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The Not So Star Spangled Life Of Sunita Sen
Back cover has a bottom corner crease and last two pages have a big bottom crease. No spine creasing, very tight and extremely clean. Ships quickly and packaged carefully!
176 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1993
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481 people want to read
About the author
Mitali Perkins
25 books577 followersMitali Perkins has written many books for young readers as well as a couple for adults, including You Bring the Distant Near (nominated for the National Book Award) Rickshaw Girl (a NYPL best 100 Book for children in the past 100 years, film adaptation at rickshawgirlmovie.com), Bamboo People (an ALA Top 10 YA novel), and Forward Me Back to You, which won the South Asia Book Award for Younger Readers. Her newest novel, Hope in the Valley, received five starred reviews and was selected as a Best Book for Young Readers by Kirkus and Book Page. She currently writes and resides in the San Francisco Bay Area: mitaliperkins.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
September 16, 2015
Perhaps it is merely because I loved the last book I read, Elijah of Buxton so much, but The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen did not arouse the type of churning emotions and thoughts I’ve come to associate with good novels. I did like it, but I did not feel that it was a must-read.
Although not of South Asian heritage, I, as a Southeast Asian American, feel that my upbringing shares much with Sunita’s, including family/community-centered values, crazy grandparent visits, the permanent smell of ethnic food cooking, a European American boy crush, and of course, the difficulty of reconciling mainstream American culture with that of your parents’ native country. However, for some reason, Mitali Perkins’s novel stirred resistance in me.
Although the novel should feel authentic to me because it has been written by an author who, like her main character, was born in India and grew up in California, Sunita Sen seemed, to me, similar to novels I read as a junior high girl, and resented, about 1.5 or 2nd generation children written by European Americans (several generations removed from their immigrating ancestors). I acknowledge that many stereotypes, especially of the 1.5-2 generation experience, are based on common experience/truth, but Perkins’s novel felt stereotypical to me insofar as being embarrassed by her family’s blatant displays of “Indian-ness,” fearing her family’s (non)acceptance of a white boy( )friend, desire to wear makeup, etc. A large reason that I felt that these topics were stereotypical is probably because Sunita Sen lacks the emotional and situational complexity that I’ve been craving since I was a little girl, which I think is a result of Perkins’s writing style and structure.
The novel has a standard, nearly palpable plot line; I could nearly see the line being drawn in my head of the rising action, climax, and denouement, with perhaps a few other blips. Furthermore, I felt that Perkins’s writing told us about the emotions and situations rather than conveying them in subtle ways. Because of these reasons, as well as because everything is wrapped up neatly at the end, Sunita Sen fails to communicate the complexity of cultural identity and family dynamics. To me, this novel primarily approached multicultural children’s literature with the message of affirming and accepting diversity, a positive message, but which, in conjunction with the emotional and situational simplicity may give the wrong message that true understanding of cultural differences and their impacts on past and present society may easily be achieved with the “‘tourist’s conception of multiculturalism’” (Hade qtd in Cai, p. 8). These are the primary reasons for which I would not recommend The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen generally.
Some might say that I am being too harsh on the novel, and I would agree in some respects, because the novel is supposed to be light-hearted, simple, and for middle school readers instead of a heavy work, which have an important place in children’s literature; children shouldn’t always be reading issue-laden, depressing books. However, I would argue that there are, or should be, novels out there that are lighter and deal with similar issues as Sunita Sen in a better-written novel, because, as we’ve seen in Elijah of Buxton, it is possible to deal with myriad issues but maintain a balance between seriousness and light-heartedness.
I do acknowledge that the existence of such a novel has the potential to positively impact many children struggling with bi- or multi-cultural identity, because children might be relieved that there is finally a novel showing someone “like me.” On the other hand, I look forward to the day after which we can pick and choose the best Indian-American experience books to read and share with others, rather than merely being grateful that one exists.
Although not of South Asian heritage, I, as a Southeast Asian American, feel that my upbringing shares much with Sunita’s, including family/community-centered values, crazy grandparent visits, the permanent smell of ethnic food cooking, a European American boy crush, and of course, the difficulty of reconciling mainstream American culture with that of your parents’ native country. However, for some reason, Mitali Perkins’s novel stirred resistance in me.
Although the novel should feel authentic to me because it has been written by an author who, like her main character, was born in India and grew up in California, Sunita Sen seemed, to me, similar to novels I read as a junior high girl, and resented, about 1.5 or 2nd generation children written by European Americans (several generations removed from their immigrating ancestors). I acknowledge that many stereotypes, especially of the 1.5-2 generation experience, are based on common experience/truth, but Perkins’s novel felt stereotypical to me insofar as being embarrassed by her family’s blatant displays of “Indian-ness,” fearing her family’s (non)acceptance of a white boy( )friend, desire to wear makeup, etc. A large reason that I felt that these topics were stereotypical is probably because Sunita Sen lacks the emotional and situational complexity that I’ve been craving since I was a little girl, which I think is a result of Perkins’s writing style and structure.
The novel has a standard, nearly palpable plot line; I could nearly see the line being drawn in my head of the rising action, climax, and denouement, with perhaps a few other blips. Furthermore, I felt that Perkins’s writing told us about the emotions and situations rather than conveying them in subtle ways. Because of these reasons, as well as because everything is wrapped up neatly at the end, Sunita Sen fails to communicate the complexity of cultural identity and family dynamics. To me, this novel primarily approached multicultural children’s literature with the message of affirming and accepting diversity, a positive message, but which, in conjunction with the emotional and situational simplicity may give the wrong message that true understanding of cultural differences and their impacts on past and present society may easily be achieved with the “‘tourist’s conception of multiculturalism’” (Hade qtd in Cai, p. 8). These are the primary reasons for which I would not recommend The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen generally.
Some might say that I am being too harsh on the novel, and I would agree in some respects, because the novel is supposed to be light-hearted, simple, and for middle school readers instead of a heavy work, which have an important place in children’s literature; children shouldn’t always be reading issue-laden, depressing books. However, I would argue that there are, or should be, novels out there that are lighter and deal with similar issues as Sunita Sen in a better-written novel, because, as we’ve seen in Elijah of Buxton, it is possible to deal with myriad issues but maintain a balance between seriousness and light-heartedness.
I do acknowledge that the existence of such a novel has the potential to positively impact many children struggling with bi- or multi-cultural identity, because children might be relieved that there is finally a novel showing someone “like me.” On the other hand, I look forward to the day after which we can pick and choose the best Indian-American experience books to read and share with others, rather than merely being grateful that one exists.
March 29, 2010
Sunita Sen is an 8th grade girl whose grandparents come to visit from India. Sunita has a hard time adjusting to their visit and to the impact that their visit has on her and her mother. She can only see the bad in their visit and resents the intrusion on her life. By the end of the book, her American friend, who idealizes all things Indian, helps her realize what a treat it is to learn about her culture through them.
She really comes across as an ungrateful brat. I really disliked her until the end of the book. I wonder why the author took pains to only highlight the negative aspects of living in a multicultural household. The Indian characters seemed like parodies of Indians rather than real people
She really comes across as an ungrateful brat. I really disliked her until the end of the book. I wonder why the author took pains to only highlight the negative aspects of living in a multicultural household. The Indian characters seemed like parodies of Indians rather than real people
January 4, 2018
I read this book so long ago, so I hope to re-read it next year. I gave it five stars because growing up, I remember reading this book over, and over, and over again. It took me forever to find it because I couldn't remember the title.
June 1, 2016
Sunita Sen, 13, is a typical California teenager who likes to play tennis, eat pizza, do well in school and really likes Michael Morrison, with whom she has just spent the summer. She also has a best friend since first grade, Liz Grayson, and a riva for Michael's affections - the very flirty LeAnn Schaeffer. Oh, yes and Sunita is an Indian American who has really not given a lot of thought to her Indian heritage. That is, until her grandparents, Dadu and Didu - arrived from Kolkata for a year long visit with Sunita and her family.
Suddenly, her professor mother goes from wearing tailored suits and silk shirts to wearing sarees, a red dot on her forehead and red powder stripe in her hair to indicate she is married. She even quits her university job for a year to stay home and cook Indian food for her family. And when she tells Sunita no boys in the house, not even to play ping pong in the basement, she apparently drives Michael right into the arms of LeAnn. Sunita has cut herself off from Michael anyway, not wanting to tell him about her grandparents and thinking he wouldn't like her Indian family.
As her grandparents settle into the Sen household, Dadu decides to plant an elaborate garden of flowers and vegetables in the backyard, while Didu becomes hooked on American soap operas, in particular, one called Endless Hope, even deciding to participate in the Endless Hope Plot Solution Contest (this is a very funny side-storyline).
But as time goes on, and Sunita misses Michael, and resents his apparent attraction to LeAnn, and as she watches her mother's attempt to be the perfect Indian daughter for her parents, she becomes angrier and angrier and begins to withdraw from everyone.
Can Sunita learn how to happily be both Indian and American?
The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen is what I like to think of as a journey or process novel. The single event, her grandparent's visit, that brings on the conflict of cultures that Sunita feels is the start of her journey towards understanding who she is.
And Sunita is an interesting character. At first, she is somewhat bratty, pouting, getting angry, and even lashing out at home and school, totally stunning her parents when she finally, angrily, tells her mother what she thinks of everything. But the beauty of coming of age novels, it that there is generally definite positive growth for the main character, and Sunita certainly does grows.
Sunita seems to epitomize the dilemma of adolescents who are standing between cultures and feeling like they must choose one over the other. Feeling confused, lost and alone, she turns to her grandfather for company, gradually realizing how very wise he is about human nature, so that, ironically, it takes this visit from her Indian grandparents to teach Sunita how to embrace both cultures.
Original 1993 Cover
I really liked The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen. It takes a serious topic and handles it with a nice measure of respect, seriousness and humor. And along the way, the reader learns a good bit about Indian culture and customs. And I loved the way Perkins has treated the intergenerational theme. I thought they were realistically drawn, avoiding the kind of grandparent stereotypes so common in a three-generation household.
It was originally published under the title The Sunita Experiment in 1993 and I believe it is Mitali Perkins's debut novel. I thought that Perkins did a phenomenal job capturing Sunita's personality and her conflicted feelings about her heritage. I read this on the heels of Born Confused, Bombay Blues and a few other more current books about Indians or Indian Americans, and I felt that even though this came out 23 years ago, it doesn't feel at all dated except that no one has a cell phone.
Actually the only thing I didn't like was Sunita's daydreaming scenes related to her favorite movie Casablanca. Even though I got the significance of them in terms of her awakening awareness of how other cultures are presented in movies (and books), I still felt it interfered with the narrative flow, but not to the point that I wouldn't still highly recommend this book to readers.
This book is recommended for readers age 11+
This book was purchased for my personal library
This review was originally posted on Randomly Reading
Suddenly, her professor mother goes from wearing tailored suits and silk shirts to wearing sarees, a red dot on her forehead and red powder stripe in her hair to indicate she is married. She even quits her university job for a year to stay home and cook Indian food for her family. And when she tells Sunita no boys in the house, not even to play ping pong in the basement, she apparently drives Michael right into the arms of LeAnn. Sunita has cut herself off from Michael anyway, not wanting to tell him about her grandparents and thinking he wouldn't like her Indian family.
As her grandparents settle into the Sen household, Dadu decides to plant an elaborate garden of flowers and vegetables in the backyard, while Didu becomes hooked on American soap operas, in particular, one called Endless Hope, even deciding to participate in the Endless Hope Plot Solution Contest (this is a very funny side-storyline).
But as time goes on, and Sunita misses Michael, and resents his apparent attraction to LeAnn, and as she watches her mother's attempt to be the perfect Indian daughter for her parents, she becomes angrier and angrier and begins to withdraw from everyone.
Can Sunita learn how to happily be both Indian and American?
The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen is what I like to think of as a journey or process novel. The single event, her grandparent's visit, that brings on the conflict of cultures that Sunita feels is the start of her journey towards understanding who she is.
And Sunita is an interesting character. At first, she is somewhat bratty, pouting, getting angry, and even lashing out at home and school, totally stunning her parents when she finally, angrily, tells her mother what she thinks of everything. But the beauty of coming of age novels, it that there is generally definite positive growth for the main character, and Sunita certainly does grows.
Sunita seems to epitomize the dilemma of adolescents who are standing between cultures and feeling like they must choose one over the other. Feeling confused, lost and alone, she turns to her grandfather for company, gradually realizing how very wise he is about human nature, so that, ironically, it takes this visit from her Indian grandparents to teach Sunita how to embrace both cultures.
Original 1993 Cover
I really liked The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen. It takes a serious topic and handles it with a nice measure of respect, seriousness and humor. And along the way, the reader learns a good bit about Indian culture and customs. And I loved the way Perkins has treated the intergenerational theme. I thought they were realistically drawn, avoiding the kind of grandparent stereotypes so common in a three-generation household.
It was originally published under the title The Sunita Experiment in 1993 and I believe it is Mitali Perkins's debut novel. I thought that Perkins did a phenomenal job capturing Sunita's personality and her conflicted feelings about her heritage. I read this on the heels of Born Confused, Bombay Blues and a few other more current books about Indians or Indian Americans, and I felt that even though this came out 23 years ago, it doesn't feel at all dated except that no one has a cell phone.
Actually the only thing I didn't like was Sunita's daydreaming scenes related to her favorite movie Casablanca. Even though I got the significance of them in terms of her awakening awareness of how other cultures are presented in movies (and books), I still felt it interfered with the narrative flow, but not to the point that I wouldn't still highly recommend this book to readers.
This book is recommended for readers age 11+
This book was purchased for my personal library
This review was originally posted on Randomly Reading
May 27, 2025
Silly little read that healed my inner confused Indian American teen self. I think someone gave this to me in high school and I ignored it because I was a moody teen, but it was cute.
July 22, 2017
I'm a bit hesitant on this one. Firstly, I'm sure someone out there would read this and see parts of themselves reflected back. For people outside this cultural sphere, it can provide insight into the identity crisis some people have, being the children of immigrants or part of a family with roots outside of America. I'm sure this would be valuable to have in a library, too, as a conversation-starter... But I felt that other books might tackle this conversation with greater depth.
March 17, 2014
The Sen family moved to California quite a few years ago from India. However, it's when Sunita's grandparents come for an extended visit that her mother reverts back to many Bengali customs that the family has not kept up with. For Sunita, that throws her life into chaos as she feels separated from her mom because of the sudden change. It also causes Sunita to question her own cultural values. Is she more of an American (even though she wasn't born here), or is she an Indian (even though she doesn't live there & hasn't for most of her life)?
Besides this usual struggle to find yourself that 7th graders experience, Sunita's search goes a level deeper because of the questions of cultural values.
Spring Break #bookaday
Besides this usual struggle to find yourself that 7th graders experience, Sunita's search goes a level deeper because of the questions of cultural values.
Spring Break #bookaday
April 10, 2020
I usually like stories of people overcoming their trepidation about their cultural background, but this was more of a middle grade novel than I'd expected. Strangely, it reminded me of a book I haven't read in at least ten years, Rani and the Fashion Divas, which is a children's book dealing with the same issues of a young teenager being Indian-American in a world that asks you to choose.
The story starts off with main character Sunita Sen worried about her history teacher calling her out in class for being Indian, one of only a few people of color in her class. As the year progresses, she gets more and more angry at white kids who don't understand her culture, all while trying to hide it from them.
It's a very typical theme for a middle grade novel. I knew how it would end from the moment I picked it up, but I was hoping it would have a more interesting way of getting there. The fact is, you can't just have an existential, cultural turn around over a large period of time in only 192 pages.
That said, Sunita is a very promising character, but she has so much more potential than the author has given her here. It goes the same way with most of her friends. I feel like there's more of a story waiting to be told, as if this is some sort of first draft.
I don't know if I would read this again, or maybe if it's a book I can use as a read aloud or something during my teaching career. It was a good book, but I feel like there are probably other books for the same age group that get the same message across better.
The story starts off with main character Sunita Sen worried about her history teacher calling her out in class for being Indian, one of only a few people of color in her class. As the year progresses, she gets more and more angry at white kids who don't understand her culture, all while trying to hide it from them.
It's a very typical theme for a middle grade novel. I knew how it would end from the moment I picked it up, but I was hoping it would have a more interesting way of getting there. The fact is, you can't just have an existential, cultural turn around over a large period of time in only 192 pages.
That said, Sunita is a very promising character, but she has so much more potential than the author has given her here. It goes the same way with most of her friends. I feel like there's more of a story waiting to be told, as if this is some sort of first draft.
I don't know if I would read this again, or maybe if it's a book I can use as a read aloud or something during my teaching career. It was a good book, but I feel like there are probably other books for the same age group that get the same message across better.
August 5, 2025
This was a unique coming of age story. It’s always had for someone being a teenager, no matter what else is going on in their life. Sunni has an interesting complication/story: she was raised in America but her grandparents are coming from Indian to stay for an entire year and it has huge ramifications on her home life.
First challenge that Sunni faces is a big one: she is no longer allowed to have boys at her house. Her mom thinks it would make her grandparents uncomfortable. She doesn’t want to tell her crush Michael why he isn’t allowed to come over so she tries to keep him at a distance.
In addition to the ways it changes Sunni’s life, it changes her mom’s life in bigger ways: her mom decides to take a yearlong sabbatical from her job to stay home and take care of her family.
This basically changes her mom’s entire personality. Her mom goes from wearing suits and work out gear to wear sarees.
Sunni is just trying to fit in at school. She’s in 8th grade and she will only allow her best friend Liz to be around her family.
Overall, I think Sunni’s family is kind. But there’s nothing that scares Sunni more than her friends seeing her family in their sarees etc.
Sometimes her judgment of her family feels cruel. But then you remember she’s only 14 and everything about her family has changed.
It’s an interesting story. I’d be curious what my niece and nephews thoughts would be if they read this. I think it would be good for anyone growing up to read this book and see how hard it can be when you feel like you don’t fit in.
First challenge that Sunni faces is a big one: she is no longer allowed to have boys at her house. Her mom thinks it would make her grandparents uncomfortable. She doesn’t want to tell her crush Michael why he isn’t allowed to come over so she tries to keep him at a distance.
In addition to the ways it changes Sunni’s life, it changes her mom’s life in bigger ways: her mom decides to take a yearlong sabbatical from her job to stay home and take care of her family.
This basically changes her mom’s entire personality. Her mom goes from wearing suits and work out gear to wear sarees.
Sunni is just trying to fit in at school. She’s in 8th grade and she will only allow her best friend Liz to be around her family.
Overall, I think Sunni’s family is kind. But there’s nothing that scares Sunni more than her friends seeing her family in their sarees etc.
Sometimes her judgment of her family feels cruel. But then you remember she’s only 14 and everything about her family has changed.
It’s an interesting story. I’d be curious what my niece and nephews thoughts would be if they read this. I think it would be good for anyone growing up to read this book and see how hard it can be when you feel like you don’t fit in.
April 7, 2019
Read for an American Literature course. This was just okay. Tolerable. It’s a tale of an India girl being insecure about her identity and is even more so embarrassed when her grandparents come to visit for a year. Her household is turn upside down and she must navigate who she is with while she thinks she should be. The story is slow and character driven. Characters are easy to like but the main character is simply annoying. I believe she was written to be so that is not what bothered me about the novel. Mostly, what I was hoping for was outside forces making Sunita feel inferior but there were none. And maybe that was the point. Maybe the overall moral is that no one is a bigger critic of you than you. I think this would be a great story for someone in their eerily teens but for me, a 26 year old, I just found it to be okay.
November 1, 2020
This book is about an 8th-grade Indian-American girl, named Sunita sen who lived in California. But her, grandparents come from India and influence her lifestyle. Instead of eating pizza, they eat curry, instead of hanging out at the mall, she has to stay at home with her grandparents, and no one but her girl friend Liz can visit since she is a girl.
Being really honest, this book was neither good nor bad. I usually prefer the books that hook me in with the first few pages but this book didn't hook me in as a reader. Some parts were interesting but some parts were boring. I couldn't really relate to this story so, it was hard for me to try to understand Sunita's feelings throughout the book.
I wouldn't want to reread this book.
Being really honest, this book was neither good nor bad. I usually prefer the books that hook me in with the first few pages but this book didn't hook me in as a reader. Some parts were interesting but some parts were boring. I couldn't really relate to this story so, it was hard for me to try to understand Sunita's feelings throughout the book.
I wouldn't want to reread this book.
December 23, 2019
Sunita Sen is in the 8th grade. When she was a toddler her family immigrated from India. In the last 10 years the family has 100% integrated in American culture. They still observe some Indian holidays, but mom, a professor, dresses in tailored American style and Sunita plays tennis and goes to the mall. Then her life is turned upside down when her grandparents come from India for an extended stay. Mom becomes the "perfect" India daughter and Sunita is expected to follow traditional Indian norms.
The novel is a great look at what it's like for children caught between two worlds. When they see the good and bad in both while straddling the fence. Well done Ms. Perkins!
The novel is a great look at what it's like for children caught between two worlds. When they see the good and bad in both while straddling the fence. Well done Ms. Perkins!
October 23, 2018
"Sunita Sen is an American girl who is of Indian descent that went back to India from America. Having grown up as an American it is difficult for her to adjust to the expectations of her family in India. She a strong and brave young woman who goes through many things with her family. She has great difficulty with the cultural changes between America and India. How will the rest of her life be?"
November 10, 2018
I liked that the characters are complex, as they are in Perkins' other books. The mom is dealing with her country of origin, her parents, her career, and her parenting, just as we all do, all the time. The girl has cultural questions, middle school friends and romance, athletics, grandparents and her mother all going on at the same. Nothing is extreme, but it is all complex. I enjoyed the book.
August 29, 2021
It's a look into the mind of an Indian American teenager, highlighting the identity struggles that she goes through. Though it was relatable, there was nothing that grounded the book plot-wise. It just kept going about her life thus causing a reader to potentially lose interest (i.e. me).
October 12, 2021
Solid middle grade novel; Sunita is embarrassed of her very Indian grandparents, the way her mother is switching from Indian-American to solidly Indian when her grandparents are around. Sunita loses her boyfriend, but only because of the shame she feels about her family.
September 11, 2018
Gave up after two chapters of whining.
March 29, 2019
Was one of my faves as a kid! Top notch teen lit
Read
May 24, 2020dnf
September 20, 2020
Sunita Sen does not feel comfortable with her grandparents visiting with her friends.
October 12, 2020
Really good
May 28, 2021
Very interesting. I found it very relatable
September 26, 2022
I found the protagonist unlikable and off-putting, even after her redemption
March 24, 2023
The story was hard to follow, but nice book.
May 7, 2013
Perkins, N. (1993). The not-so-star-spangled life of Sunita Sen. New York, New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Sunita Sen is a thirteen-year-old girl who is Indian-American. She is used to living an “American” lifestyle: eating pizza, hanging out at the mall, having friends that are boys. But then her grandparents, Dadu and Didu (grandfather and grandmother, respectively) come from India and her life changes in a flash. Instead of pizza, there’s curry; instead of hanging out at the mall, there’s staying at home with her grandparents, and instead of having boy friends over, there’s no one but her girl friend Liz visiting. Why? Because Sunita and her mother especially, are trying to bridge cultures so that everyone is happy. In the process of trying to stay traditionally Indian, Sunita loses friends because she can’t act like herself. She also stops being affectionate towards her family because she resents them for calling her her pet name Bontu, for wearing traditional Indian clothing (especially her mother, who never wore a saree or bhindi), and for cooking just Indian fare. Sunita has a hard time figuring out her identity, but she eventually does, and when she does, she is much happier and fulfilled.
I liked this book because Sunita reminds me of myself. Being from a Filipino background, and being second generation American, it was at times difficult to manage being between two cultures. I didn’t want to disappoint my grandparents and parents when it came to things like school, religion, or traditional Filipino values. The teen years, like Sunita’s, was hard and challenging to navigate, but I got through it. Other second generation kids/tweens will enjoy this book because they might see themselves in it, too. If they can see Sunita embrace parts of her heritage and parts of the “new” American culture, then they can find hope in having a bicultural identity.
Genre: realistic fiction
Reading level/interest level: Tween, Young Adult
Similar books/materials: Fresh Off the Boat because of the theme of biculturalism
Reader’s advisory notes:
i. personal thoughts: This book reminds me of myself, of being a second generation American.
ii. subjects/themes: biculturalism, cultural differences, identity, family, generational conflicts, friends, school, romantic love
iii. awards:
iv. series information
v. character names/description: Sunita Sen, 13-year-old girl who is the protagonist; her mother, whose parents are visiting from India and so she tries to impress them with cooking and dressing Indian; her father; her grandfather, Dadu, who makes an impression on Sunita because he helps her with homework and listens to Sunita; her grandmother, Didu, who loves to cook and watch soap operas; Liz, Sunita’s best friend; Michael, Sunita’s crush; Geeti, Sunita’s older sister.
vi. annotation: Sunita, or Sunni, goes through a culture clash when her grandparents stay for a long visit from India. She is embarrassed of her family’s culture, but slowly learns to embrace it.
Sunita Sen is a thirteen-year-old girl who is Indian-American. She is used to living an “American” lifestyle: eating pizza, hanging out at the mall, having friends that are boys. But then her grandparents, Dadu and Didu (grandfather and grandmother, respectively) come from India and her life changes in a flash. Instead of pizza, there’s curry; instead of hanging out at the mall, there’s staying at home with her grandparents, and instead of having boy friends over, there’s no one but her girl friend Liz visiting. Why? Because Sunita and her mother especially, are trying to bridge cultures so that everyone is happy. In the process of trying to stay traditionally Indian, Sunita loses friends because she can’t act like herself. She also stops being affectionate towards her family because she resents them for calling her her pet name Bontu, for wearing traditional Indian clothing (especially her mother, who never wore a saree or bhindi), and for cooking just Indian fare. Sunita has a hard time figuring out her identity, but she eventually does, and when she does, she is much happier and fulfilled.
I liked this book because Sunita reminds me of myself. Being from a Filipino background, and being second generation American, it was at times difficult to manage being between two cultures. I didn’t want to disappoint my grandparents and parents when it came to things like school, religion, or traditional Filipino values. The teen years, like Sunita’s, was hard and challenging to navigate, but I got through it. Other second generation kids/tweens will enjoy this book because they might see themselves in it, too. If they can see Sunita embrace parts of her heritage and parts of the “new” American culture, then they can find hope in having a bicultural identity.
Genre: realistic fiction
Reading level/interest level: Tween, Young Adult
Similar books/materials: Fresh Off the Boat because of the theme of biculturalism
Reader’s advisory notes:
i. personal thoughts: This book reminds me of myself, of being a second generation American.
ii. subjects/themes: biculturalism, cultural differences, identity, family, generational conflicts, friends, school, romantic love
iii. awards:
iv. series information
v. character names/description: Sunita Sen, 13-year-old girl who is the protagonist; her mother, whose parents are visiting from India and so she tries to impress them with cooking and dressing Indian; her father; her grandfather, Dadu, who makes an impression on Sunita because he helps her with homework and listens to Sunita; her grandmother, Didu, who loves to cook and watch soap operas; Liz, Sunita’s best friend; Michael, Sunita’s crush; Geeti, Sunita’s older sister.
vi. annotation: Sunita, or Sunni, goes through a culture clash when her grandparents stay for a long visit from India. She is embarrassed of her family’s culture, but slowly learns to embrace it.
October 12, 2012
A story about a teenage India American living in the U.S living a regular american citizens life with the exception of folowing the practices and being told to follow the life of an India. What caught my eye was the race she was, ive always been interested in it so i thought why not give this book a try? Besides i have to read it for English, What a good intake i took on the book the first few minutes of just holding the book.
It all begins with a girl named Sunit Sen who lives with her mom and Dad in America, following any same old routine a typial american student would. Going to school just like any ordinary kid, having a crush on that one bestfriend shes known since almost forever, and being socially awkward. Sunita and her family had been living the casual life of an american up until the day her grandparents came to visit and stay for awhile. From that point alot changed for Sunita, Rules were changed like "no boys allowed" and her parents dressed diferently as well as her moms job at home and at her passion of teaching. Sunitas mom starts staying home to cook tradditional family recipies and turns down a job just to keep up with taking care of the family. Sunita is so embarrased by all this unusual behavior that it distracts and takes part in her life. She then has to face the "popular girls" and not being able to talk to her crush because her family is different and she is afraid of what others will think.
Sunita Sen learns that being different isnt a bad thing its what makes a peron who they are. She builds up the courage throught the whole story thanks to her grandpa who used poems to explain had significant she was to the world. Sunitas grandmother also learns that sometimes one has to start their own life and not worry about what people may think and that one can always be their race even if they learn different things and apply them to their opwn life.
I believe this book was a good book, it taught alot about the values of a person and did apply a bit of india background knowledge like what a "saree" is which is a long silk cloth that people in India wrap around themselves and wear as clothing. Also it mentions acouple of Indian foods that were usually fed to Sunitas bestfriend Liz. The only thing i did not like about this book that it was kinda predictable but other than that the book was good, i enjoyed reading it.
It all begins with a girl named Sunit Sen who lives with her mom and Dad in America, following any same old routine a typial american student would. Going to school just like any ordinary kid, having a crush on that one bestfriend shes known since almost forever, and being socially awkward. Sunita and her family had been living the casual life of an american up until the day her grandparents came to visit and stay for awhile. From that point alot changed for Sunita, Rules were changed like "no boys allowed" and her parents dressed diferently as well as her moms job at home and at her passion of teaching. Sunitas mom starts staying home to cook tradditional family recipies and turns down a job just to keep up with taking care of the family. Sunita is so embarrased by all this unusual behavior that it distracts and takes part in her life. She then has to face the "popular girls" and not being able to talk to her crush because her family is different and she is afraid of what others will think.
Sunita Sen learns that being different isnt a bad thing its what makes a peron who they are. She builds up the courage throught the whole story thanks to her grandpa who used poems to explain had significant she was to the world. Sunitas grandmother also learns that sometimes one has to start their own life and not worry about what people may think and that one can always be their race even if they learn different things and apply them to their opwn life.
I believe this book was a good book, it taught alot about the values of a person and did apply a bit of india background knowledge like what a "saree" is which is a long silk cloth that people in India wrap around themselves and wear as clothing. Also it mentions acouple of Indian foods that were usually fed to Sunitas bestfriend Liz. The only thing i did not like about this book that it was kinda predictable but other than that the book was good, i enjoyed reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2012
The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen by Mitali Perkins is a story about an Indian girl named Sunita Sen who is trying to live a normal life as an American growing up in California. Her life is turned upside down when her grandparents come to visit from India and Sunita’s mother turns their normal life into an Indian based one, only to impress her mother and act like the perfect Indian woman. Sunita is forced to deal with her annoyance of her didu’s old fashion ways and try to deal with kids at school, who she fears would think she is weird for being Indian.
Although this book is pretty good, I didn't love it. The characters story did keep me interested but I realized while reading that it was very anti-climactic. I think I may have enjoyed the story more if I were ten or eleven, or whatever age Sunita was at the time, but I personally don’t remember going through any sort of self-consciousness until now, being 16. I don’t think that this book should be available to teens in high school because it didn't challenge my thinking in any way. I caught myself reading the words but thinking about other things. Mitali Perkins seemed to just trail on about random detail when trying to make a point and I found it dull.
I think she took so long to finally reach the climax of the story, which took up a good portion of the book, that the ending felt too abrupt. She should have shortened the non-important information that had nothing to do with the story line. Some characters also should have been removed because they didn't have an important role in the story whatsoever, such as Sunita’s sister’s friend who didn't really add much to the story. I would probably recommend this book to kids in 6th to 8th grade and not to anyone older because they would just get bored with the story.
What I did love was the idea of this book. The idea of being a young Indian girl trying to find herself while dealing with her grandparents who have taken over her once normal home. I think if Perkins had changed the main character to a sixteen or seventeen year old girl it would have made a bit more sense seeing as how she deals with first loves, sort of finding your identity, and dealing with family as well.
Although this book is pretty good, I didn't love it. The characters story did keep me interested but I realized while reading that it was very anti-climactic. I think I may have enjoyed the story more if I were ten or eleven, or whatever age Sunita was at the time, but I personally don’t remember going through any sort of self-consciousness until now, being 16. I don’t think that this book should be available to teens in high school because it didn't challenge my thinking in any way. I caught myself reading the words but thinking about other things. Mitali Perkins seemed to just trail on about random detail when trying to make a point and I found it dull.
I think she took so long to finally reach the climax of the story, which took up a good portion of the book, that the ending felt too abrupt. She should have shortened the non-important information that had nothing to do with the story line. Some characters also should have been removed because they didn't have an important role in the story whatsoever, such as Sunita’s sister’s friend who didn't really add much to the story. I would probably recommend this book to kids in 6th to 8th grade and not to anyone older because they would just get bored with the story.
What I did love was the idea of this book. The idea of being a young Indian girl trying to find herself while dealing with her grandparents who have taken over her once normal home. I think if Perkins had changed the main character to a sixteen or seventeen year old girl it would have made a bit more sense seeing as how she deals with first loves, sort of finding your identity, and dealing with family as well.
December 4, 2011
Sunita Sen fits into her American school just fine with the exception of her dark Indian skin. She tries her best to go unnoticed, and her life is pretty "normal" until her grandparents from India visit and live with her family for one year.
During this one year visit, Sunita's life is turned upside down because her family member, especially her mom, go out of their way to insure that her grandparents see their customs practiced in America within their home. This includes no sleeping over at a friends house, no boys coming over, and a strict diet on foods common in India. Since Sunita is too embarrassed to explain these cultures to her friends, she chooses to withdraw from everyone around her instead which only leads to more time spent with her grandparents at home.
The main character is 14-year-old Sunita who is faced the challenge of fitting into the American culture while not forgetting her roots.
Sunita's family who are bending over backwards to accommodate Sunita's grandparents and hide some of America's ways from them so they aren't offended that their grandchildren are being raised in America.
Michael-Sunita's friend at school who was becoming more than a friend until her grandparents arrived.
Key issues include coming of age, family, culture, immigration, and friendships.
This book is a quick read with a great story. It would promote a lot of discussion about people's roots.
During this one year visit, Sunita's life is turned upside down because her family member, especially her mom, go out of their way to insure that her grandparents see their customs practiced in America within their home. This includes no sleeping over at a friends house, no boys coming over, and a strict diet on foods common in India. Since Sunita is too embarrassed to explain these cultures to her friends, she chooses to withdraw from everyone around her instead which only leads to more time spent with her grandparents at home.
The main character is 14-year-old Sunita who is faced the challenge of fitting into the American culture while not forgetting her roots.
Sunita's family who are bending over backwards to accommodate Sunita's grandparents and hide some of America's ways from them so they aren't offended that their grandchildren are being raised in America.
Michael-Sunita's friend at school who was becoming more than a friend until her grandparents arrived.
Key issues include coming of age, family, culture, immigration, and friendships.
This book is a quick read with a great story. It would promote a lot of discussion about people's roots.
April 20, 2013
I stumbled across this book at a book sale yesterday and came home started reading it right away. I'm a fan of Mitali Perkins's work and I didn't know she'd written this book. Or that the book was previously published by another title. (Wonder why that was changed?)
Overall, I liked the book. I've read a lot of immigrant/first generation stories in my lifetime (desi and otherwise) and one of the things I liked best about this book was that the voice felt very real. Sunita is an 8th grader and she really sounded like one--inexplicable mood swings and all. She didn't sound like a 19-year-old in a 13-year-old's body. Her family was normal and fairly happy--you could easily picture yourself in her mom's kitchen. All the characters--even the nemeses--seemed real enough that they could've lived in your own neighborhood. Her internal battle being an ABCD was also very accurate. Granted, her parents were way more permissive and easy-going than mine were growing up!
Another thing I liked about the book is you get a glimpse of what it's like for Sunita's mom as well--does she make her own mom happy or her daughter happy? Perkins doesn't go into this too much, but she does show us how having Sunita's parents move in affects others in the family, not just Sunita.
I would recommend this book for girls in upper elementary and middle school. I enjoyed it enough that I finished reading it within hours of starting it.
Overall, I liked the book. I've read a lot of immigrant/first generation stories in my lifetime (desi and otherwise) and one of the things I liked best about this book was that the voice felt very real. Sunita is an 8th grader and she really sounded like one--inexplicable mood swings and all. She didn't sound like a 19-year-old in a 13-year-old's body. Her family was normal and fairly happy--you could easily picture yourself in her mom's kitchen. All the characters--even the nemeses--seemed real enough that they could've lived in your own neighborhood. Her internal battle being an ABCD was also very accurate. Granted, her parents were way more permissive and easy-going than mine were growing up!
Another thing I liked about the book is you get a glimpse of what it's like for Sunita's mom as well--does she make her own mom happy or her daughter happy? Perkins doesn't go into this too much, but she does show us how having Sunita's parents move in affects others in the family, not just Sunita.
I would recommend this book for girls in upper elementary and middle school. I enjoyed it enough that I finished reading it within hours of starting it.
March 21, 2012
Originally published in 1993 as The Sunita Experiment and reissued in 2005 as The Not-So-Star Spangled Life of Sunita Sen by Mitali Perkins is is about a typical Bay Area teen who doesn't feel all that typical. Her family is from India but she was born here in California. Her two cultures are coming to a head now that her grandparents have moved into her home.
In 1993, Sunita wouldn't have been as typical a Bay Area teen as she would be now. In the 1990s, Asians accounted for about 15% of the total population (1990 US Census data). By the most recent Census data, Asians account for a third of the total population, and that third is divided up evenly between Chinese and Indian Asians.
Anyway, keeping in mind that the story's taking place in the early 1990s, Sunita feels out of place, especially when her mother starts acting and dressing the part of a traditional Indian wife, when in the past she hasn't. At school, Sunita's in a class that is trying to celebrate everyone's roots but she feels alone with her single pin on the map when most of her classmates have multiple pins all over Europe.
So Sunita rebells under the pressure from traditionalism at home and her Euro-centric classmates at school. She can't decide where she belongs and she doesn't want to be part of either. Keeping in mind that she's a young teen, her rebellion and mopping makes sense.
In 1993, Sunita wouldn't have been as typical a Bay Area teen as she would be now. In the 1990s, Asians accounted for about 15% of the total population (1990 US Census data). By the most recent Census data, Asians account for a third of the total population, and that third is divided up evenly between Chinese and Indian Asians.
Anyway, keeping in mind that the story's taking place in the early 1990s, Sunita feels out of place, especially when her mother starts acting and dressing the part of a traditional Indian wife, when in the past she hasn't. At school, Sunita's in a class that is trying to celebrate everyone's roots but she feels alone with her single pin on the map when most of her classmates have multiple pins all over Europe.
So Sunita rebells under the pressure from traditionalism at home and her Euro-centric classmates at school. She can't decide where she belongs and she doesn't want to be part of either. Keeping in mind that she's a young teen, her rebellion and mopping makes sense.
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