Must-Read Stories by Indian and Indian American Authors
These books explore a wide range of voices, from debut authors to personal essayists. Explore a few of our favorite books by Indian and Indian American authors.
Discover more books by Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander authors and share these incredible narratives year-round using the hashtag #RepresentAsianStories.
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Add to BookshelfThey Called Us Exceptional
by Prachi Gupta
Family defined the cultural identity of Prachi Gupta and her brother, Yush, connecting them to a larger Indian American community amid white suburbia. But their belonging was predicated on a powerful myth: that Asian Americans, and Indian Americans in particular, have perfected the alchemy of middle-class life, raising tight-knit, high-achieving families that are immune to hardship. Molding oneself to fit this image often comes at a steep, but hidden, cost. In They Called Us Exceptional, Gupta articulates the dissonance, shame, and isolation of being upheld as an American success story while privately navigating traumas invisible to the outside world.
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2
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Loot
by Tania James
A spellbinding historical novel set in the eighteenth century: a hero’s quest, a love story, the story of a young artist coming of age, and an exuberant heist adventure that traces the bloody legacy of colonialism across two continents and fifty years. A wildly inventive, irresistible feat of storytelling involving an elusive mechanical tiger.
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3
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The Way You Make Me Feel
by Nina Sharma
A hilarious and moving memoir in essays about love and allyship, told through one Asian and Black interracial relationship. “Nina Sharma’s thoughtful debut is equal parts memoir, criticism, and long-ranging conversation with a new friend. A love story for the ruminative reader that is generous with both scrutiny and romance” (Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood).
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4
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Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat
by Sonya Lalli
When Jasmine Randhawa finds herself single and tagging along on her parents’ vacation, she’s not sure her life can get any farther off course. Things only get worse once she realizes that this is a seniors’ cruise, and the only other person under fifty on the entire boat is her childhood acquaintance, cocky and successful Jake Dhillon. Jasmine and Jake clash right away, with Jasmine smarting over how their South Asian community puts him on a pedestal as the perfect Indian son, whereas her reputation as a troublemaker precedes her. Except they can’t avoid each other forever during the ten-day cruise, and they soon recognize a surprising number of similarities, especially in how many secrets they’re keeping hidden from their families.
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5
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Age of Vice
by Deepti Kapoor
New Delhi, 3 a.m. A speeding Mercedes jumps the curb and in the blink of an eye, five people are dead. It’s a rich man’s car, but when the dust settles there is no rich man at all, just a shell-shocked servant who cannot explain the strange series of events that led to this crime. Nor can he foresee the dark drama that is about to unfold. Deftly shifting through time and perspective in contemporary India, Age of Vice is an epic, action-packed story propelled by the seductive wealth, startling corruption, and bloodthirsty violence of the Wadia family — loved by some, loathed by others, feared by all.
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The Lucky Ones
by Zara Chowdhary
A moving memoir by a survivor of anti-Muslim violence in contemporary India that delicately weaves political and family histories in a tribute to her country’s unique Islamic heritage. It is an ode to the rebellion of a young woman who insists she will belong to her land, family, and faith on her own terms.
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$30.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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7
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Your Driver Is Waiting
by Priya Guns
Damani is tired. Her father just died on the job at a fast-food joint, and now she lives paycheck to paycheck in a basement, caring for her mom and driving for an app that is constantly cutting her take. Then she gives a ride to Jolene (five stars, obviously). Jolene seems like she could be the perfect girlfriend — attentive, attractive, an ally — and their chemistry is off the charts. So maybe Damani can look past the one thing that’s holding her back: she’s never dated anyone with money before, not to mention a white girl with money. But just as their romance intensifies and Damani finally lets her guard down, Jolene does something unforgivable, setting off an explosive chain of events.
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8
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Almost Brown
by Charlotte Gill
Charlotte Gill’s father is Indian. Her mother is English. They meet in 1960s London when the world is not quite ready for interracial love. Their union results in a total meltdown of familial relations, a lot of immigration paperwork, and three children, all in varying shades of tan. Almost Brown is an exploration of diasporic intermingling involving two eccentric parents from worlds apart and their half-brown children as they experience the paradoxes and conundrums of life as it’s lived between race checkboxes. In a funny, turbulent, and ultimately heartwarming story, Gill examines the brilliant messiness of ancestry, “diversity,” and the idea of “race,” a historical concept that still informs our beliefs about ethnicity today.
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9
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Roman Stories
by Jhumpa Lahiri
The first short story collection by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and master of the form since her number one New York Times bestseller Unaccustomed Earth. Rome — metropolis and monument, suspended between past and future, multi-faceted and metaphysical — is the protagonist, not the setting, of these nine stories.
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10
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Actions Speak Louder
by Deanna Singh
Are you tired of hollow promises about diversity, equity, and inclusion in your organization? Do you want to take steps towards real change – beyond issuing mission statements, signing checks, and holding listening sessions – but don’t know where to start? This book from renowned DEI consultant Deanna Singh is your answer. Designed for teams to read together, Actions Speak Louder offers a comprehensive blueprint for leaders and teams who are ready to get out of their own way, look at their surroundings with new eyes, and turn their energy into a concrete plan.
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11
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Dirty Laundry: A GMA Book Club Pick
by Disha Bose
In this Good Morning America Book Club pick, we meet a group of mothers living in a small Irish village. Ciara Dunphy has a seemingly perfect life — a loving husband, well-behaved children, and a beautiful home. Mishti Guha, discontented with her arranged marriage, is raising her daughter in a place where no one looks like them. Lauren Doyle is the earth mother, content to let her kids run wild, but mocked by the other mothers. When Ciara is found murdered in her own pristine home, the house of cards she’d worked so hard to build comes crumbling down. Everyone seems to have something to gain from Ciara’s death, so if they don’t want the blame, it may be the perfect time to air their enemies’ dirty laundry.
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12
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A Thousand Times Before
by Asha Thanki
A heartrending family saga following three generations of women connected by a fantastic tapestry through which they inherit the experiences of those that lived before them, sweeping readers from Partition-era India to modern day Brooklyn.
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13
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Empireland
by Sathnam Sanghera
Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Sathnam Sanghera provides an illuminating tour through the hidden legacies and modern realities of the British empire that exposes how much of the present-day United Kingdom is actually rooted in its colonial past. Empireland boldly and lucidly makes the case that in order to understand America, we must first understand British imperialism. From the foundations of social safety nets to the realities of racism; and from the distrust of public intellectuals to the exceptionalism that permeates immigration debates and the Brexit campaign — empire — whether British or otherwise — informs nearly everything we do.
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14
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Much Ado About Nada
by Uzma Jalaluddin
In this sparkling second-chance romance inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion, Nada Syed feels stuck. On the cusp of thirty, she’s still living at home with her brothers and parents in Toronto, ignoring her mother’s unsubtle pleas to get married already. While Nada has a good job as an engineer, she feels like a failure. Nada’s best friend Haleema is determined to pry her from her shell … and what better place than at the giant annual Muslim conference held downtown, where Nada can finally meet Haleema’s fiancé, Zayn. And did Haleema mention Zayn’s brother Baz will be there? What Haleema doesn’t know is that Nada and Baz have a past — some of it good, some of it bad and all of it secret.
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15
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Sage Warrior
by Valarie Kaur
A rallying cry filled with ancient Sikh wisdom for finding inner peace while fighting for what you believe in, with practices to implement in your own life — from the author of See No Stranger and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project, a “prophetic voice of our generation” (America Ferrera).
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Living in the Light
by Deepak Chopra, MD and Sarah Platt-Finger
Reach your highest potential and a deeper understanding of self with Deepak Chopra’s groundbreaking guide to the philosophy and practice of Yoga. In this groundbreaking new work, international bestselling author Deepak Chopra and his coauthor Sarah Platt-Finger, yoga director at Chopra Global and co-founder of ISHTA Yoga, offer an illuminating program for self-realization, bliss, and wholeness. Combining a practical thirty-day program that will help you break limiting habits and belief systems with an in-depth exploration of fifty stimulating and restorative yoga poses, Deepak and Sarah provide a thorough and inspiring way to unite the mind, body, and soul.
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17
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Isha, Unscripted
by Sajni Patel
Isha Patel doesn’t have a “prestigious” degree or a “real” career, and her parents never fail to remind her. But that’s okay because she commiserates with her cousin, best friend, and fellow outcast, Rohan. When Isha has a breakthrough getting her script in front of producers, it doesn’t go according to plan. Instead of letting her dreams fall through the cracks, Rohan convinces her to snag a pitch session with an Austinite high-profile celeb: the one and only Matthew McConaughey, who also happened to be her professor at the University of Texas years ago. Chasing Matthew McConaughey isn’t easy. When the search for the esteemed actor turns into a night of hijinks and unexpected — albeit fun — chaos, Isha’s dreams seem farther than ever, but she soon realizes who she really needs to face and that her future may just be alright, alright, alright.
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The Myth of Making It
by Samhita Mukhopadhyay
We can bury the girlboss, but what comes next? The former executive editor of Teen Vogue tells the story of her personal workplace reckoning and argues for collective responsibility to reimagine work as we know it. It is a field guide and manifesto for all of us who are tired, searching for justice, and longing to be liberated from the oppressive grip of hustle culture.
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Well-Behaved Indian Women
by Saumya Dave
From a compelling new voice in women’s fiction comes a mother-daughter story about three generations of women who struggle to define themselves as they pursue their dreams.
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20
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Brave, Not Perfect
by Reshma Saujani
Perfection may set us on a path that feels safe, but bravery leads us to the one we’re authentically meant to follow. In Brave, Not Perfect, Saujani shares powerful insights and practices to help us let go of our need for perfection and make bravery a lifelong habit. By being brave, not perfect, we can all become the authors of our best and most joyful life.
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21
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A Fine Balance
by Rohinton Mistry
With a compassionate realism and narrative sweep that recall the work of Charles Dickens, this magnificent novel captures all the cruelty and corruption, dignity and heroism, of India. A Fine Balance creates an enduring panorama of the human spirit in an inhuman state.
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22
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Why Not Me?
by Mindy Kaling
Mindy Kaling turns the anxieties, the glamour, and the celebrations of her second coming-of-age into a laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays that anyone who’s ever been at a turning point in their life or career can relate to. And those who’ve never been at a turning point can skip to the parts where she talks about meeting Bradley Cooper.
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23
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Late Bloomers
by Deepa Varadarajan
After thirty-six years of an unhappy arranged marriage, recently divorced Suresh and Lata Raman are starting new paths in life. Suresh is navigating the world of online dating on a website that caters to Indians and is striking out — until he meets a mysterious, attractive younger woman who seems to be smitten with him. Lata is enjoying her independence, but she’s caught off guard when a professor in his early sixties flirts with her. Meanwhile, their daughter, Priya, thinks her father’s online pursuits are distasteful even as she embarks upon an affair of her own. And their son, Nikesh, pretends at a seemingly perfect marriage, but hides the truth of what his relationship really entails. Over the course of three weeks, the whole family will uncover one another’s secrets, confront the limits of love and loyalty, and explore life’s second chances.
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24
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The God of Small Things
by Arundhati Roy
An affluent Indian family is forever changed by one fateful day in 1969, from the author of The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Arundhati Roy’s modern classic is equal parts powerful family saga, forbidden love story, and piercing political drama. Lush, lyrical, and unnerving, The God of Small Things is an award-winning landmark that started for its author an esteemed career of fiction and political commentary that continues unabated.
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The Singles Table
by Sara Desai
Following a devastating break-up, Zara Patel is determined never to open her heart again. Instead, she vows to help find happily-ever-afters for her friends and family. As wedding season approaches, she is determined to find someone for everyone at the singles table. But she may have met her match when she tries to find someone special for the sinfully sexy Jay Dayal.
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26
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The Bandit Queens
by Parini Shroff
Five years ago, Geeta lost her no-good husband. As in, she actually lost him — he walked out on her and she has no idea where he is. But in her remote village in India, rumor has it that Geeta killed him. And it’s a rumor that just won’t die. Freedom must look good on Geeta, because now other women are asking for her “expertise,” making her an unwitting consultant for husband disposal. And not all of them are asking nicely. With Geeta’s dangerous reputation becoming a double-edged sword, she has to find a way to protect the life she’s built — but even the best-laid plans of would-be widows tend to go awry. What happens next sets in motion a chain of events that will change everything, not just for Geeta, but for all the women in their village.
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