What's up, guys? I hope y'all have had a fabulous week so far! This post is one day late, but I hope y'all take the time to read it all the same. The book I'm reviewing has a special place in my heart. It's about immigrants, cultural and religious beauty, and what it means to be an American. Basically it was a beautiful read and hopefully I can convince you to read it too. ;) Today's book on review is You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins. Here are the details:





I saw it on the shelf and (again) I was like, "Oooooh, pretty!" And so I waited a couple of weeks and then checked it out. I really love Indian stories, so that was part of it, but mostly the cover is gorgeous. :P


This was probably the most pleasing factor out of it all! There was only one swear word; other than that, the entire book was squeaky clean. I love how the author even refrained from taking the Lord's name in vain too often, so altogether I say that this factor made it a comfortable read that I could just nestle into and focus on the story. Definitely would recommend for 12 and up.





The cast was diverse and unique! It focused on family members of three generations. I liked how they were all differentiated in interests and hobbies. Each of the five characters—Ranee, Sonia, Tara, Shanti, and Anna—had different personalities. Where there was similarity, there was still individuality.

Ranee is Sonia and Tara's mother. She's somewhat coarse and close-minded, and I found it hard to like her much at first, but as the story progressed, I gradually came to understand her. Her few chapters were very insightful into the mind of an immigrant mother who also has a deep cultural connection to her homeland. I love how concerned she was about her daughters and her willingness to change. I'd say her character arc is very apparent, and at the end of the book you get one last peak into her mind that really expands on how much she has changed, which is different from watching her from the POV of her daughters and granddaughters.

I liked Sonia's story, but I just couldn't connect to her as well as I could to Tara. She was equal parts stubborn and fiery, but still managed to come off as gentle and caring. I enjoyed reading from her POV. Her chapters were entertaining and her voice was especially delightful and expressive.

I could probably connect with Tara best. She is on her own, trying to be herself and create her own trends, but at the same time she's worried about fitting in. After just moving to a new country, she worries that people will pick on her if she does something wrong. She's also conflicted about respecting her parents' rules and religious positions, but wanting to break out of the cultural restrictions that her mother places on her. Basically she fears a lot about disappointing the people she loves. She and Sonia have a strong bond that I loved to read about. It was so realistic and reminded me a lot of me and my sister!

Shanti was different from the first three characters because she is more laid-back than her mother, Sonia, while still retaining her strong quest for her identity. Born an American citizen, she sees things differently. It was interesting to see her battle with herself to figure out whether she is Indian or African American. I love how she finally realized that she was both, and managed to convince her two grandmothers not to fight over her. (A rather fun part!):P

Anna was the last one. She had much more fire in her and was really angry most of the time. I think the source of her anger was being ripped from her home in India to live with her grandmother in America. She considers herself Indian, and is constantly fighting everyone around her to feel the same. Sometimes she comes off as pushy and inconsiderate, but I think she's really just desperate to hold on to her home.

Well, since that was a long rant, let's assume that I really loved the characters. XD





The story was a loose plot without much action, but it was littered with engaging bits of dialogue and internal struggles. That's actually what I loved most—the internal struggles in each of the characters and how they dealt with them. The vintage setting was charming even as it progressed to the 2000's. If you like contemporaries or historical books that focus on life in a specific era or political movements in the 70's and 80's, you'll probably enjoy this story.

The focus was mainly on how cultural ideas are passed down through the generations and how they can be constructive or destructive. Each culture that exists in the United States has something to offer. That theme was heavy but not overbearing in a way that says "I'm pushing my culture on you and you have to accept it." It was still patriotic. It reminded me of what our country was founded on. It also reminds me of a lot of supporters of issues nowadays that blatantly ignore the past and try to press their agenda on everyone. This book is a great reminder of what the USA already has compared to other countries where the people aren't so fortunate as we are. Seeing all this through the eyes of immigrant characters written by an immigrant author was really enlightening. I feel as if the representation of a ideas was very realistic and the story successfully carried them through.

The only thing bothered me was the different POV's. There were a lot of them and sometimes it was confusing, especially through the three generations. Occasionally I would confuse events and would have to go back and re-read parts to sort it all in my mind, but that might be because I also had a hard time remembering who was who. The names had me confused in some areas, except for Anna. XD


I loved the writing! The style of Mitali Perkins is similar to that of Joan Bauer or Rebecca Stead, both of whose styles I adore. The quality was great also. She managed to successfully give each character their own, unique voice and still carry the same vibe throughout.

I also want to commend her for tackling the topic of religion in a YA book. I've noticed that most YA books shy away from mentioning Christianity and God, but the way Perkins illustrated it as an important element and set it in coexistence with Hinduism is amazing! God was mentioned several times throughout the book from different perspectives. The mention of religion felt tentative at first, then steadily gained confidence. So it wasn't perfect, but it was an unexpected point I loved.



Romance? I had almost forgotten about that! XD The romance was actually really enjoyable. The couples were realistic and not overdone like in most YA books. The focus was not on teen relationships (thank the stars!). There was a good deal of matchmaking, which was simultaneously frustrating and entertaining. I loved the couples and that they got married!! *squeals of delight* Does anyone ever realize how rare that is in YA books? It makes my heart flutter like a fainting lady in a Jane Austen novel. However, I wish that the couples were a little more elaborated on. Tara and her husband kind of vanished from the story after Anna took over. :/