Indie Girl

Title: Indie Girl
Author: Kavita Daswani
ISBN: 1416948929

Plot Summary: Indie Konkipuddi is a young Indian-American teenage girl, living with her parents and younger brother in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Indie dreams of becoming a fashion designer, and when Aaralyn Taylor comes to speak at her school, Indie jumps at the chance, thinking meeting her idol will help her land a prestigious summer internship at Aaralyn's magazine. Although Aaralyn ends up only hiring Indie as a babysitter, Indie is disappointed but still accepts, thinking she may still get an "in" if she is a constant presence in Aaralyn's home. To Indie's disappointment though, Aaralyn turns out to be demanding, rude, ungrateful, and dismissive of both Indie and her own son. She sticks it out in her current position, despite her parents' concerns, even finding romance with another of Aaralyn's employees - until her boss's behavior during a trip to Italy convince her that whatever Indie's goals may be in the fashion world, she cannot let them come at the expense of her own self-esteem and emotional well-being.


Critical Evaluation: Although Indie's parents are from Calcutta, in West Bengal, Indie makes frequent reference to speaking Hindi with her family and their obsession with Bollywood films. It is not inconceivable that they would be interested in Bollywood movies, which have widespread international appeal, nor that they or their daughter would speak the lingua franca of those movies. However, the Bengal region of India is one with its own language, film industry, and distinct culture; lumping in a variety of different cultural markers as generically "Indian" feels shockingly inaccurate, especially for an author of Indian descent. Although Daswani's descriptions of Indie's inner feelings and observations generally ring true, the dialogue often feels stilted and overly expository. This book represents Daswani's first attempt at Young Adult literature, and she does a creditable job telling her story. However, the story would have been much more enjoyable had the author been more thorough about doing her homework, and had a slightly better ear for how people communicate verbally with each other.


Reader's Annotation: Indira Konkipuddi - "Indie" to her friends - dreams of becoming a fashion designer, and is thrilled when she lands a summer job working for one of her fashion idols. But when neither the job nor Aaralyn, the designer, turn out to be what Indie expected, she must weigh her goals and desires against what is actually possible.

About the Author: Kavita Daswani is an Indian-American journalist, fashion correspondant and book author who got her start as a journalist in Hong Kong at age 17. She currently lives with her husband and two sons in Los Angeles, where she writes novels dealing with American women of South Asian descent and their efforts to fit into two cultures at once.

Genre: Fiction: Multicultural

Curriculum Ties: Design, World Religions

Booktalking Ideas:

Hook: Indie breaks the news to Aaralyn about a celebrity's wedding dress design plans.
Approach: Scene-based
Ideas for Booktalk: Aaralyn likes the information, finds it verifiable, uses it - but neither thanks Indie nor gives her credit for it. Aaralyn's behavior as a function of her own competitiveness and insecurity; Indie's as a sign of her eagerness to please and desperate hopes that her idol will validate her.

Hook: Indie mixes and matches Western and Indian fashion to create her own unique personal looks.
Approach: Character-based.
Ideas for Booktalk: Other characters, especially her family, discourage Indie from mixing cultures in her dressing, but it is more important to her to look good than authentic. Still, she can do the authentic thing if necessary, even if she likes to add her own personal touches. Examine what this says about her position in between two cultures at once, and how it fits in with her overall love of fashion.

Reading Level/Interest Age: High School


Challenge Issues: Religious viewpoint, mild offensive language, sexual content.
Indie's family is Hindu, and her family performs the traditional rituals and blessings. Although Indie does not always join them, she appreciates the occasions on which her parents pray on her behalf, bestowing her with their blessings and good wishes. As with any truly held faith, the Konkipuddi's religious beliefs center around peace, happiness, and good health and success for those they hold dear. I would encourage readers to try and find what is universal in this viewpoint, rather than what differentiates it from the Judeo-Christian tradition. Characters in the book occasionally swear, particularly Aaralyn, and Indie has her first stirrings of sexual interest after becoming romantically interested in Cayman. However, as a girl with strong values and a solid family system to rely on, it is unlikely that Indie will rush into any hasty decisions - and when climbing the ladder of fashion success, she will no doubt be careful to watch her language depending on present company.

Why I Chose This Book: This book, despite minor flaws, is a highly accurate portrayal of what it means to be a minority trying to break into a majority-dominated American industry. Indie's parents want her to be happy, and are much more permissive in this respect than their peers; however, they are not willing to let their daughter hurt herself or let others hurt her in the process. They offer advice to her not simply because they can, but because they think it is best. Although people like Aaralyn may never truly understand how hard it is for people like Indie to make it in a world where the deck is stacked against them, this book depicts a girl with a strong enough family unit to give her the tools she needs to cope with whatever the world may throw at her.