The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Over the summer, I read The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. The book tells the story of how a family moves from Calcutta, India to America. They face a difficult time adapting to the lifestyle in America. Also they raise two children in America, who grow up in the culture here in America, and an Indian culture at home. The story continues to tell the tale of their son, Gogol, who finds it hard to find his identity as an Indian-American.

This story was a great read because I can relate to many of the events that happened to Gogol when he was young. In an Indian culture, people have a name they use in public, and a "pet name" that is used by close family members. I too have a public and "pet name": many people in AHS know me as Saumik, but at home I am called Yoshiki (It sounds Japenese because I was born in Japan). I had an experience that Gogol had where he went to school and had them use his "pet name". This happened to me in Kindergarten, where the entire year, my teachers and peers would call me Yoshiki. Also the typical Indian parites and overall lifestyle is reflected in this book multiple times. Definatly one of the best books that I picked up this summer.