Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani

Image

Figure 1. Pashmina book cover (2019).

Evaluation of Book

Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani tells the story of Priyanka, a young Indian girl living in America. Her world gets turned upside down when her favorite Uncle, family friend, starts his own family and will not get to hang out with her as much. From this, she becomes sad until she finds a magical pashmina that shows her visions of India. Then life lines up perfectly for her to visit and find out more about her roots, the origin of the shawl, and her role in a better future.

As a graphic novel, this book focuses on dialogue. Priyanka gets to talk about driving earlier in America, how Shakti, an Indian goddess, plays a part in her world, and she explains the differences of America and India while in the different countries. The dialogue also shows that Priyanka gets embarrass by her Indian background at school and around her mom, but appreciates it after her pashmina trances and her visit to India. It also uses true Indian words for key things, ensuring that the story will allow all readers to know what the words mean. One example is calling her family friend her uncle. This is part of the Indian culture, to show respect and unity of the people.

The coloring of the illustrations also sets the mood and signifies what is happening. For the main story, the pictures are in traditional shades of black and white. However, when telling stories from the past about Shakti and when in a trance while wearing the pashmina, the artist utilizes bright colors for contrast, as though those parts of the story are more alive. Even a story told by a spirit stands out through use of browns to show it happened in the past. This use of colors enhances the story.

Nidhi Chanani also does a splendid job of extending and developing the plot through illustrations. The facial expressions, like when Priyanka sees India in person for the first time, tell more of the story. Also, when a trance occurs, the first and last frames show wonky eyes for the person and interesting shapes floating around, helping the reader understand what just happened. Likewise, the reality of India and how the streets really look plus the normal modes of transportation add to the story, allowing for a better understanding. Everything about the pictures adds to the story.

Response

While reading Pasmina by Nidhi Chanani, I found myself remembering my Indian friends that I have met over the years. Their stories of how the village raises the children which allows everyone to be their aunt and uncle meshed well with the relationships of Priyanka with all Indian people she interacted with in America and while visiting India. The text also agrees with my view of the world, as in how the status of women varies from country to country. For this story, the women of India do not keep their voice once they marry. Also, their rights to attend school and be independent depends on the family. This holds true for my Indian friends in America and overseas. One friend from college lost her right to marry the man of her dreams because her family used their daughter’s American citizenship as a bargaining chip to marry her off to someone from the old country. So, while she did gain her Bachelor of Science before marrying, that summer she met her husband to be and married him after he successfully gained a visa for America. At the same time, the story also addressed things I personally care about because it promoted women’s rights and how Priyanka needed to share her story to help more girls find a voice in the world. This idea drove my life as a child, growing up during a time of the good old boys running everything. My goal was to change the norm, and it worked in my world because women continue to gain their voice in Texas.

Conclusion

Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani promotes women’s rights, cultural identity, and family values while sharing a fun, mystical story about the power of a pashmina that helps people realize their dreams. It is the ideal book for those that enjoy multicultural books and/or want to learn about another way of life. And though a few moments were a touch choppy, the overall story and illustrations make the book a must read. Out of four stars, I give it three and a half.

Citation

Chanani, N. (2017). Pashmina. New York, NY: First Second.

Willis, C. (2019). Pashmina book cover (photo). Retrieved April 28, 2019 from

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ld7XDsYeHUJnsHU2wY3gp5frwEPs22OU/view?usp=sharing