4 Books for fans of Indian Matchmaking
Have you binged all of the episodes of “Indian Matchmaking” and need more stories about arranged marriages? Look no further! I have you covered with these 4 books about arranged marriages in the Indian/Indian American community. Didn’t watch the show? No worries. You’ll still enjoy these #ownvoices romances.
Indian Matchmaking readalikes
The Marriage Game by Sara Desai. Layla’s parents run a Michelin starred Indian restaurant. Traditional in their ways, they believe in arranged marriages. Without Layla’s knowledge, her father signs her up for IndianGirlMatch.com and sets up a series of dates without telling her…Layla is moving back to San Francisco to start her own business and her father’s agreed to let her use the office above the restaurant. Except he’s already rented out the space to Sam, also the child of first-generation immigrants.
Before Layla’s father can sort out who gets the office space, he’s hospitalized and Sam and Layla are battling it out for possession of the office space when Sam comes up with a proposition. Layla goes out on the dates her father arranged. If she accepts one of the suitors, she gets engaged and Sam gets the office. If Layla rejects all of the men, she gets the office. Nothing could possibly go wrong with that plan, right? Fun descriptions of Bollywood movies and delicious descriptions of Indian food
The Trouble with Hating You by Sajni Patel. Liya Thakkar is a successful biochemical engineer, takeout enthusiast, and happily single woman. The moment she realizes her parents’ latest dinner party is a setup with the man they want her to marry, she’s out the back door in a flash. Imagine her surprise when the same guy shows up at her office a week later — the new lawyer hired to save her struggling company. What’s not surprising: he’s not too thrilled to see her either after that humiliating fiasco.
Jay Shah looks good on paper…and off. Especially if you like that whole gorgeous, charming lawyer-in-a-good-suit thing. He’s also infuriating. As their witty office banter turns into late-night chats, Liya starts to think he might be the one man who truly accepts her. But falling for each other means exposing their painful pasts. Will Liya keep running, or will she finally give love a real chance?
The Marriage Clock by Zara Raheem. Given three months by her traditional parents to find a husband or agree to an arranged marriage, a Muslim-American woman with dreams of Bollywood romance starts dating in hopes of finding love on her own terms.
The Matchmaker’s List by Sonya Lalli. One devoted modern girl + a meddlesome, traditional grandmother = a heartwarming multicultural romantic comedy about finding love where you least expect it. Raina Anand may have finally given in to family pressure and agreed to let her grandmother play matchmaker, but that doesn’t mean she has to like it–or that she has to play by the rules.
Nani always took Raina’s side when she tried to push past the traditional expectations of their tight-knit Indian-immigrant community, but now she’s ambushing Raina with a list of suitable bachelors. Is it too much to ask for a little space? Besides, what Nani doesn’t know won’t hurt her… As Raina’s life spirals into a parade of Nani-approved bachelors and disastrous blind dates, she must find a way out of this modern-day arranged-marriage trap without shattering her beloved grandmother’s dreams.
Conclusion
These #ownvoices romances about arranged marriage are perfect reads for fans of the show Indian Matchmaking.
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A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
Instead of Hamlet by William Shakespeare, try A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. While Shakespeare may be the titular author to read when it comes to tragedies, Hansberry’s play rings just as true. Both works deal with the death of a father as well as the importance of family and dreams.
A Raisin in the Sun, set in south Chicago and focusing on a poor Black family also deals with racism, making this a timely choice to spark conversation.
A Raisin in the Sun is available as a:
Scythe b Neal Shusterman
Instead of 1984 by George Orwell, try Scythe by Neal Shusterman.With the rise of The Hunger Games series, dystopian literature became commonplace in popular culture. At the same time, the internet and other technology have made the themes of mass surveillance and Big Brother government in Orwell’s 1984 even more relevant to today’s society.
Still, students may have a hard time relating to a 70-year-old novel featuring adult characters (including a terribly misogynistic lead male) and a bleak ending. Scythe contains similar ideas to 1984, being set in a future society that is run by artificial intelligence and where death is decided upon by workers called Scythes, and the story is presented in a forward-thinking manner with teen main characters.
Scythe is available as a:
- Book
- eBook via Overdrive/Libby
- eBook via RBdigital
- Audiobook via Hoopla
- Audiobook on CD
Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
Instead of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, try Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler. Shelley’s Frankenstein is just about as classic horror as you can get.
While Butler’s Fledgling isn’t about creation, it deals with much of the same themes, such as society, knowledge, and destruction. Butler also updates the vampire trope to include very human-like characteristics that set her characters apart from the terrifying blood-sucking monsters.
Fledgling is available:
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Instead of The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, try Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. Although the themes of identity and growing up are essential questions to any teenager, Holden Caulfield’s outdated slang and lack of personal growth by the end of The Catcher in the Rye will probably ring “phony” to today’s teens.
The title characters of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe are both struggling with identity issues, like Holden, when they meet and become friends; the difference is that they both experience significant character growth, making theirs a true coming-of-age story. The latter novel also includes LGBTQ characters, lending diversity and relatability to the cast.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is available as a:
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Instead of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, try Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Gyasi’s work depicts characters from multiple generations of the same family and the consequences of past choices. Both works of historical fiction place great importance on setting, and both works explore the theme of circumstantial suffering at the hands of others. Choices made by, and forced upon, two sisters of Asante descent (part of an ethnic group native to the Ashanti Region of modern-day Ghana) impacts their families for generations to come.
Homegoing is available as a:
The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis
Instead of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, try The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis. Criticized for its use of racial slurs and stereotypical depictions of Black characters, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has long been a controversial classic.
The same themes of freedom and racial inequality are present in The Journey of Little Charlie, though this tale is set in the sharecropping post-Civil War era. Charlie’s journey alongside the dangerous and abusive Cap’n Buck is much like Huck’s travels down the river, giving readers the same flavor of an adventure story told in local vernacular, but one that is told in a manner that uplifts the Black community in language and portrayal.
The Journey of Little Charlie is available as a:
Additional resources
Conclusion
We hope some, or all, of these updates to classic literature have sparked your interest. You can choose to read these specific titles, or use this idea as a springboard to find your own version of updated classics featuring BIPOC authors. It’s so important to explore new authors from different backgrounds and cultures as reading their works helps create a new perspective, broadening understanding and bringing awareness to other experiences.
High school students and young adults often only have time to read what they’re assigned, limiting their exposure to diverse titles and authors unless teachers strive to broaden their classics lists. Seeking out works by BIPOC authors builds empathy and curiosity, two things of which we can all stand to have a little more.
This list was generated by Cara Frank, cfrank@clermontlibrary.org, Youth Services Librarian at the Amelia Branch Library and Stacy Books, sbooks@clermontlibrary.org, Collection Development Librarian for the Clermont County Public Library system. We invite you to reach out to us for help with creating diverse book lists, classroom collections, and adding more titles to your To Be Read pile.
