The Hindi-Bindi Club

I have been waiting for this book forever! I've known Monica Pradhan since 1999. She was a member of Midwest Fiction Writers, which is a local RWA chapter here in MN. I served along side her on the chapter board for a year and I learned a lot from her about determination and striving toward making your passion a reality. Monica may not know this, but she's one of the reasons I never gave up writing during the dark days. I still have dark days, but they aren't so dark because of her. We didn't become tight but were always friendly with each other. I wish I could have gotten to know her better. Monica is one of these people that others are drawn toward. She's genuine and gentle and real and caring and has one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen. She is truly amazing.

Monica wrote three Silhouette Intimate Moments novels under the the pen name Monica McLean. They are great books if you can find them. Meaty stories with great characters and compelling writing. All are out of print but can be found at used book stores or used on sites like http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ Here's a list:

• The Cinderella Bride
• Just A Wedding Away
• The Nanny's Secret

I have really enjoyed The Hindi-Bindi Club. Growing up I had friends who had immigrated from various parts of India to Canada. I never understood their parents' struggles and history growing up and found myself in later years trying to learn more about the different cultures and events. This book allowed me to live through some of the struggles in a real and engaging way. It's regenerated my thirst to learn more and for this I'm grateful. Don't assume that this book was meant to teach someone about India and the East meets West struggles and oddities. It's not. It's about people first and foremost. Mothers and daughters and their relationships through the lense of American and Indian cultures. It is, in essence, a beautful relationship story and a story of choices and journey. I didn't want it to end.

If you haven't read it, I encourage you to. It's a wonderfully accessible book that is entertaining and heart wrenching and thought provoking.