South Asian Heritage Month Booklist 2024
Adults' Books
Jyoti Patel
Nik has lots of questions about his late father but knows better than to ask his mother, Avani. It's their unspoken rule. When his grandfather dies, Nik has the opportunity to learn about the man he never met. Armed with a key and new knowledge about his parents' past, Nik sets out to unlock the secrets that his mother has been holding onto his whole life. As the carefully crafted portrait Avani has painted for her son begins to crack, and painful truths emerge, can the two of them find their way back to each other? 'The Things That We Lost' is a tender exploration of family, loss and the lengths to which we go to protect the ones we love.
How (Not) to Have an Arranged Marriage
Amir Khan
Yousef is the golden child to his strict Pakistani parents, overshadowing his younger sister, Rehana. As he finishes his medical degree in London, Yousef's life appears to be mapped out for him - become a doctor, marry a suitable girl of his parents' choosing and, above all, make his family proud. Then Yousef meets Jess. A fellow medical student, Jess presents a complication to the plan. Suddenly, Yousef finds himself torn between two worlds - keeping each a secret from the other. Then, as graduation day looms, Yousef's mother informs him that she's started looking for his wife.
Sejal Sukhadwala
There are curries on almost every continent, with a stunning diversity of flavours and textures across India alone, and many more interpretations the world over, including in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Trinidad and the curry capital of the UK, Bradford. But curry is difficult to define. The word has origins in ancient India, but its adoption by Portuguese and British colonisers saw curry reinterpreted in the west to encompass an entire cuisine, prompting many Indians to reject the term outright. Sejal Sukhadwala probes the complex intersection of tradition and colonialism through the fascinating history of curry, from its association with Ayurveda - one of the world's oldest holistic healing systems to its enduring popularity in contemporary British culture.
Sunjeev Sahota
Nayan Olak keeps seeing Helen Fletcher around town and on his daily run out to the Peaks. She's come back to the old house at the end of the lane, with her teenage son, Brandon, though nobody seems to remember much about her. Some trouble at school, back in the day. A certain defensiveness. Nayan is powerfully drawn to her, though he doesn't quite know why. He hasn't risked love since he lost his young family in a terrible accident 20 years before. All his energy has gone into work at the union, trying to make the world better, fairer, as he sees it, as he would have wanted it for his son, and he's now running for the leadership against accomplished newcomer, Megha. It's a huge moment for Nayan, the culmination of everything he believes. But as he grows closer to Helen, and to the possibility that their pasts may have been connected, much more is suddenly threatened than his chances of winning.
V.V. Ganeshananthan
Sixteen-year-old Sashi wants to become a doctor. But over the next decade, as a vicious civil war subsumes Sri Lanka, her dream takes her on a different path as she watches those around her, including her four beloved brothers and their best friend, get swept up in violent political ideologies and their consequences. She must ask herself: is it possible for anyone to move through life without doing harm?
Vaseem Khan
Persis and Archie travel to the old colonial capital of Calcutta, where they collide head-on with the prejudices and bloody politics of an era engulfed in flame.
Young Adult and Childrens' Books
Nikita Gill
Lyrical wonder, spiritual revelation and revolution meet with epic mythical landscapes in this deeply intimate coming-of-age story, one that teaches us all, no matter how small we feel, to become the masters of our own destiny.
Jasbinder Bilan
Tamarind never knew her Indian mum, Chinty, who died soon after she was born. So when she arrives at her ancestral home, a huge mansion in the Himalayas surrounded by luxuriant gardens, she's full of questions for her extended family. Slowly, Tamarind unravels a mystery at the heart of who she is.
Lands of belonging : a history of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Britain
Donna Amey Bhatt
This book aims to piece together the interesting, surprising, and sometimes very sad story of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Britain, and how these countries have shaped one another over the centuries.
South Asian Folktales, Myths & Legends
Sarah Shaffi
Enjoy a rich collection of folktales, myths and legends from all over South Asia, re-told for young readers. This book includes traditional favourites such as the story of Rama and Sita and classic folktales and mythology.