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Fitting Indian | LitPick Book Reviews
Fitting Indian
Fitting Indian
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All Nitasha’s parents want is for her to be the perfect Indian daughter—something she is decidedly not. Everything she does seems to disappoint them, especially her mom. They just don’t get that she’ll never be like her doctor older brother. To make matters worse, she’s never quite felt like she belongs at school either, and lately, her best friend, Ava, and her crush, Henry, seem to be more interested in the rich new girl than in her.

Alcohol takes the edge off, but when that doesn’t work, Nitasha turns to cutting. She can’t stop asking herself: Will she ever be enough for her friends or her family? Or even for herself?

This authentic and powerful teen graphic novel shines a light on how harmful the stigma of mental illness is and how lifesaving a community that is honest about mental health can be.

See FITTING INDIAN on Amazon

Book Details

Genre: 

  • Manga/Graphic Novel

Age Level: 

  • 12 and up
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This graphic novel follows a girl, Nitasha, who struggles with the stress of teenage life and growing up in a traditional South Asian household. She just wants to fit in, but the clash between these two worlds provides tension. Nitasha has a crush on a boy at school and tries hard to catch his attention. She turns to alcohol as a way to connect and escape, but it does not yield the results she was hoping for. The story offers a glimpse into the harmful effects of mental health and the desperate pressure of trying to fit into a world where no one feels they are enough. 

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Fitting Indian is a YA Graphic novel written by Jyoti Chand and illustrated by Tara Anand. The story follows Nitasha, a teenage girl caught between two worlds, which are the traditional Indian values upheld by her family and the modern lifestyle of an American high school student. It seems like Nitasha has everything: a loving family, supportive friends, and academic success, but she silently battles against her inner demons. Her story gives a heartfelt look at what it’s like to grow up between different cultures, and how confusing and lonely it can sometimes feel.

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Nitasha is struggling and no one else can see it - not her Indian parents whose only wish is for her to be an obedient daughter nor her best friend Ava who seems to trust the new girl more than Nitasha. She doesn't fit in, whether at school where she's one of the only Indian kids or at home, where she knows she could never measure up to her perfect doctor brother. Alcohol dulls the knowledge that Nitasha is everything but enough, and eventually so does cutting. And all it takes is one viral video, one dark, lonely night for everything to go from bad to worse.

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