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These Americans
Read excerpts on website Second Generation Stories. WINNER OF THE ROSEMARY DANIELL FICTION PRIZE. THESE AMERICANS, a debut collection of short fiction, explores what it means to live between Indian culture and American expectations. An Indian-born immigrant mother gives birth to her daughter in a small Ohio town. A girl who recently returned from India strives to become "American" again. A naïve immigrant mother is in denial about her lawyer daughter's lesbianism. An elderly doctor keeps a shocking secret from her daughter. This engaging collection of eight short stories and a novella will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
216 pages, Paperback
Published May 21, 2021
2375 people want to read
About the author
Jyotsna Sreenivasan
11 books38 followersJyotsna Sreenivasan, the daughter of Indian immigrants, was born and raised in Ohio. She earned an M.A. in English literature from the University of Michigan. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous literary magazines, and she has received literature grants from the Washington, D.C., Commission on the Arts and Humanities. She currently lives and works in Columbus, Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 24, 2021
One of the books that ended up on my Favorites Bookshelf is a novel, And Laughter Fell From The Sky, by Jyotsna Sreenivasan. It is the story of two young Indian-Americans who are trying to find love and where they belong in the world while still respecting the wishes of their families. It's a wonderful story, with characters you care about and it's so beautifully written.
Sreenivasan's newest book, These Americans, is a short story collection that mines similiar territory. In the eight stories in this book, Indian characters are trying to find their place in America, while still holding on to the things they cherish in their Indian culture.
The book opens with "Mirror", where a young Indian woman is giving birth in 1967. Her husband is a doctor at the hospital, but he is not with his wife while she is in labor. She is unaware of American birth customs, which are so different from back home. Women help other women give birth in "nursing homes", not male doctors in hospitals as in America. She is embarassed to have people poking in her and when they offer her a mirror to watch the birth, she at first refuses.
There are interesting stories that deal with children assimilating in America. Amiya is mortified when her teacher wants the class to represent India in the school International Day festivities. Amiya wants to blend in, not stand out. Malini's older brother Pramod is having difficulty in school, cutting class, smoking cigarettes, and failing, suggesting he may be depressed. His father thinks he is lazy, and when the school suggests counseling after he is suspended, it is not discussed further.
I found "Mrs. Raghavendra's Daughter" very moving. A widow for ten years, Mrs. Raghavendra raised her daughter Anjana on her own. She plans to travel to visit Anjana, who works in Washington, DC, and feels she can't rest until she finds her daughter a husband. She doesn't know that Anjana's roommate Susan is more than just someone to share the rent. Anjana goes to great lengths to hide this from her mother, but Susan suggests that maybe her mother is more understanding than she believes. I loved the character of Mrs. Raghavendra.
Another mother/daughter story, "Hawk", is the strongest and longest story in the book. Manisha has come to help her mother Bhagya, a doctor, move from Manisha's childhood home to an apartment. Bhagya gives Manisha a letter she wrote to her on Manisha's first birthday, explaining all her hopes and dreams for her baby daughter in America.
Bhagya spent most of her time at the hospital, building a stellar career as a doctor, yet as an Indian woman not getting the respect and promotions she deserved. Manisha was raised by nannies and her parents sent her to a prep school, where Manisha stood out from the privileged white boys who populated the school.
Manisha is now a sixth grade English teacher at an exclusive private school, and she enjoys her job and the students. She was hired as part of the school's new approach to diversity, the watchword of the year. One of her fellow teachers gives her tips on how to get along with the principal, parents, and students in order to stay under the radar.
Over the course of the year of the story, we see the struggles of Bhagya, who is having trouble concentrating. She writes her life story in a series of letters to Manisha, and we see what she had to endure to become a successful doctor in America.
"Hawk" is such an intriguing story of these two women, I would love to see a full-length novel sharing their entire life story. I found myself wanting to know so much more about them, and a further exploration of the mother/daughter dynamic.
Sreenivasan brings her characters to life, and in reading these stories that move from birth to death we learn the breadth of what it means to be an Indian-American, to try to blend your own culture with the culture of the people now surrounding you. These Americans is a perfect read for Asian American Pacific Islander Month, and will help you to be more empathetic to others, a goal of reading great fiction. I highly recommend it.
Sreenivasan's newest book, These Americans, is a short story collection that mines similiar territory. In the eight stories in this book, Indian characters are trying to find their place in America, while still holding on to the things they cherish in their Indian culture.
The book opens with "Mirror", where a young Indian woman is giving birth in 1967. Her husband is a doctor at the hospital, but he is not with his wife while she is in labor. She is unaware of American birth customs, which are so different from back home. Women help other women give birth in "nursing homes", not male doctors in hospitals as in America. She is embarassed to have people poking in her and when they offer her a mirror to watch the birth, she at first refuses.
There are interesting stories that deal with children assimilating in America. Amiya is mortified when her teacher wants the class to represent India in the school International Day festivities. Amiya wants to blend in, not stand out. Malini's older brother Pramod is having difficulty in school, cutting class, smoking cigarettes, and failing, suggesting he may be depressed. His father thinks he is lazy, and when the school suggests counseling after he is suspended, it is not discussed further.
I found "Mrs. Raghavendra's Daughter" very moving. A widow for ten years, Mrs. Raghavendra raised her daughter Anjana on her own. She plans to travel to visit Anjana, who works in Washington, DC, and feels she can't rest until she finds her daughter a husband. She doesn't know that Anjana's roommate Susan is more than just someone to share the rent. Anjana goes to great lengths to hide this from her mother, but Susan suggests that maybe her mother is more understanding than she believes. I loved the character of Mrs. Raghavendra.
Another mother/daughter story, "Hawk", is the strongest and longest story in the book. Manisha has come to help her mother Bhagya, a doctor, move from Manisha's childhood home to an apartment. Bhagya gives Manisha a letter she wrote to her on Manisha's first birthday, explaining all her hopes and dreams for her baby daughter in America.
Bhagya spent most of her time at the hospital, building a stellar career as a doctor, yet as an Indian woman not getting the respect and promotions she deserved. Manisha was raised by nannies and her parents sent her to a prep school, where Manisha stood out from the privileged white boys who populated the school.
Manisha is now a sixth grade English teacher at an exclusive private school, and she enjoys her job and the students. She was hired as part of the school's new approach to diversity, the watchword of the year. One of her fellow teachers gives her tips on how to get along with the principal, parents, and students in order to stay under the radar.
Over the course of the year of the story, we see the struggles of Bhagya, who is having trouble concentrating. She writes her life story in a series of letters to Manisha, and we see what she had to endure to become a successful doctor in America.
"Hawk" is such an intriguing story of these two women, I would love to see a full-length novel sharing their entire life story. I found myself wanting to know so much more about them, and a further exploration of the mother/daughter dynamic.
Sreenivasan brings her characters to life, and in reading these stories that move from birth to death we learn the breadth of what it means to be an Indian-American, to try to blend your own culture with the culture of the people now surrounding you. These Americans is a perfect read for Asian American Pacific Islander Month, and will help you to be more empathetic to others, a goal of reading great fiction. I highly recommend it.
June 11, 2021
I am a big fan of the short story format, but it's a challenge for a writer. "These Americans" by Jyotsna Sreenivasan meets the challenge, with a collection of stories that explore the difficulties of maintaining loving mother-daughter bonds while straddling cultural divides. The American culture is viewed with a harsh eye at times, but overall what shines through the stories is a gentle, sometimes humorous look at the delicate balance of acclimating to adulthood and selfhood while not abandoning one's heritage.
The final story, "Hawk", is novella length, but I found myself wanting it to be longer, so I could learn more about the mother's experience as a foreign-born female doctor in a male-dominated profession. I think this story could be expanded into a full length book.
The final story, "Hawk", is novella length, but I found myself wanting it to be longer, so I could learn more about the mother's experience as a foreign-born female doctor in a male-dominated profession. I think this story could be expanded into a full length book.
Read
November 4, 2021“These Americans” is a collection of short stories about multi-generational Indian-American, Midwestern families. Many of us first feel the American/immigrant divide within our households before we experience it with friends. Relatives may give side-eye for forgetting words in our native language or dish a “these Americans” comment for maintaining different opinions from our foreign-born parents. Sound familiar?
Sreenivasan nudges against the monolithic narrative of the first/second-generation immigrant experience; and, it’s no surprise she receives literary praise - she writes beautifully of tangled, American family experiences, even painful ones. I was moved while reading the final novella about mother and daughter Bhagya and Manisha. Bhagya was born in India and moved to the US to become an OBGYN. She is let go from her job with an ambiguous explanation. Her daughter Manisha, a Ph.D. graduate, is employed by an elementary school pushing diversity quotas. Each woman faces micro-aggressions and discrimination in their workplace, and through the letters they write, readers learn more about how these experiences affected them.
I do not hold an Indian American or South Asian identity, but I come from a Midwestern family of immigrants who can exhibit a “these Americans” attitude. I believe it’s natural to have this attitude if you’re automatically “othered” by a country that wants your labor, your sacrifice, your diversity, your intelligence, but doesn’t always want you.
CW: suic*de/doctor-assisted suic*de
Read more reviews at: https://browngirlbookshelf.substack.com/
Sreenivasan nudges against the monolithic narrative of the first/second-generation immigrant experience; and, it’s no surprise she receives literary praise - she writes beautifully of tangled, American family experiences, even painful ones. I was moved while reading the final novella about mother and daughter Bhagya and Manisha. Bhagya was born in India and moved to the US to become an OBGYN. She is let go from her job with an ambiguous explanation. Her daughter Manisha, a Ph.D. graduate, is employed by an elementary school pushing diversity quotas. Each woman faces micro-aggressions and discrimination in their workplace, and through the letters they write, readers learn more about how these experiences affected them.
I do not hold an Indian American or South Asian identity, but I come from a Midwestern family of immigrants who can exhibit a “these Americans” attitude. I believe it’s natural to have this attitude if you’re automatically “othered” by a country that wants your labor, your sacrifice, your diversity, your intelligence, but doesn’t always want you.
CW: suic*de/doctor-assisted suic*de
Read more reviews at: https://browngirlbookshelf.substack.com/
July 14, 2021
“These Americans” is a collection of heartfelt short stories and a novella. Sreenivasan’s attention to detail while relating experiences of South Asian immigrant families, the familial strife between a generation that left home and expects to raise the next generation in a new homeland with the old set of rules, struck close to my heart. I found the book authentic and enjoyable with echoes of Jhampa Lahiri!
April 26, 2022
Very realistic, and often quite poignant. My favorite is definitely the story titled “Mrs. Raghavendra’s Daughter.” If I had to critique something, I’d say that most of these stories end quite abruptly, without much of a conclusion. It’s realistic that way, but unsatisfying to a reader, unfortunately.
September 4, 2022
What a beautiful collection of short stories by Jyotsna Sreenivasan. Poignant, touching, and deeply moving, showcasing what it is like living life between Indian and American cultures. Sreenivasan's stories remind us that we are all the same. Living the human experience. This is a lovely collection and I cannot recommend more highly.
November 21, 2021
I enjoyed this book of short stories. While the stories were about Indian Americans and their transition to the US or dealing with differences in culture in the US, it also was easy to relate to the stories because they were about families and the difficulty and beauty within the families.
January 27, 2024
Finished this book in one sitting. It was sooooo good. I was blown away by the depth of the stories and the characters. So many parts of the book were relatable to me and brought back memories from my childhood. I literally didn’t want to put the book down. Also love the book cover!
October 25, 2021
Collection of short stories and a novella. The perspective of an Indian-American was the focus of each story.
January 30, 2022
Really enjoyed this collection of short stories about South Asian immigrants in the US. I found the stories poignant and thoughtful, and the characters recognizable. Great, sensitive writing!
March 29, 2023
the relatability and family relationships in this book made me cry so much. I loved the short story format and wish each one was its own novel. Loved the South Indian representation also!
April 30, 2023
Finished this all in one day! A collection of short stories and a novella about immigrants. Really good!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews