All Mixed Up

On Long Island in 2002, middle schooler Kamal Rao feels out of place among his family and his mostly white classmates. With a father from India and a Puerto Rican and Italian mother, Kamal believes that he’s “too ‘other’ for the town, and too American for my brown cousins.” He’s unexpectedly saved from bullies by schoolmate Jaz, “an immigrant who very clearly isn’t from here.” Jaz informs Kamal that he’s from Karachi, Pakistan, where he learned English by watching American movies in school. To Kamal, Jaz is fearless, funny, and weird (“So am I, and it feels great”). But heightened racism following September 11, 2001, threatens their bond, and Jaz’s fear of deportation leads Kamal to suspect that Jaz is hiding something about his past. Through Jaz’s infectious bravado and his and Kamal’s anchoring friendship, Tawney (Colorful Palate, for adults) presents an earnest depiction of two outcasts finding comfort in each other while navigating societal tension in this brief interrogation of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim attitudes. The narrative features ample nostalgic details of the time period, which are informed by the author’s personal experiences, as addressed in an endnote. Ages 9–11. (Oct.)