Book review - Red, White, and Whole

 Title: Red, White, and Whole

Author: Rajani LaRocca

Genre: verse novel

Similar books: A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi

                      Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Rating:

 

a solid read

Summary (provided by publisher): Reha feels torn between two worlds: school, where she’s the only Indian American student, and home, with her family’s traditions and holidays. But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she’s conflicted—they only notice when Reha doesn’t meet their strict expectations. Reha feels disconnected from her mother, or Amma, although their names are linked—Reha means “star” and Punam means “moon”—but they are a universe apart.
Then Reha finds out that her Amma is sick. Really sick.
Reha, who dreams of becoming a doctor even though she can’t stomach the sight of blood, is determined to make her Amma well again. She’ll be the perfect daughter, if it means saving her Amma’s life.

My opinion: For the average reader, this books starts out with two strikes against it: an historical setting and the verse novel format. With both of these elements we have to ask ourselves if they're really necessary. Regarding the format, it's a largely emotional journey. Reha's story is one of finding her place in the world. She's between cultures, doesn't completely fit in with her American peers but too far removed from her parents' culture to feel like she truly belongs there. Trying to live up to their expectations and understand their influences. Since most of the plot is focused on her emotions, the verse format is the best one for this book. Now, it's set in the 90's. With an historical setting that recent it can feel unnecessary. The differences are subtle but important, mostly related to connections. Reha's family is divided by distance. Communication takes time, making them more isolated from literal family and thus crating family and community wherever they can. For this particular story the 90's setting makes sense, though it may be harder for young reader to understand. This may be a tough read for middle graders but it's worth the effort.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley