India Was One, by An Indian (Review and Giveaway!!!)

4 Stars

ABOUT THE BOOK - …Suddenly, he saw something shiny at the bottom of the abyss. He squinted his eyes to see what it was. He ran back to his binoculars and turned them to see what it was. Sharp barbed wires that separated the two mountains came into focus. He had come as far as he could in his country. But she was standing in another country.
He was in South India and she was in North India…
Have you ever imagined India being divided into two countries? What happens to the millions of Indians who are from South India but are now residing in North India? Kaahi & Jai were two such people who got trapped in this situation. Everything was going smoothly for them and suddenly, their world turned upside down.
How will they get together? Will India become one again?
Take an exciting journey with them from their college days in Mumbai to their life in the US and back to India when they find out that India is divided.

MY REVIEW - The book grabbed me right at the very beginning. The story got a little slow in the middle but really picked up again half way through and I couldn't put it down.  Besides the heartbreaking and intriguing story of Kaahi and Jai, this book is full of Indian history, facts and traditions. I actually loved this part of the book best! I had never read a book about India and truth be told - I didn't really know much about the country. Everything I knew about India I learned from "The Amazing Race" LOL (which was not good stuff).
I am glad the Author takes us on this journey through the beautiful country of India introducing us to its culture. For me I got to see a different side of India that I don't think many Americans get to see.

One of my favorite parts was the wedding and reading about the differences between India and America -

"In the western world, a bride wears a white gown when she gets married and in India plain white is worn by a widow."
"Color is an essential part of any Indian occasion... The wedding being the happiest of occasions, they want to celebrate it with colors."

I was very glad to have this opportunity to read this book to get to know the real India better. This is a fast easy reading love/adventure story full of rich Indian heritage!

An interesting interview with the Author -
 I finished your book, and liked it very much! I learned a lot actually! And my views on India are changed because of you!
-   that is the best complement I’ve received so far.


In my review I stated that all I knew about India I learned on "The Amazing Race" TV show. I think many Americans like myself did not think very highly of India. I was very bias, thinking only negatively - that India was very poor, dirty and over crowded and that's it!
Do you find this to be true of the Americans you meet and is that one of the reasons you wrote the book? To show us a different India?
-          It’s true that India is poor, crowded, dirty, etc. But that is just one side of India. There is a side of India that people are not aware of. I am not trying to put a positive spin on India. I’m just writing as I see it. To me, like many millions, it’s my motherland.


 You now live in America, correct? How long have you lived here, and how often do you get to go back to your homeland - India?
-          Yes, I live in America now. I’ve been here since 1989. I try to go to India every other year. All my family, and my wife’s family is back in India. Me, my wife and our two kids are the only ones here.


Was any part of this story true to you own life? Did you base any of the characters around people you knew and around events in your own experience coming to America?
-          A lot of the story is based on my experiences. I’ve interwoven facts with fiction. That’s why I call it a “realistic-fiction” 


What is your favorite part about living in America?
-          I’ve never given it a thought. It’s home now. I don’t consider myself a “visitor” to list these things.
What is you favorite thing about India?
-          Too many to list.


For people who have not read your book -
What do you want someone to gain by reading this?
-          I don’t know if I am in a position to answer that, but I’d like to quote someone who wrote on Amazon:
"If you are not from India, you probably know a co-worker or a neighbor who is from India and possibly works in the IT industry. You know a bit about him or her but really not very much. If you read this story, you will understand how he or she thinks, the environment in which he or she grew up, in a light, easy, and breezy read. If you are an Indian-American who was born in the U.S. and grew up here, you will also understand a bit more about how your parents and other extended family members from India think. Those who grew up in India will relate to the story and the characters in the story immediately. "

GIVEAWAY - his giveaway is finished - thank you.