The first time I read a book that I connected with, I was in my 3rd year of college...
My best friend gave me "Sister of My Heart" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. The story was SO beautiful; the indian names, the food, the cultural references - it all made my heart sing. I had never connected to a book like that before.
Even though I was born and raised in America, that book felt like home. My parents emigrated from India and I was the first of my siblings to be born in the U.S. In those days (the 70s and 80s), we were all trying to a stereotype of "American" culture.
In 2007, I came to live in Harlem. As I raised my kids, I spent a lot of my time looking for books and resources and experiences that would help share more about their parents' backgrounds (Black and South Asian) and help them learn about the history of Harlem and cultures among us.
I started Made for Me Books in 2020 and since then, have distributed thousands of books to young neighbors throughout Harlem.
While more diversity in publishing is happening, we have a long way to go to get more fully representative books into our communities and homes - accessibly and affordably. I want all of our stories to be shared, read and loved.