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Born Confused

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 2,560 ratings · 238 reviews

Tanuja Desai Hidier's fantastically acclaimed cross-cultural debut comes to PUSH!

Dimple Lala doesn't know what to think. Her parents are from India, and she's spent her whole life resisting their traditions. Then suddenly she gets to high school and everything Indian is trendy. To make matters worse, her parents arrange for her to meet a "suitable boy." Of course it doesn'...more

Paperback, 512 pages

Published July 1st 2003 by Scholastic Paperbacks (first published October 1st 2002)

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Sep 10, 2007 Dolores rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is a rare treat, in that it presents the life of a typical American teenager with an atypical life, is honest, but doesn't stoop to cliches and stereotypes to tell its tale. This is the story of Dimple Lala, a young woman, born and raised in New Jersey of Indian immigrant parents, who is turning 17 at the beginning of summer. Dimple rejects her parents old-world culture and wants to be an All-American girl, but everyone else sees her as Indian. For her parents, Dimple getting drunk onc...more This book is a rare treat, in that it presents the life of a typical American teenager with an atypical life, is honest, but doesn't stoop to cliches and stereotypes to tell its tale. This is the story of Dimple Lala, a young woman, born and raised in New Jersey of Indian immigrant parents, who is turning 17 at the beginning of summer. Dimple rejects her parents old-world culture and wants to be an All-American girl, but everyone else sees her as Indian. For her parents, Dimple getting drunk once while out with friends on her birthday is cause for a silent treatment and punishment of international proportions. In one of my favorite lines from the book, Dimple's mother says, "Giving birth to you was easy. It is now that I am needing the epidural!"
Dimple, in comparison to her childhood friend, Gwyn, is positively a model child: a good student, a virgin who has only dated two boys, she doesn't do drugs or do anything out of the ordinary to cause her parents to worry. It turns out that both Dimple and her parents are failing to realize what they have: a caring, lovely family unit and a strong cultural background in Dimple's case, and a very good daughter, in the case of her parents. Dimple's friend, Gwyn, is beautiful and blonde and slim and the center of attention, but she comes from a home where she was abandoned by her father and ignored by her mother, and she craves the stability of Dimple's family unit, which, of course, Dimple does not understand, since she longs to be beautiful and blonde and free of parental restrictions.

Dimple's parents seek to control their daughter by introducing her to a "suitable boy" meaning, of course, another Indian boy, an NYU computer major, and the son of her mother's best friend. Dimple rejects the boy on principal, but then discovers that he is a slightly unsuitable boy, and begins to fall in love with him, along with her friend, Gwyn. Dimple spends the bulk of the novel discovering herself and her life, and realizing that what she has is really a gift. She is exposed to the temptations of teenaged life, she has her heart broken and she rebels against her parents, but it takes a long summer for her to see that everything she has really is something to be envied.

The book is written in a charming, witty style, and, except for a few sort of "romance novel" plot twists, it is very engrossing. It is perfect for both adults and teens, and really should be read by parents and their teenagers.

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Jun 24, 2007 Kricket rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2007, teen-fiction, favorite-teen-reads, again, who-am-i, immigrants

this book is so good that kaavya viswanathan lifted entire passages of it for her book "how opal mehta got kissed, got wild, and got a life," and when i read the latter i actually recognized where they were from.

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Jan 02, 2008 Jennie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

Shelves: yaliterature

Plot: Dimple Lala is one confused 17 year-old. She's always wanted to be like her friend Gwyn, who is pretty, blonde and seems to have it all. Dimple's family is Indian and they attempt to set her up with a suitable boy. At first Dimple doesn't want this suitable boy, but once her friend Gwyn becomes interested in him, Dimple has a change of heart. This novel is about Dimple's journey to understand her Indian background as well as how her American side mix together to form her identity.

Evaluatio...more Plot: Dimple Lala is one confused 17 year-old. She's always wanted to be like her friend Gwyn, who is pretty, blonde and seems to have it all. Dimple's family is Indian and they attempt to set her up with a suitable boy. At first Dimple doesn't want this suitable boy, but once her friend Gwyn becomes interested in him, Dimple has a change of heart. This novel is about Dimple's journey to understand her Indian background as well as how her American side mix together to form her identity.

Evaluation: I personally identified with Dimple. She didn't feel Indian enough and not American enough, so she had difficulty with her identity. On a similar note, I've often had difficulty dealing with my cultural identity because I was born in America, but my family is from Greece, so I feel caught between two cultures quite often. As a teen, Dimple is trying to fit in, but it's certainly not easy for her. She wants to be just like Gwyn and have boys chasing after her, but she's the "token" Indian girl, which makes her feel out of place.

The part that's most enjoyable in the novel is that Dimple is able to discover herself through her photography as well as the underground Indian culture in NYC. Suddenly her cultural background is no longer something that she's trying to avoid instead she starts to see the beauty of it. All of this is made possible because of her friend Gwyn. Dimple becomes jealous of Gwyn and Karsh's friendship because she thinks there's something romantic going on between the two. She finally admits to herself that the suitable boy (Karsh) that her parents wanted her to meet is the perfect boy for her. She stops fighting her culture and parents and she finds peace with herself.

I thought the photography was the most interesting part of the novel. The way she connects with her grandfather through the pictures (even though she can't speak Indian) is quite touching. She forms a bond with him and they communicate through photos. In a similar vein, she is able to communicate with Karsh through her photos. Again, they also communicate through the photos and form a loving bond. It seems as if Dimple's feelings come through this particular medium; photography is obviously what she feels comfortable with and her emotions are tangled up in her pictures.(less)

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Oct 31, 2007 Briynne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So many aspects of this book were excellent. The main character, Dimple, is wonderful and well-drawn. Her parents are so adorable and honestly portrayed, you want to put them in your pocket. The "Indian thing" is handled with grace; it's an actual exploration of what it means to belong to an ethnicity outside of its place of origin rather than a trite "I feel weird, people look different than me" sort of story. I thought Gwen was a hateful, awful person, but she was interesting and held my atten...more

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Jan 12, 2009 Elena rated it 5 of 5 stars

Born Confused is an inspiring novel about a girl trying to find herself. Dimple Lala is stuck between two cultures, Indian and American, and never feels like she is enough of either. Then to complicate things, her parents decide to set up an arranged marriage with a "suitable boy." The suitable boy is exactly what Dimple expects him to be--until she sees him DJing magic at a party in an amazing club called HotPot. The descriptions in this book are nothing short of magnificent, and they drag you...more

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May 15, 2007 Lakshmi rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was billed as the "first South Asian American Young Adult Novel" Aimed at teens, so it's a quick and light read. I felt like I really related to it more from the South Asian American college student perspective...a lot of college student identity politics that I could totally relate to...fun to read about the dj "scene" in NY...something I always wanted to experience as a 20 something, but never really got a chance to. I liked the relationship between the narrator and her parents...that it...more

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May 01, 2011 Annalee Schnebele rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-lit-class

I don't really know what I think of this book. On one hand, the not punctuating dialog correctly really, really irritated me. And sometimes the story was hard to follow and a little confusing; if this was intentional to mirror Dimple's confusion with her life - then rock on, if not, run-on-sentences are not always our friends. I did enjoy the romantic portion of the plot, but it seemed like there were WAY too many themes running through this novel. It seemed like everything sort of focused aroun...more

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Jan 06, 2011 Travis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

This is the story of Dimple Lala growing up and finding herself over the summer between 11th and 12th grade. There is romance in there, and there is friendship stuff, but really it's about Dimple. I've been reading more young adult books lately (so many of the interesting books I see recced are YA...) and a lot of them really feel like it. This did in some ways (the feel of the POV felt more like a novel aimed at teens), but it wasn't dumbed down or anything. I really enjoyed this book a lot, an...more

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Jun 10, 2010 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, young-adult

Born Confused is the story of 17 year old Dimple Lala, an Indian-American girl who feels "not quite Indian and not quite American." Dimple is best friends with blonde-haired, blue eyed Gwyn. Dimple's identity crisis comes to a head when her parents decide to fix her up with a "suitable Indian boy" hoping that she will marry one eventually. They introduce her to Karsh, the son of their friends from India. Dimple is not impressed with Karsh on first meeting him but Gwyn is so Dimple helps Gwyn pur...more

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Jun 06, 2010 Karin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: south-asian, indiana, young-adult-fiction, realistic, matchmaking, relationships, families, parents, romance, chick-lit, borrowed-from-the-library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Dimple is a second generation East Indian American. She's one of two Indian people in her high school, and as such, is somewhat out of touch with her identity as Indian. In fact, that hasn't ever interested her much at all. Her best friend, Gwyn, is stereotypical model beautiful - thin, tall, blonde, with a fire to reinvent herself every chance she gets. Dimple is happy to sideline herself and play Gwyn's photographer.

The real trouble starts when Dimple's parents decide that Dimple needs to mee...more

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Apr 05, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

There's something about this book.

I first read it in eight grade, and when I did, I didn't like it. I am not entirely sure why. Maybe it was the format or the style. I doubt it had to do with the characters or the plot-line. Either way, I didn't like it. But once I finished it, it stuck with me. Some conversation would remind me of it, or such. It has stuck with me for the past three years.

So, since it was so unforgettable, I decided to give it another go.

This time I liked it a lot, but it was...more

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Aug 12, 2009 Lydia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dimple Lala is turning 17 years old, at the beginning of the summer before her senior year in high school, just 4 months before the birthday of her best friend Gwyn. Everything points to this summer being outstanding and it is; just not exactly like Dimple thinks it will be.

Hidier provides a masterful portral of the cultural and personal identity confusion of a young Indian-American, sharply contrasted with that of her grandfather in India, her parents who had an arranged marriage, her best frie...more

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Feb 09, 2010 Yoonmee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: asian-american, young-adult, fiction

I'm torn as to how I feel about this book. First off, please read Briynne's reviews of this book on here. She does a great job of expressing some of my thoughts about the book.

When I first picked this up, I got into it and enjoyed reading it but maybe about 1/3 of the way through the story just felt incredibly drawn out. I can understand Dimple's identity crisis and teenage angst regarding, well, being a teenager and also being an Asian American teenager, but most of the time I wanted to shake D...more

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Mar 03, 2009 Mosop rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of Dimple Lala, an average, self-concious 17-year-old American girl of Asian Indian parentage. Told in a fresh, poetic and witty voice, this story explores the complexities of culture, friendship, relationships and coming of age in America. Truly a beautiful work of literature, with well developed characters easy to fall in love with. The author is allowed to see beyond what our main character sees, and witness her many revelations. By the time I reached the last few pages, I r...more

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Sep 11, 2011 Maru Maru rated it 5 of 5 stars

Normally, I don't bother buying hardbacks of books I've enjoyed, but Born Confused was so well written and well executed that I had to add it to my collection.

As a woman of color, I felt Dimple Lala's experiences were realistically written, as well as respectfully engaged being a woman of color in the United States. It's rare for me to read a book staring women of color or people of color that doesn't make me frown because it's so obviously written by a white person, but Desai Hidier's voice as...more

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Jun 03, 2011 Kosha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely one of my favorite books. I've read some books about growing up Indian in America, and many of the ones I've started I put down after a few chapters because it wasn't one I could relate to. This one however, kept me hooked from the beginning.

The book touches upon many aspects of growing up with Indian parents in the U.S., including dealing with their expectations, balancing what you want to do versus what they tell you to do, arraigned marriages, and balancing being Indian versus bein...more

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Jan 16, 2012 Kari Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars

In the book: "Born Confused," Dimple Lala and Gwyn Sexton are best friends. They go threw many ups and downs threw their friendship. Everything’s going amazingly until Karsh came into the picture. That’s when the real dilemma appears.
Karsh’s mother is good friends with Dimple’s parents. Dimple is not one for arranged marriages, so when Karsh and his mother showed up, Dimple acted like she did not care about him at all. It wouldn’t hit her until later that she realized she really liked him. Tha...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Sunil rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, 2009

Dimple Lala is an Indian-American teenage girl with very traditional parents. She loves photography and her white best friend, Gwyn Sexton. Enter Karsh, a Suitable Boy for marriage. Dimple, of course, thinks he's totally lame...until she meets him in his natural environment, DJing a party. But as soon as she decides she actually likes him, Gwyn gets all starry-eyed for him. Hijinks ensue.

That's the précis, and it's a fairly generic plot with the exception of the arranged marriage element (which...more Dimple Lala is an Indian-American teenage girl with very traditional parents. She loves photography and her white best friend, Gwyn Sexton. Enter Karsh, a Suitable Boy for marriage. Dimple, of course, thinks he's totally lame...until she meets him in his natural environment, DJing a party. But as soon as she decides she actually likes him, Gwyn gets all starry-eyed for him. Hijinks ensue.

That's the précis, and it's a fairly generic plot with the exception of the arranged marriage element (which doesn't really even figure in that greatly since Dimple has been allowed to date white boys before). But there's so much more to the book than that; it's quite dense. It takes over a hundred pages of setup before Karsh even enters the scene (and another hundred before the main plot really kicks into gear). But the book isn't just about an angst-ridden love story and the bonds of friendship. Much of the book is spent on Dimple's connecting with her family: her cousins, her parents, even her late grandfather. The story takes place in the summer before senior year, a time of transition, so Dimple learns about not only her own culture but others as well, finding a kinship in the identity struggles of lesbians and drag queens.

The major appeal for me, of course, was that it was a book whose target audience was, well, me. An American-born confused Desi. Here was a book with Indian characters that I really related to and that felt real. Desai Hidier captures all the little details like Dimple's parents' use of the "fancy schmancy"/"Leno Schmeno"/"altoo faltoo" construction (though sometimes it makes them seem like caricatures) and the gender separation in the temple. All these little things that I'm familiar with that made me feel like, since they were in this book, I shared a common experience. To my surprise, Desai Hidier defines almost none of the Hindi words and sometimes doesn't even provide enough context for a non-Indian reader. Other times, she does give extensive descriptions of Indian things, even when I was already clear what she was talking about.

Besides that, it is a good book. Dimple is an endearing protagonist (even if her narration is a little more sophisticated than I'd expect from a seventeen-year-old), and the other characters are fairly well drawn. So much of her journey is universal; you don't have to be born confused to identify with her struggles and conflicts and eye-opening experiences. The book has some deliciously punny chapter titles. It feels like a good teen movie, you know? Crossed with a good indie movie that addresses issues like cultural appropriation and cultural identity.(less)

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Jan 09, 2011 Gizmology rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really can't say anything about this wonderful book that hasn't already been said -- but I can tell you one thing about it that sets it apart from most other YA books that I've read. This says everything about its readability and compelling story and prose: The minute I finished the last page, I handed it over to my housemate with a five-star recommendation. She read it straight through, and when SHE got to the last page, that very minute she turned right back to page one and started reading i...more

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May 17, 2011 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Jeff Raymond, Jen Petro-Roy, Julia Starkey

Shelves: booktalks-high-school

I really loved this book. I got so caught up in caring about the characters that I had to give up o the idea of not spoiling the end of books for myself. I finally decided that I am an adult and I can enjoy books however I want, and flipping to the last chapter to see how things turn out will relieve the tension and not lessen my enjoyment of the book.

I really wanted the cultural appropriation of Dimple's best friend Gwyn to be called out more and explained in a way that the reader could unders...more I really loved this book. I got so caught up in caring about the characters that I had to give up o the idea of not spoiling the end of books for myself. I finally decided that I am an adult and I can enjoy books however I want, and flipping to the last chapter to see how things turn out will relieve the tension and not lessen my enjoyment of the book.

I really wanted the cultural appropriation of Dimple's best friend Gwyn to be called out more and explained in a way that the reader could understand why a lot of people would be made uncomfortable by it. I think the treatment in the story as it is makes total sense and is true to the characters, but I would have liked a character who could explain it without being overly academical like Sabina and wouldn't just handwave it away like Dimple did, because she loves Gwyn. I think it ended up in the right place with Gwyn no longer trying so hard to become Indian, I just would have liked that transition to be a little less subtle.

Other than that though, wow, I loved this book so much. American-born Dimple is trying to figure out her place between her parents' Indian culture and her friends' American culture, and never feels quite at home in either, except when she's taking pictures. Her parents want her to settle down with a "suitable boy" and arrange a meeting with her mother's best friend and her son, whom Dimple writes off immediately as a loser. She and Karsh get to know each other anyway, and Dimple finds herself falling in love, just as her best friend Gwyn also falls for Karsh. Misunderstandings happen in a completely believable teenage way, and while I was frustrated and tense from the situation, I didn't want to scream "TALK TO EACH OTHER ALREADY" the way I do with sitcoms when they have "wacky misunderstandings." For unsure teens in love the confusion is absolutely the sort that would make them want to die rather than confess how they feel, so I was sympathetic rather than angry with them.

The author goes really deeply into descriptions, and I've seen some reviews indicating that a lot of people couldn't make it through these. I think it's kind of a pity though, since artistic expression is a big part of what these characters are about. The lush descriptions from Dimple's PoV explain how she feels about taking pictures and what she sees when she does, and in the club scenes her descriptions of what the djs are doing and how the dancers respond don't weigh the book down so much as just get the reader to slow down for a minute and enjoy the feeling. That said, if they really bug you, skim. Fullness of description shouldn't be a reason to give up on a book so lovely and moving. (less)

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Oct 10, 2010 Maddy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I liked this book and I think that it is a great read for all girls my age because the characters are very relatable. It can sometimes be a little confusing though.

This is my book report on it for school:

In the story Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier, The main character Dimple’s identity is determined by those around her. Dimple is Indian. She wants to be like her best friend Gwyn: tall, skinny, stylish, and dating, and she considers herself Gwyn’s lesser half. Wherever Dimple goes with Gwyn,...more I liked this book and I think that it is a great read for all girls my age because the characters are very relatable. It can sometimes be a little confusing though.

This is my book report on it for school:

In the story Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier, The main character Dimple’s identity is determined by those around her. Dimple is Indian. She wants to be like her best friend Gwyn: tall, skinny, stylish, and dating, and she considers herself Gwyn’s lesser half. Wherever Dimple goes with Gwyn, Gwyn tends to overshadow her. Dimple’s main passion is photography and she never goes anywhere without her camera Chica Tikka. Dimple’s camera is her way of being Indian because it forms a connection between her and her grandfather who lived in India and gave her the camera.
Dimple shows an example of a teenager ignoring their parents’ wishes, seeing that they were right, and then not admitting it. Dimple doesn’t listen to her parents when they tell her to give Karsh a chance and she ends up being very close-minded when she first meets him. But, after she gets to know the real Karsh Kooper, she ends up falling in love with him.
My mother says if you think hard about something before you fall asleep your mind works on it in slumberland and you may even find the problem solved by morning. Well, if that thought I’d had about Karsh was a problem-and it was-I don’t know what had gone on during the REM portion of the evening: If I’d been falling for him before, when I woke I’d fallen. Splat, to the pavement. A feeling that had been a safe one to doze to became a scary on awake, my Dimple demolition team calling me crazy. I had a new organ in my body, or had become aware of an old, unused one; a new heavenly body in my solar system. But what to do with it? It could never work. He could never feel the same way about me. And then there was Gwyn. (Didier 342)
Dimple does not tell her parents or anyone for that matter that she loves Karsh. I think that Dimple keeps her feeling for Karsh a secret because she is afraid that her feeling will get in the way of what the people around her want. Dimple always puts others before herself and often ends up being unhappy because she has given away what she wants.
In the novel, the character Zara teaches the main character Dimple some very valuable life lessons. Zara is a drag queen that Dimple meets while at the HotPot, the South Asian nightclub in New York City. While Dimple is at a diner after going for a walk with Chica Tikka, Dimple sees Zara in his male form. She sits down with him and tells her that she should think about what she wants instead of always considering others wants and needs before hers and about how she is the one to shape her own life.
-Your friend has balls, pardon my Portuguese. And you should too. Better to be bright than dim, that’s my philosophy. You have to show yourself, speak up for what you want. For example, that fry.
He pointed to the queen cruncher on top of the platter.
-What about it? I don’t want it, I said. –Go ahead.
-You do to want it. You were eyeing it just now. But you are being, if I may say so, absurdly polite-instead of simply asking me if I want it and making a go for it. And somewhere inside you will be disappointed if I take it.
I felt a tad bit blushy.
-Okay, I get your point. You know, I wish I could be more like you.
-Believe it or not, Dimple-and I would believe it-I am just a regular person who has decided to be who I am in life. That’s all. That’s how you make your life magical-you take yourself into your own hands and rub a little. You activate your identity. And that’s the only way to make, as they say, the world a better place; after all, what good are you to anyone without yourself? (Didier 442)
Dimple is afraid to live and afraid to show whom she really is because she has this idea of a perfect teenage girl: Gwyn. Zara helps Dimple realize that to be amazing you have to not be afraid to show your true colors.
In Born Confused, the writer uses a pattern in Gwyn’s behavior to exhibit her need for attention. Wherever Gwyn goes, she does her best to make sure the spotlight is on her. At the Indian neighborhood in New York, Gwyn starts to strut around like a fashion model. At the HotPot, Gwyn starts doing elaborate dance moves so that the entire dance floor revolves around her. Also at the South Asian Identity Seminar, Gwyn stood up and questioned the speaker so that all eyes and ears would be on her. I think that Gwyn may do this because she did not get enough attention as a child.
In this story, there are heavy topics that are exposed throughout the story. These topics include sex, alcohol, drugs, and homosexuality. Sex is mentioned with Gwyn participating in it with her boyfriend Dylan. At several points in the story Dimple, Gwyn, and other characters get drunk even though they are underage. After going to the HotPot for the first time, Dimple, Gwyn and Karsh go back to Gwyn’s house and smoke a drug. Dimple’s cousin Kavita is a lesbian although she is not very big on showing it to the world. This story may not be suitable for younger readers and parents should know of the content.

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May 14, 2007 Hena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: subcontinent

I don't think many have heard of this book. I saw it for $5 in Borders, had heard bout it from a friend and got it - and man what a surprise. The book is a bit too fat but its a fast read, Desai really knows how to pull you in and connect with the main character. Its one of those coming-of-age stories. Give it a go folks!

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Aug 03, 2010 saadia k rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: south-asia, growing-up, ya

I really, really, really wanted to like this book. And, in some ways, I really did. In fact, though I had been trudging through its 500 pages for days and days, when I finally finished it late last night, I found myself feeling melancholy that it was actually over. It was a bittersweet farewell--almost like breaking up with someone you were like, sooooo totally into initally, but who quickly (as soon as the rush of pink to your cheeks wore away) began to bore you with all their incessant monolog...more I really, really, really wanted to like this book. And, in some ways, I really did. In fact, though I had been trudging through its 500 pages for days and days, when I finally finished it late last night, I found myself feeling melancholy that it was actually over. It was a bittersweet farewell--almost like breaking up with someone you were like, sooooo totally into initally, but who quickly (as soon as the rush of pink to your cheeks wore away) began to bore you with all their incessant monologuing. When you finally call it quits, you feel that pang of sentimentality, thinking, "Huh, maybe it wasn't so bad afterall," or maybe, "Oh, now I remember what I saw in you to begin with, and I'm actually kind of going to miss the way you don't ever wear shoes and scrunch up your nose when you're thinking really hard."

So that's how I'm feeling now; I'm going to miss Dimple a little, and her parents and Kavita extra, but probably not Gwyn or Karsh or Radha or anyone else, because they were pretty lackluster. And I'm going to miss reading a book about South Asian characters, but I'm not going to miss all the labored and clumsy explanations of all-things-South-Asian. And I don't believe that I was annoyed by Hidier's lengthy explications (in pseudo-flowering prose) about the texture of jalebi and the origins of bhangra, etc. because I already know what these things are, but because I feel that Hidier is perhaps trying a bit too hard to make these things completely known to every single reader--she over-explains and over-describes and I find my eyes wandering and my mind lost in the paragraph-long, multi-claused sentence about the texture of jalebi, and then the taste of gulab jamaan, and then the aroma of kheer. (And yes, I do realize the length of that last sentence.) It feels a bit too heavy handed. And that's not to say I don't appreciate the enormity of the task that Hidier had before her, with BC being posited as the "first South Asian coming of age novel," but just that it didn't have to take it upon itself to sooooo self-conciously enlighten its readers.

So, not a messy, drawn-out, desperate break-up, but a vaguely sad one; one that leaves you looking for scrunched-up-noses on people you see for the next few days, and wondering why everyone is wearing shoes.(less)

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Mar 10, 2012 Sapna rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have had this book for a while and just got around to reading it. Written by an author who is around my own age, it is part biographical and part fiction, but is the coming of age story about an Indian teenage girl of immigrant parents, growing up in suburban NJ. She is trying to assimilate her "Indian-ness" with only her parents as guides, into her life as an American teenager. This story is probably the closest that has come so far to my own Indian immigrant experience, written from a girl's...more

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Nov 22, 2009 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

A witty, searing insight into the complications of being 15, Indian, American, and confused about it all. This so well encapsulates the world of teens - where best friends and boyfriends are at the center of every crisis yet the more major conflicts of growing up and making adult choices are in play at the same time. The end was so moving that I cried, and the accuracy with which she pinpoints the pain of female friendship is dead-on and too real. Maybe it's because I teach middle school, but I...more

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Jul 07, 2010 Soph...*Lock&Key* rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: predictable-reads, read-in-2010

This book had some interesting bits. But some of it was rather boring as well. It is hard to say whether I liked it or not, because when I think about it I only like certain aspects of it. I liked the culture references in this book the fact that she is Indian makes the story a lot more real and enjoyable. I also liked the story line, the writing style was also good, but.................it was a tad ramble some parts of this book went on forever, and the bits that I wanted to take longer were sh...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Joanna Sickels added it

Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier follows the life of Dimple Lala who is part American and part Indian (India). She doesn’t know whether to call herself American or Indian. She and her best friend Gwyn are lovers of photography and enjoy taking pictures of the school.
This book was a pleasure to read, being that the main protagonist is not the Hollywood stereotype or the spitting image of a perfect model. Dimple is somewhat overweight and has self-confidence issues, which helps the everyday p...more

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Jun 11, 2010 Autumn rated it 4 of 5 stars

This isn't your normal "coming of age" story, but instead something better and more thought out. I really, really enjoyed the cross cultural psychology expressed through the main character (Dimple)throughout this novel! Well done, Ms. Hidier! I learned many things and grew to better understand many aspects of the Indian culture as I accompanied Dimple on her way to finding out who she really was, and what and who she really wanted for her life. I could not have imagined in the first few chapters...more

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Jan 01, 2008 Emily Howard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

One of those books that I don't quite like entirely, but that is long enough that I felt attached to it by the end. It's a little flat and angst-driven.

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Dec 19, 2010 Katy Vance rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, diversity, young-adult

I really liked this book! It started to drag a bit in the middle, but overall it was engaging and fairly quick. I found the writing delightful (fabulous decorative in that way that I imagine India in my head), but what I really enjoyed was the insight it gives on first/second generation Indian Americans. At it's core, this book is the classic coming of age story, but it's so modern. There's drinking and weed smoking (hilarious!) and love and sex and parents and lesbians and dancing and photograp...more

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Young Adult

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Romance

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Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

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Cultural > India

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Young Adult > Teen

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Realistic Fiction

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Young Adult > Coming Of Age

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Asian Literature > Indian Literature

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Cultural

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Contemporary

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Quotes from Born Confused

“You must live every moment of your life in such a way that if you had to live it over and over again till infinity, this would be a good thing.” — 20 people liked it

“They say in the east you love the person you marry and in the west you marry the person you love. But maybe it's a lot simpler than that. Maybe you just love the person you love.” — 20 people liked it

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