Customer Reviews

Desis In The House: Indian American Youth Culture In Nyc (Asian American History & Cultu)

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Maira does a pretty good account of look at the South Asian sub-culture of the northeast around new york and new jersey. This part of the country has long experienced different waves of immigration. South Asians are a new group to the area mainly starting in the late 1960s and is continuing today. Maira looks at how second generation south asian americans or 'desis' cope with identities as being in between black and white and dealing with stereotypes of the asian intellectual and asian store owner. Maira also focuses on obstacles they overcome while growing up such as racism (dotbusters in New Jersey, racial insults...) and with cultural differences with parents (especially for females). In addition, there is also a focus on the different ethnic/relgious differences that exist within the South Asian community that come into play. Of course with other immigrant groups, there is a a strong desire for the second and third generation to 'reconnect' with their heritages which is an important part of the book. She deals with how in the interviews desis have a desire to go to South Asia to discover their heritiage. One issue she deals with is south asian immigration patterns to the U.S. Often we think of South Asians as coming directly from the subcontinent to the U.S. directly after the immigration act of 1965. However, it's deeper then that. The first South Asians migrating started in the late 1800s and early 1900s. South Asian also come fromo other part of the South Asian Diasporia such as east Africa, United Kingdom and the West Indies. These South Asians add to the complexity of studying the group.

Overall, an easy to read book about 'desis' in the northeast.

This book might suffice as a light college reading assignment (as there is not much in publication that deals with this subject matter), but if you are not forced to read it, stay away. Full of inaccurate accounts and plain falsisms, this book nowhere near respects it's subject matter, and gives an overly pedantic and bland report of Indian American Youth Culture in NYC. It is clearly the work of an individual on the outside, looking in.