YA Historical Fiction about India and the Indian Diaspora
The Summer 2009 issue of Multicultural Review included a great article by Sandhya Nankani called Rising Tide: The Boom in Historical Fiction About India and the Indian Diaspora. In the article Sandhya talks about the following books: Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth (about the rise of Gandhi); Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins (about the Indira Gandhi era); Anila’s Journey by Mary Finn (about 14th century India); Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman; and Child of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanji (about the ethnic cleansing of Uganda’s Indian minority in 1972).
Sandhya’s blog, while not specifically about YA books, is chock-full of interesting and well-written content, such as this interview with Shenaaz Nanji about Child of Dandelions.
Here’s a little bit about the book, to peak your interest in Shenaaz, who grew up in Mombasa (during a time when Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika were one region called the East African Community), and the interview:
The story takes place in Uganda in 1972, when General Idi Amin, responding to the Indophobic social climate in the country and accusing the Indian minority of “milking” the Ugandan economy, gave all its 80,000 Indians 90 days to pack up and leave. Child of Dandelions is told from the point of view of fifteen-year-old Sabine, a Uganda-born Indian who must grow up quickly to try to make sense of the violence and upheaval around her. This wonderful and important book will help readers learn about the events that lead Ugandans of Indian heritage to flee their country. Now if only history could stop repeating itself…
