Description
Book SynopsisVishakha N. Desai uses her life experiences to explore the significance of living globally and its urgency for our current moment. She reframes the idea of what it means to be global, considering how to lead a life of multiple belongings without losing local and national affinities.
Trade ReviewOnly rarely does a personal narrative succeed in providing fresh insight about the large currents of history defining our present moment. Yet that is precisely what Vishakha Desai has given us in
World as Family. In recounting her story of evolution and self-discovery across continents and cultures, Professor Desai addresses profound questions about identity and belonging and offers a singular rebuttal to surging nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiments. What we are left with, ultimately, is a compelling vision of an open and expansive global society. -- Lee C. Bollinger, President and Seth Low Professor of the University, Columbia University
Who am I? Where are my roots? Can I have multiple identities without betraying those roots? Vishakha Desai’s 'in-between' personal story of belonging as Indian, Asian, American, and human is passionate, honest, and moving. It is a powerful call for holding together the values of rooted global belonging without giving up on any part of one’s identity. -- Irina Bokova, former Director-General, UNESCO
There are few books which I carry with me as I explore new chapters of my life; this is one of them.
World as Family forces you to think about culture, identity, and the world in its entirety, all the while exploring the messy, complicated nuances of reality. It is raw, personal, and feels like a warm hug in the midst of chaos. Young people often think about ‘where is home?’ The answer is right here in this book! -- Shagun Sethi, MA Student, Columbia University
[Desai's] ability to pause, reflect, and reconsider makes this memoir a page-turner. * The Hindu *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
I. Roots1. Too Bad, Another Girl!
2. Home: Beams, Dreams, and Food
3. Dancing with Gods
4. Who Is Kwame Nkrumah?
II. Crossing5. Strangers Become “Family”
6. Vietnam: War or Country?
7. The Trauma of Return
III. In-Between-Ness of Belonging8. Attachments, Made/Unmade
9. Art Connections
10. Between Being and Becoming
IV. Expanding the Circle/Back to the Center11. Expanding Identities
12. Death and Life in the Diasporic Family
13. Perceptions and Problematics of Belonging
V. At Home in the World14. Building Communities across Borders
15. Remaking “Home” in the World
16. Creating a Culture of “Us”
Epilogue: Becoming “Family” in a World of Pandemics
Acknowledgments
Notes
