Shine, Coconut Moon

Samar (aka Sam) considers herself just a regular teenage girl, even though she is Indian American. Her mother has kept her away from her old-fashioned, very strict family, and she never has identified with her Indian heritage. None of this has ever bothered her, aside from the fact that she longs for a large family like her best friend’s instead of just herself and her mom. One day, shortly after 9/11, a man wearing a turban shows up on her doorstep. He is her estranged uncle, and through him, Sam begins to realize how important being Indian American is to her identity.

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Beth says 5 stars...
As some may have noticed, I tend to like fantasy and don't often read as much realistic fiction as I probably should. If all realistic fiction novels were this good, I would read it all the time. This book was stunning! As a general rule identity crisis/coming-of-age novels can get irritating, or at least I find them that way. This book managed to escape that and be original and powerful. The setting is right after 9/11, and it served to increase the incredible potency. Sam struggles with her culture, especially with what she doesn't know about it. Despite being told that she isn't different, she is. Sam has to deal with her own conflicts about who she is and what family should be, I loved that for the most part. Sam faced her problems instead of just sulking and becoming too agstly. The way the book addressed steoerotypes and prejudices that Sam and her family faced. This novel was beautiful in its realsim and once more opened my eyest to the intolerance of many Americans. This is a book that should be read.