A young girl longs to know where she fits in: Is she American? Or is she Indian? Does she have to pick or can she be both? With bright, joyful rhyme, and paired with an immersive art style using American and Indian fabrics, American Desi celebrates the experiences of young children growing up first and second generation Indian American: straddling the two cultural worlds they belong to, embracing all they love of both worlds and refusing to be limited by either.

Join author Jyoti Gopal as she shares her book and answers your questions about the writing process, the South Asian diaspora, growing up with multiple cultural identities, or anything else that’s on your mind. Jyoti’s engaging presence is not to be missed. She will be accompanied by the exquisite music of Sujata. Books will be available for purchase and signing. While this event is free, we ask you to RSVP here for planning purposes.

About the author: Growing up, Jyoti lived in Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, China and India. She finally settled in New York where she raised two daughters with her husband (who also grew up all over the world). As a child, she adored and devoured books but did not enjoy writing. At all.  

As a grown up, she is a forever Kindergarten teacher and mom. She still adores and devours books. But now, she likes to write!