"But outside, town was strange.
New money to learn.
New manners, too -
Like napkins on laps.
No elbows on the table.
English words Shanti didn't know."
As with many immigrant families who leave their home countries to find a new life in another place, Shanti and her family have left loved ones behind them. They have come to America from their home in India and are doing their best to make the adjustments needed to find comfort and connections in their new home. As they do so, they continue to be connected to India and family there through their memories and their traditions. It leaves Shanti feeling 'in between' the two places she calls home.
It isn't an easy task to make the transition. Her parents help her remember her life in India with traditional foods, music, language, Bollywood movies, and a call to Bidu's home where the rest of the family has gathered to celebrate Holi.
The book is mostly designed for readers to see the Indian part of her life on one side of the full spreads, and the new part of her life on the other. Shanti moves back and forth from the two cultures. It is exhausting. Finally, she takes a step back and rests, only to discover that her concerns have been assuaged with careful thought.
"Where was she from?
Village?
Town?
I need a rest, she thought.
So Shanti lay down.
Right there.
In Between."
Digital illustrations add details to help bring knowledge of both cultural communities, and an understanding that Shanti is now part of both. An author's note concerning her own immigration from Bengal to America helps with understanding the feelings and confusion experienced by newcomers. A glossary includes Bangla terms, and proves useful to readers.
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