Torn by David Massey (Chicken House, 2012). The story follows Ellie, a 19-year-old British medic, during her tour of duty in Afghanistan. Her squad is attached to a small troop of American SEALs who must find …
Older Readers
Tina’s Mouth: an Existential Comic Diary
Tina’s Mouth: an Existential Comic Diary by Keshni Kashyap, illustrations by Mari Araki (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012). Tina Malhotra, a sophomore at the Yarborough Academy in Southern California, creates an existential diary for an assignment …
The Secret Sky
The Secret Sky by Atia Abawi (Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, 2014). This classic tale of taboo love illuminates the cultural and political complexities of present-day Afghanistan. Wrought with tension and dreams …
When Dimple Met Rishi
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (Simon Pulse, 2017) Dimple is surprised when her parents allow her to attend a special summer coding camp before she heads off to Stanford. Then she finds out the …
The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali
The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan (Scholastic, 2019). Rukhsana Ali is in love with her girlfriend Ariana. As a Muslim, Bangladeshi-American daughter, Rukhsana wants to preserve her parents’ honor by hiding her …
Lakshmibai: A Graphic Biography
Lakshmibai: A Graphic Biography by Jason Quinn; illustrated by Naresh Kumar (Campfire, 2019). Lakshmibai, Rani of Jhansi, broke from patriarchy to lead her citizens in an arduous fight against the British. Her story is an important …
untold: defining moments of the uprooted
Editors Gabrielle Deonath and Kamini Ramdeen have curated a brave and beautiful anthology filled with Brown Girls’ voices telling their personal stories of discovery, self-love, mental health, and more across the South Asian diaspora.
Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin’s Hijab
In this beautiful graphic novel, Bangladeshi-American Nisrin, a traumatized victim of a hate crime, emerges from her home for her freshman year, having decided to wear the hijab at her new school. What follows leads to Nisrin’s discovery of her complex family history with both Islam and Bangladesh.