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katiez624's review
4.0
I related with this book much more than I was expecting to. We learn about Raj, an anthropology professor, a child of immigrants, and a member of the highly elite Tennis Club in a posh neighborhood of California. He is a man who uses humor to deflect and to get out of awkward situations, but more often than not, his lack of filter gets him into trouble.
This book tells the story of one particularly unfortunate week, where Raj's seemingly innocuous blunders get him into trouble, in multiple facets of his life. With recent events, more and more conversations are being had about race relations and racism, a much-needed change from the silence that pervaded this country. However, it appears that in certain situations, this has been overcorrected, veering into the other extreme of hypersensitivity and excessive political correctness. People who may make a mistake in their comments are being obliterated, particularly in the online sphere where words often have no consequences.
These topics are extremely difficult to handle well, but Pandya does an impressive job of adding nuance and human emotions to the issue of race. He discerns the different types of racial tension that exist, dispelling the belief that all prejudice is treated the same. This book invokes empathy, understanding, and eradicating the societal barriers that cause separation and misguided assumptions.
Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for my review copy.
This book tells the story of one particularly unfortunate week, where Raj's seemingly innocuous blunders get him into trouble, in multiple facets of his life. With recent events, more and more conversations are being had about race relations and racism, a much-needed change from the silence that pervaded this country. However, it appears that in certain situations, this has been overcorrected, veering into the other extreme of hypersensitivity and excessive political correctness. People who may make a mistake in their comments are being obliterated, particularly in the online sphere where words often have no consequences.
These topics are extremely difficult to handle well, but Pandya does an impressive job of adding nuance and human emotions to the issue of race. He discerns the different types of racial tension that exist, dispelling the belief that all prejudice is treated the same. This book invokes empathy, understanding, and eradicating the societal barriers that cause separation and misguided assumptions.
Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for my review copy.
namakurhea's review
4.0
Spent Saturday with Dr. Rajesh Bhatt, an Anthropology professor who somehow managed to offend both conservatives and liberals all within one week!
lhhrmn's review against another edition
3.0
This was maybe not the best book to start reading the day of an attempted coup, but it was the only other 14-day loan book in my stack, so I felt like I should read it sooner than any others in the pile. I could certainly empathize with Raj and as a white woman, understand that I may never truly know what it is like to feel like every day requires a conscious, exhaustive attempt to fit into to a culture other than my own. That being said, Raj appeared to make poor decision after poor decision that made it difficult at times to feel sympathy for his actions and choice of words. Sure, we've all said or done something that in retrospect we wish we hadn't and of course, it may be (ok, just plain IS) more damning as a person of color, but some of the scenes and actions didn't exactly feel like "Raj trying his best" and instead felt like "Raj putting his foot in his mouth, again". I was ready to be done with this one before it quite ended.
sde's review
4.0
I really liked this book, and I don't understand why it hasn't gotten more attention. It is a engaging read that covers a number of important issues, but not in a heavy-handed way. The most important thing is the story, not the message.
The book touches on a lot of problems in academia, especially the fact that adjuncts and lecturers are at-will employees that don't get paid much, yet the university could not survive without them. Yet the academic bigwigs get most of the attention, say, and money in a department even if their contributions may be small.
The book also portrayed racial tensions or awkwardness in a realistic way. No police brutality or Proud Boys, but the sorts of events and exchanges any one of us might encounter on any given day. And how does an Indian immigrant who is neither white nor black, rich nor poor, fit into this narrative?
But mostly what I liked is that there were so man portrayals of, if perhaps flawed, ultimately positive relationships - e.g. Raj and his wife, Raj and his office mate, Raj and the department chair. Even the more fraught relationships, like that between Raj, his wife, and one of the movers and shakers at the tennis club, has some positive points, and the reader gets the sense that she is trying to do the right thing, even if she isn't always successful.
I especially loved the fact that although his kids were exhausting and had a number of problems, and Raj felt he was stumbling around in parenthood, the kids and parents were so obviously in love. I enjoyed the way the author detailed the little parts of parenthood - some that we may not admit to - such as curling up with our kids to get them to sleep. So many books have unrealistic portrayls of the parent-young child relationship - either too positive and saccharine or too negative and completely stressed out. This was a rare book where it seemed realistic. Loved the art project at the end of the book!
This was a great book to read in 2022 when the past couple of years has often made us bitter. It was ultimately uplifting even if lots of things went wrong. It was stressful to read at times, though, because Raj did so much to sabotage himself!
The book touches on a lot of problems in academia, especially the fact that adjuncts and lecturers are at-will employees that don't get paid much, yet the university could not survive without them. Yet the academic bigwigs get most of the attention, say, and money in a department even if their contributions may be small.
The book also portrayed racial tensions or awkwardness in a realistic way. No police brutality or Proud Boys, but the sorts of events and exchanges any one of us might encounter on any given day. And how does an Indian immigrant who is neither white nor black, rich nor poor, fit into this narrative?
But mostly what I liked is that there were so man portrayals of, if perhaps flawed, ultimately positive relationships - e.g. Raj and his wife, Raj and his office mate, Raj and the department chair. Even the more fraught relationships, like that between Raj, his wife, and one of the movers and shakers at the tennis club, has some positive points, and the reader gets the sense that she is trying to do the right thing, even if she isn't always successful.
I especially loved the fact that although his kids were exhausting and had a number of problems, and Raj felt he was stumbling around in parenthood, the kids and parents were so obviously in love. I enjoyed the way the author detailed the little parts of parenthood - some that we may not admit to - such as curling up with our kids to get them to sleep. So many books have unrealistic portrayls of the parent-young child relationship - either too positive and saccharine or too negative and completely stressed out. This was a rare book where it seemed realistic. Loved the art project at the end of the book!
This was a great book to read in 2022 when the past couple of years has often made us bitter. It was ultimately uplifting even if lots of things went wrong. It was stressful to read at times, though, because Raj did so much to sabotage himself!
jessrock's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This book turned out quite different from how I thought it would be at the beginning - in a good way. The beginning was awkward, and none of the characters seemed likable, but Raj grew on me and by the end I was rooting for him and wanted good things for him after surviving this awful week.
ryleyhorner's review against another edition
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mapleleaf_rag's review
challenging
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A slog. to get through
parkergarlough's review
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
jpitts's review against another edition
4.0
If you've read the premise for this book and thought it could be interesting, I don't think you'll be disappointed. It took me a minute to get into it, but once things got going, I couldn't put it down. Raj is such an interesting and fleshed-out character, and his week-from-hell is both engaging and frustrating to read. I had problems with the pacing here and there, but overall, this was really solid, and I kind of wish more people were reading it.