Home Is In Between
A Review by Amanda Kendall
Bibliography:
Perkins, Mitali. 2021. Home is in Between. Ill. by Lavanya Naidu. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN 0374303673
Plot Summary:
Shanti moves from the "warm monsoon rains" (Perkins 2021) of India to a "town with cold rain" (Perkins 2021) in the United States. Shanti finds her new apartment still feels like her old village but everything outside of that is very strange and new. As she starts school, makes friends, and learns the town she finds herself going back and forth. At home she learns to Kathak with her Ma and learns Bangla letters with Baba. Out of the house she goes to ballet and laughs at Hollywood movies with her friends. Her parents hold tight to the village and her friends show her the town. Pretty soon, Shanti is exhausted from bouncing back and forth between to cultures and needs to rest. She wakes up ready to embrace her bi-cultural life find her home is right there in the in between.
Critical Analysis:
Perkins and Naidu have created a beautifully authentic celebration of growing up as a first generation immigrant in the United States. Perkins skillfully contrasts Shanti's two worlds on every double page spread. From watching Bollywood films with her family to laughing at Hollywood movies with her friends and learning to dance Kathak with her Ma to visiting a ballet class with Tonya, Shanti is constantly immersed in both worlds everyday. Each double page spread shows Shanti experiencing similar things but in different ways. For example, Baba teaches Shanti Bangla letters one one page and then Shanti reads The Little Engine that Could to Baba in English on the page that follows. The structure of the text along with the repetition of the lines "back and forth she ran....again and again. In between" (Perkins 2021) emphasize how Shanti switches from one culture to another as she grows up in both at the same time and how exhausting this back and forth can be. Shanti is finally able to find peace when she realizes that she is from the in between or "the space between cultures" - equally part of both.
Naidu's illustrations are vibrant and almost cartoon like in design. She fully captures the two cultures that make up Shanti's life from the very beginning. The village on the first page is lush and filled with green foliage, while the illustration of the town that follows is rainy and grey. The vibrancy of the village not only captures the authentic foliage and landscape of India but mirrors Shant's feelings toward the two places. The town is initially shown as rainy and grey, unwelcoming, and difficult to understand, but as Shanti finds her place in her new life the town warms up to become as vibrant as her home in the village. In the end, both places are filled with life and color and prove to be an important part of Shanti's identity.
Naidu's skillfully uses facial expressions throughout the book to capture character emotions and expand on the text. For example, when Ma and Shanti are in the restaurant, you see Shanti looking around the corner curiously while Ma looks troubled reading the menu. A few pages later, Ma is checking out at the store while other customers are seen scowling and checking their watch. Shanti is scowling right back. In these little moments a picture is worth a thousand words, capturing Shanti's joy, pain, bewilderment, exhaustion and everything in between. Illustrations range from full page spreads to square box vignettes that showcase Shanti's experiences in both worlds, often with Shanti walking back and forth between the pages. Each illustration is carefully laid out to emphasize the back and forth of Shanti's life as she code switches between her two worlds.
Cultural markers fill the text and illustration on every page. The characters are authentically represented in skin tone, dress, and hairstyle. Stereotypes are avoided entirely, with characters that are proudly showing off their culture on each page. Perkins includes many cultural references including luchi, a Bengali puffed deep fried bread and frequent mentions of Bangla, the Bengali language. Shanti watches Bollyhood films, celebrates Holi, and plays the harmonium. The entire book from cover to cover is a celebration of the combining of American and Indian culture within Shanti. In the author's note, Perkins explains her own experiences growing up as a first generation immigrant and her desire to understand "American manners, slant, trends and rituals - the "code" at school" while also "trying to stay fluent in traditional Benglai culture and language - the "code" of home" (Perkins 2021). She goes on to explain how this code switching has become her greatest superpower and offers hope to those immigrants in similar situations. The book wraps up with a helpful glossary of terms and a pronunciation guide for readers.
With detailed expressive pictures and thoughtfully written text, Home is In Between shows readers the beauty and power of being a first generation immigrant, proof that one can have their American identify while holding on to their cultural identity in the perfectly balanced in between.
Review Excerpts & Awards:
BOOKLIST (June 1, 2021) "Reflecting the experiences of Perkins and many other immigrant children,
this heartfelt picture book records the push/pull of remembering the
old ways while learning the new ones. Lively and specific in its
references, the writing sets up cultural dichotomies that work
particularly well in expressive, richly colored artwork by Naidu, an
Indian animator and illustrator. By shining a light on one girl’s story,
this vibrant picture book illuminates the experience of many immigrant
children"
PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY (January 4, 2021) "Animation-style characters by Naidu (Susie Will Not Speak) reflect
emotion clearly, while straightforward writing by Perkins (Between Us
and Abuela) shows how Shanti learns to appreciate aspects of her new
life while keeping people and elements from her old one close to her
heart.
Curricular Connections:
- Shanti learns many new things throughout the book. Have students learn something new. From learning a new recipe to learning a new trick on the bike encourage students to try something new to broaden their experiences.
- Shanti's identity continues to grow and change throughout the book. Have students make an identity web about themselves.
