Red, White, and Whole
- Downloads：5597
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-21 11:52:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rajani LaRocca
- ISBN：006304742X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
An #ownvoices novel in verse about an Indian American girl whose life is turned upside down when her mother is diagnosed with leukemia。
Reha feels torn between two worlds: school， where she’s the only Indian American student， and home， with her family’s traditions and holidays。 But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she’s conflicted—they only notice when Reha doesn’t meet their strict expectations。 Reha feels disconnected from her mother， or Amma， although their names are linked—Reha means “star” and Punam means “moon”—but they are a universe apart。
Then Reha finds out that her Amma is sick。 Really sick。
Reha， who dreams of becoming a doctor even though she can’t stomach the sight of blood， is determined to make her Amma well again。 She’ll be the perfect daughter， if it means saving her Amma’s life。
Reha feels torn between two worlds: school， where she’s the only Indian American student， and home， with her family’s traditions and holidays。 But Reha’s parents don’t understand why she’s conflicted—they only notice when Reha doesn’t meet their strict expectations。 Reha feels disconnected from her mother， or Amma， although their names are linked—Reha means “star” and Punam means “moon”—but they are a universe apart。
Then Reha finds out that her Amma is sick。 Really sick。
Reha， who dreams of becoming a doctor even though she can’t stomach the sight of blood， is determined to make her Amma well again。 She’ll be the perfect daughter， if it means saving her Amma’s life。
Reviews
Amalie Jahn
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A glorious， emotional read。 Highly recommend。
Roslyn K
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Truly beautiful and affecting。
Christina Soontornvat
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This story will break your heart and mend it all over again。 As a biracial child and one of the only Asian Americans growing up in my hometown， I felt so much sympathy for Reha as she struggles with where she fits and where she belongs。 This is a beautiful story of an All-American girl， that so many young readers will relate to and empathize with。
Natalie Aguirre
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I don't usually read books in verse， but I loved this story。 It totally kept me engrossed and pulled at my heart strings。 It's a fantastic story。 I don't usually read books in verse， but I loved this story。 It totally kept me engrossed and pulled at my heart strings。 It's a fantastic story。 。。。more
Carrie Finison
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I adored this story of a middle school girl trying to find her place - at school among her white American friends， at home among her Indian community， and within her family as her mother becomes ill。 Reha is dealing with a lot， and she turns to her friends， her studies， and 80s music to cope （yay！）。 This novel-in-verse is tender and full of heart， enlightening， moving， and powerful。 I loved that it was both a window into a specific cultural experience， but also universal in its themes and emotio I adored this story of a middle school girl trying to find her place - at school among her white American friends， at home among her Indian community， and within her family as her mother becomes ill。 Reha is dealing with a lot， and she turns to her friends， her studies， and 80s music to cope （yay！）。 This novel-in-verse is tender and full of heart， enlightening， moving， and powerful。 I loved that it was both a window into a specific cultural experience， but also universal in its themes and emotions。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Zoya
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Such a heartfelt and beautifully written novel in verse！ My Middle Grade book club picked this out for our book of the month and I am so excited to discuss the book together！
Julia
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Raha， a middle schooler， feels torn between two worlds。 At her private school， where she’s the only Indian- American student， and at home， with her family and community。 She feels a separation from her mother; until her mother gets very sick。 I read this mg novel in verse in one night。 Borrowed from my public library。
Candice
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This is a beautiful and heartbreaking novel in verse written by Rajani LaRocca。 I received the book as an advanced read as a part of #BookPosse， but have also listened the audio by Priya。 Both are incredible。 This book is about Reha， an Indian girl， torn between her world and the one her parents grew up in。 She feels like she and her mother are nothing alike and that her mother doesn’t understand that she wants to be like other girls her age。 When she finds out that her mother is sick， really si This is a beautiful and heartbreaking novel in verse written by Rajani LaRocca。 I received the book as an advanced read as a part of #BookPosse， but have also listened the audio by Priya。 Both are incredible。 This book is about Reha， an Indian girl， torn between her world and the one her parents grew up in。 She feels like she and her mother are nothing alike and that her mother doesn’t understand that she wants to be like other girls her age。 When she finds out that her mother is sick， really sick， Reha is determined to help her， to make her well。 When her mother can’t come home from the hospital， she focuses on being the perfect Indian daughter。 She prays。 She prays。 And she prays some more， hoping that someone will hear her prayer。 Red， White， and Whole is a MG novel that you shouldn’t miss， just make sure you have a pack of tissues because you’re jumping on an emotional roller coaster！ 。。。more
Amitha
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So beautiful and heartfelt！ It is so rare for me to have a mirror book but this was one for me。 Loved it。 💜
Rhiley Jade
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4。5/5 stars！I sobbed。
Erica
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Absolutely beautiful。
NANCY RHOADES
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written in verse。。。girl struggles to balance her life between being an American and from India。。。mom gets leukemia and dies
smalltownbookmom
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I REALLY enjoyed this middle grade/early YA novel in verse featuring Reha， a 13 year old East Indian American girl trying to fit into 1980s white America while simultaneously dealing with a mother who gets diagnosed with leukemia。 Lots of heavy topics （like dealing with cancer and the death of a parent） but I also LOVED all the 80s pop references （she's really into classic 80s music and just wants to be a normal teenage girl dancing with boys）。 My heart went out to poor Reha - struggling to fit I REALLY enjoyed this middle grade/early YA novel in verse featuring Reha， a 13 year old East Indian American girl trying to fit into 1980s white America while simultaneously dealing with a mother who gets diagnosed with leukemia。 Lots of heavy topics （like dealing with cancer and the death of a parent） but I also LOVED all the 80s pop references （she's really into classic 80s music and just wants to be a normal teenage girl dancing with boys）。 My heart went out to poor Reha - struggling to fit in while also trying to be a dutiful daughter living up to her parental expectations to study hard and get good grades。 Great poems and great on audio， highly recommend - definitely a standout so far this year！ 。。。more
Clare Lund
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I’ve been in a reading lull with everything else about the school year being insane。。。 but this book may have brought me back！！ One of my favorites so far this year for sure。Reha is the daughter of Indian immigrants and feels stuck between two worlds。 I loved so many characters in this book， and the lyrical novel-in-verse style was so beautiful and powerful。 Highly recommend for ages 10 and up。。。 but bring tissues。
Amy Baird
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Exquisite。 Beautifully written。 Beautiful message about persisting through hard things。
Stacy Whelan
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Heartbreaking and beautiful。 80’s music。 Written in verse。 This book is everything。 I hope it gets all the attention it deserves。
Alyssa
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This novel is absolutely stunning --thoughtful， lyrical， and bittersweet。 Reha's story covers a lot of ground -- straddling two cultures， first crushes， loss -- but is executed beautifully in such a short book。 I definitely cried through the last pages！ I always complain there aren't enough books on the MG/YA line but this one is perfect for older middle schoolers。 This novel is absolutely stunning --thoughtful， lyrical， and bittersweet。 Reha's story covers a lot of ground -- straddling two cultures， first crushes， loss -- but is executed beautifully in such a short book。 I definitely cried through the last pages！ I always complain there aren't enough books on the MG/YA line but this one is perfect for older middle schoolers。 。。。more
Lori Emilson
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I really enjoyed this book， maybe partially because it’s my era too？
Mrunal
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was supposed to be a buddy read with Nimrat and Akshita， but I couldn't complete it on time。 BUT I FINALLY DID IT！！！！ Okay， now let's get back to the book。Me before reading this:Me after reading this:My thoughts about the book:When I opened this book for the first time， I was kind of intrigued by it because it is completely written in verses which is new to me。 I loved how the author has described everything so beautifully but I wasn't really into it untill page 50。 （Also， this book has spo This was supposed to be a buddy read with Nimrat and Akshita， but I couldn't complete it on time。 BUT I FINALLY DID IT！！！！ Okay， now let's get back to the book。Me before reading this:Me after reading this:My thoughts about the book:When I opened this book for the first time， I was kind of intrigued by it because it is completely written in verses which is new to me。 I loved how the author has described everything so beautifully but I wasn't really into it untill page 50。 （Also， this book has spoilers for first three Star Wars movies on pages 58 and 59。） The only thing I did not like about it were the stereotypes about Indians。 More on that later。 Together we decided that a hero:Is brave， but not without fear。 Because if you fear nothing， how can you be brave？Says what they believe is right。 Because if you cannot say what you believe in， how much do you believe in it？Works to make the world better。 Because doing something is even more important that talking about it。Acts out of love for others。 Because caring for others is the biggest difference between a hero and a villain。 The Plot:This story revolves around the day to day life of a 13 yr old Indian-American girl called Reha who is struggling to fit in both her worlds- the Indian one and the American one。 A life changing event that occurs in her life to shatter everything and how she tries to bring everything back together。The Characters:Reha: This is our MC， Reha。 Her Parents were born and brought up in India and then moved to America after their marriage and had her。 Reha is the only child to her parents and so is pampered by them。（basically she just goes to a private school。 that's it。） She is caught up between two worlds - One where her parents are and the one where she wants to be。 She always has this feeling of not belonging anywhere。 Her parents want her to be an obedient straight A student and she wishes to be like "Other girls"。 I could actually relate to her to quite some extent but somethings were off for me。 She was always like "I'm not like other girls" which was kinda annoying but I'll let it pass。 She want's to become a doctor when she grows up。 （stereotype #1。 NOT ALL INDIAN GIRLS WANT TO BECOME A DOCTOR！！！！）Rachel: Rachel is Reha's American best friend。 （who divides best friends into categories？）。 Rachel is like Reha。 She studies， reads books and listens to music， doesn't wear make up because tHeY aRe NoT LiKe OtHeR gIrLs and she wears glasses because OnLy StUdIoUs PeOpLe wEaR gLaSsEs。 Overall as a character， Rachel is a great friend。 She is with Reha at her best and her worst。 She supported her when her mother was in the hospital and she was with her when Pete asked her for the dance。 She was very encouraging towards Reha。 I liked her。 Sunny: Sunita a。k。a Sunny is Reha's Indian best friend。（Even though they both live in the States） She is the polar opposite of her。 She does make up， has siblings and goes to public school。 But they both have one thing in common（apart from being of Indian origin）， they both love music！！！ Sunny is also a great friend。 She was there for her at her worsts。 Pete: He is Reha's bench partner in English and the only boy she talks to because they sit together in one of their classes。 No other reason。 Like seriously？ Do these boys have fangs？ are they gonna kill ya？ （Stereotype #2。 WE ARE NOT ALLERGIC TO BOYS！！！！） anyway， back to Pete。 So this guy is really sweet。 when Reha decided to not talk to him because sHe HaD tO fOcUs On HeR sTuDiEs as her mother wanted her to， he was so worried about her and her mother's depreciating health。 He confronted her， he let her stay at his home in the evenings because her father couldn't pick her up from school。 I just love this guy。 I also love this guy's ideas about heroism。 It's about what happens when the bad guys fight back， and fight back hard。It's about learning how to be a hero in spite of the fact that your dad is the most evil guy in the universe。 So these were his thoughts about Luke Skywalker in the movie 'The Empire Strikes Back'。Reha's Parents: I cannot talk much about them because then that would be a huge spoiler。But I'll just say that they migrated to the United States of America in search of ✨opportunities✨ and a better future。 Her father is a civil engineer。 Her mother works in a Haematology lab at a hospital。 This is also why Reha wants to become a doctor。 Because her mother works at a hospital。 The Stereotypes:1） NOT ALL INDIAN GIRLS WANT TO BECOME A DOCTOR。 My parents tell me that when they were young， their parents had this standard principle that if they had a son， he would become an Engineer and if they had a daughter， she would either be married of at an early age or become a doctor。 They did not have choices。 And because this book is set in around 1980s， I'll let this go off。 2） WE ARE NOT ALLERGIC TO BOYS。 Sure， our parents tell us to keep some distance from boys but they do not restrict us from talking to them。 They are humans after all。 But again。。。 this book is set in 1980s。。。 so I'll let that pass too。3） WE CAN SPEAK GOOD ENGLISH。 There was this conversation between Reha & Sunny and a dude at the food court， where he screamed in their face "DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH？？？" Like， Of course she can！ Do you ask that question to other customers as well？ I was really offended by that。 Did I enjoy this book？Yes。Will I pick it up again？MaybeWill I suggest it to everyone？DEFINITELY 。。。more
Josephine Sorrell
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Red， White， and Whole is written in first-person free verse narrated by Reba， an Indian American girl。 as she navigates what she describes as “two lives。 / One that is Indian， / one that is not。”It’s 1983 and Reha， an only child， is in middle school。 Note differences between her two cultures: the American culture she experiences at school and the Indian culture that surrounds her at home。 He situation causes her to feel like she’s being pulled in opposite directions with a terrific force。 Reha Red， White， and Whole is written in first-person free verse narrated by Reba， an Indian American girl。 as she navigates what she describes as “two lives。 / One that is Indian， / one that is not。”It’s 1983 and Reha， an only child， is in middle school。 Note differences between her two cultures: the American culture she experiences at school and the Indian culture that surrounds her at home。 He situation causes her to feel like she’s being pulled in opposite directions with a terrific force。 Reha adores her parents and doesn’t want to disappoint them。 She studies hard and tries not to complain about her feelings， rather keeps it all inside。 Her desire is to be a doctor when she grows up， even though she is turned off with the sight of blood。Amma， her mother begins to feel tired and unwell and is diagnosed sick with leukemia， Reha begins to feel guilty about her secret desire to be more American like her classmates。 She bargains with God and tries to be perfect so that her mother will get better。In beautiful verse， the author tells a story that is direct and true in life。 Reha’s narration comes across with honest emotion， and its tenderness calls out to readers and invites them to feel what she feels。LaRocca brilliantly incorporates references to 1980s American pop culture and traditional Indian culture。 Despite how difficult it is for Reha to feel like she fully belongs anywhere， she is richer because of her access to multiple sources of wisdom and stronger because she has learned to navigate a variety of cultural norms。 Reha’s friendship with Rachel， whose Jewish faith plays a similar role in her life， is a sensitive parallel。 This is a wonderful book of diversity with the Indian culture and Jewish customs。 Im afraid the book is one that may not appeal to the male readers and it is on the serious and sad side if the spectrum。 Age Range: 8 – 12 yearsGrade Level: 3 – 8Hardcover: 256 pages 。。。more
Danielle
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Beautiful and heartbreaking。 The authors work leaves the character figuring out her way she finds a way but not necessarily the way。
Gayatri Sethi Desi Book Aunty
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This book is beautiful in every way。 It’s full of the kind of empathy & care we wish our children & students to learn。It’s an ideal read for National poetry month。 I have gifted copies to numerous teachers。 Highly recommend。
Deena Lipomi
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Eighth grader Reha lives an Indian life at home， an American life at her private school， and knows her Amma doesn't understand her desire to fit in with her classmates。 But when Amma gets sick， Reha's worlds begin to combine though she tries hard to be the perfect daughter to heal her mother。 Written in verse， this beautiful， heartfelt， tear-jerking middle grade novel tells an understandable tale of a lovable girl and the honor she wants to give both her heritage and her home。 Eighth grader Reha lives an Indian life at home， an American life at her private school， and knows her Amma doesn't understand her desire to fit in with her classmates。 But when Amma gets sick， Reha's worlds begin to combine though she tries hard to be the perfect daughter to heal her mother。 Written in verse， this beautiful， heartfelt， tear-jerking middle grade novel tells an understandable tale of a lovable girl and the honor she wants to give both her heritage and her home。 。。。more
Natalie Holdahl
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I absolutely ADORED this book！！I love reading books in verse and do quite frequently。 I am usually able to read them nice and slowly to enjoy the beauty of the writing but with this book I struggled to do so because I was continuously wanting to find out what was going to happen。 I found myself skipping ahead lines so I could see what was going to happen next。 And I always went back to reread because of the beauty of the writing。 In addition， I bawled at the end。 I am also so impressed by the am I absolutely ADORED this book！！I love reading books in verse and do quite frequently。 I am usually able to read them nice and slowly to enjoy the beauty of the writing but with this book I struggled to do so because I was continuously wanting to find out what was going to happen。 I found myself skipping ahead lines so I could see what was going to happen next。 And I always went back to reread because of the beauty of the writing。 In addition， I bawled at the end。 I am also so impressed by the amount of content and emotion that authors of novels in verse are able to fit in with so few words but this one hit hard - in a good way。 A realistic yet very impressive main character。 Will be recommending to kids and adults alike。 。。。more
Kim Bahr
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Beautifully written; the text just flows and pulls you in
Meredith Waggoner
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Read this in one sitting and wept。 Such beautiful free verse and an even more beautiful story。
Stephanie
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Beautifully written in short stories entries， this book talks about the journey the author took as she went through her childhood growing up between two cultures， an American with parents who immigrated from India， and figuring out how she can balance herself between these two very separate identities。 Content: coming of age， cancer diagnosis， （view spoiler）[losing a parent， （hide spoiler）] finding identity Beautifully written in short stories entries， this book talks about the journey the author took as she went through her childhood growing up between two cultures， an American with parents who immigrated from India， and figuring out how she can balance herself between these two very separate identities。 Content: coming of age， cancer diagnosis， （view spoiler）[losing a parent， （hide spoiler）] finding identity 。。。more
Anne - ReadingfortheWeekend
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Such a powerful， beautiful moving story。 Fantastic as an audiobook。
Noel Knepper
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I can't even put into words how beautiful this book is！ I can't even put into words how beautiful this book is！ 。。。more
Kaitlin
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This was such a good book。 First of all I love the style it was written it。 The story itself is so beautiful， moving， and challenging。 A quick read， but an amazing one。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Red, White, and Whole
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Red, White, and Whole&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Red, White, and Whole&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0