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Pashmina

Cover from Goodreads

As a typical American teenager, Pri (Priyanka Das) has a lot of questions. As the child of a single, Indian immigrant mother, she has many unanswered questions: Why did her mother leave India? What was India like? Who is her father, and why did her mom leave him? Unfortunately Pri’s mom avoids answering these questions—putting a strain on their relationship and further piquing Priyanka’s interest, as India seems to call to her.

Just when mother and daughter seem to be at an impasse, Pri finds a mysterious pashmina that holds the answers to her questions and transports her back to the seat of her heritage. But is this the real? In order to gain the answers that she craves, Pri must travel farther than she’s ever dared—physically, intellectually, and spiritually.

This graphic novel's heartwarming navigation of the quotidien terrain of maturation, the hardship of self-discovery, and the adolescent tendency to rail against the confines of familial authority are couched in an exotic context and, thereby, acknowledge the additional layer of complexity born from juggling two cultures and two worlds while emphasizing the universal plight of growing up. Readers would like this book if they like… Realistic Ficiton, Low Fantasy, or Magical Realism. And, lovers of the the Bad Machinery series could easily envision Pri involved in the wacky hijinks of its diverse cast of characters.

Those looking to teach this book in support of their culturally responsive curriculum will find that it would be ideal for middle grade and early high school (6-9th grade) as it has a strong, yet realistic, female protagonist; addresses a nontraditional family structure; highlights the significance and import of varied family relationships (mother-daughter, family of birth, family of choice, etc.); depicts non-christian religious beliefs; and illustrates potential difficulties of growing up bi-cultural. Albeit, the nigh allegorical execution might be perceived by some readers as a little heavy-handed and “preachy.”

  • Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani  
  • Middle Grade 
  • First Second
  • 176 pp. 
  • Published October 2017 
  • ISBN 978-1626720886
  • $21.99
  • Magical Realism
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