooked. They were loud, they were real.
Rani knows she will be a pediatrician. Her family supports this and she even visits with a family member who is a doctor so she can see how things are. No one expects her to date and they think boys are just a distraction from her having a good life. I loved how consistent her family was, how their ideas made sense. All of the ideas did not come out of nowhere. It was just incredible how real and fleshed out every character was. None of the words said or actions taken were without a solid foundation. I never felt like I was surprised by what happened in a bad way.
The romance started so quick, I thought it was going to be a stereotypical YA romance. I can get behind some fluffy romance. But this was anything but fluffy. It was immediately more intense. The way Rani doubted herself and what she remembered, the way that Oliver acted. It was such a great look at how emotional abuse can happen in a relationship. I had never seen racism and fetishization in a relationship covered in a YA book before. I AM HERE FOR IT. Please give me these complex looks at relationships. This is probably the best book I have read about abuse, partially because it is not only about abuse.
Rani’s family is not abusive. They are loving and do whatever they can to support her. They are strong willed, especially her mother. I loved the juxtaposition of the abusive partner to her family. So many people think that artists are going to be the most liberal and not have any issues and that traditional families are constricting and abusive. Rani shows that this is far from the case. I loved how it showed that even “woke” people can be racist and have issues. It is especially gross when they don’t address these issues and then say they are an expert on these areas. I really can’t say enough about the characters of this book.
I highly recommend this book. It is exactly the sort of book I wanted and needed to see.