Dimple Lala has spent her entire life caught between two cultures - the Indian culture her parents belong to and the American culture she lives in. She is too Indian for America, too American for India, and she thinks she is the only one who feels this way until her cousin introduces her to the South Asian scene at NYU. Suddenly, Dimple meets people who are fusing India and America into their own beautiful, powerful lives - including a very special someone she may or may not have rejected earlier because he was approved of by her parents. However, things get complicated when Dimple's blonde and leggy best friend, Gwyn, decides to get involved in the South Asian scene as well - because the main attraction is that same special someone.


Okay. Where was this book when I was in high school? Actually, I can answer that. It was published during my freshman year, and I almost read it. My best friend at the time, Lily, read it, but told me I might not like it because there was a lot of swearing in it. There is some swearing, this is true, although mostly Dimple's expletive of choice is "frock." However, I think Born Confused would have been monumental in helping me get through my own little identity crises when I was in high school. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I loved this book so much that I am almost afraid to write it up because I know I can't possibly do it justice.


Before I even get into the story and the characters, I have to rave about the writing. Tanuja Desai Hidier is a master with language, writing with wit, clarity, and beauty. It is told from Dimple's perspective, and her voice is fresh, sarcastic, and full of truth. FOR EXAMPLE...
His finger approached and skimmed my face. When it pulled away a raindrop glistened jewel-like on the tip. It reminded me of how my father collected my tears on his thumb, coaxing them off me with healing hands, without breaking them, as if even my sadness were a precious thing.
I could open almost any page in the book and give you similar results. This writing brought my heart to my throat so many times. I think this is partly why it resonated so strongly with me.


The story itself resonated even more strongly, something that surprised me at first. After all, I am not Indian. I'm not any specific culture - just a EuroAmerican. But while the story is told in the context of an Indian girl trying to find her niche between two worlds, the real story is that of self-discovery - learning what is important to you, what touches you, what, as Desai Hidier so hauntingly described it, "transfuses your blood." As Dimple discovers those pieces of life that build and shape her, she develops this joy in life that is infectious through the pages of the story. She grows close to her family, deepens and expands her friendships, revels in art (she is a photographer). She embraces parts of the Indian culture that are meaningful to her, but certainly stays in touch with her Americanness. I was moved by this journey, especially when you compare page 1 Dimple to page 500 Dimple. She transforms from an insecure girl furtively nursing her passion for photography to a balanced woman exploring life and constantly learning more. She grows. She shifts around in her skin until she can be comfortable. And while this lesson is especially poignant to teenagers, I think it is important for adults as well.


This is the first book I have ever finished and then, literally, started over again. I am reading through it a second time and enjoying it even more, because now I can see how far Dimple comes in one short summer and have the opportunity to revel in the language a bit more. I think this book has the potential to be meaningful to a wide audience. Just read it!

This book was an instant classic that students of all backgrounds would be able to relate to. I enjoy sharing this book with all of my students that feel misunderstood by their families, peers, and the world.

While the subject matter was undeniably important, I felt that Hidier dragged the story down with over-explaining and info-dumping on everything South Asian. I do understand that young readers will need a bit of context to go on, but then it reads more like Hidier was writing it for white audiences instead of South Asian readers.

Loved this book when I read for the first time in middle high school and didn't realize how much at the time diversity needed to be shown and be able to learn about different cultures,

I'm sorry it has taken so long to review this title. I absolutely loved it and appreciate being able to have the opportunity to read it. Thank you.

This book defines what it feels like to feel like an outsider. Dimple Lala is a typical teenager who feels the common angst of being a teenager. Yet she has the added struggle of being a second generation Indian whose parents seem very different than all her other friends' parents. She struggles to have a true sense of being American while remaining true to her Indian roots. A coming-of-age novel that will resonate with every reader.

Have you ever felled like you didn't belong anywhere? Dimple Lala is An Indian (not Native American). She has spent her summer chasing boys with her best friend, Gwyn. When she has her 17th birthday, Gwyn fixes her up with a college boy. When she gets drunk, with her college boyfriend, her parents decide toarrange an introduction to a suitable boy. While Dimple falls in love, she initially rejects the idea of her parents find. Gwyn is smitten with the boy so Dimple arranges to make Gwyn a suitable girlfriend for him.

The author gives us a view of Indian culture with descriptions of Indian food, dress and customs. I saw Dimple struggle to be true to herself despite her friends and parents. It shows how an "outsider" who isn't really must learn to bring the two different cultures into one without falling apart doing it.

Dimple Lala is an American Indian (as in East Indian, not Native American) caught between the traditional world of her parents and the life of a normal American teenager. Her best friend, willowy blonde ultra-cool Gwyn, thinks Indian culture is exotic and cool. Dimple’s one passion is her photography, and the world as she sees it through her camera lens is described in luminescent detail. Only here can she be herself, instead of awkward and alienated. At school, she can never compete with Gwyn; at home, wishes her meddling parents would stay out of her hair. When they arrange an introduction to a “suitable boy” (suitable for an arranged marriage, that is), Dimple goes on a blind date that Gwyn had set up, with predictably disastrous consequences. As the story unfolds, spilling out into the Indian music club scene, Dimple comes into her own, fusing the best of both worlds. An array of vivid secondary character and gorgeous sensory detail mark this as a book to be savored and shared.