‘Lucky Boy’ author Shanthi Sekaran talks about the immigrant experience
The Berkeley author -- "The Prayer Room" and "Lucky Boy" -- uses the rich tapestry of culture, some at odds with each other, to explore issues that have become all too topical.
Mills College adjunct professor Shanthi Sekaran soared to fame with the 2017 publication of “Lucky Boy,” which was named a best book of the year by NPR and Library Journal. Set in Oaxaca, Berkeley’s Gourmet Ghetto and Silicon Valley, the book explores issues of immigration, government-ordered family separation and cultural clashes through the eyes of two mothers linked by their love of one young boy.
How much was “Lucky Boy” inspired by what’s going on in the United States today?
The issue of undocumented parents being separated from their American-born children was something I started to learn about in 2011, when I found out that American families were trying to adopt the children of detained immigrants without their consent. The issue felt urgent to me in 2011 and only seemed to grow in magnitude. Of course, Trump’s policies have heightened the family separation crisis to unparalleled levels.
As a child of immigrants, how much of your life is reflected in your books?
I wouldn’t say that “The Prayer Room” (2016) depicted my life, exactly, but the house in that novel was inspired by my childhood home in Sacramento. And of course, I dipped into my own experiences and stories my parents told me of their own lives in the U.S. I also used my own memories of childhood trips back to India to tell that part of the novel’s narrative.
In “Lucky Boy,” Kavya comes from an Indian community that wasn’t too different from the one I grew up in. And of course, I thought a lot about what it means to be an immigrant, to give up a life that’s safe and known, to pursue something larger.
Do you think the immigrant experience has changed?
I think, in general, the immigrant experience is less lonely than it used to be, but I can’t imagine arriving in this country as it is now, hearing the hateful anti-immigrant rhetoric spewed by our president, knowing that people might actually agree with him. America is not a hospitable place for immigrants, despite what we’ve been telling ourselves for decades.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a middle-grade novel, still in the early drafts. It takes on themes of xenophobia and immigration in a way that will hopefully be empowering, adventurous and accessible for kids.
What’s your favorite Bay Area bookstore?
Pegasus Books on Solano Avenue in Berkeley. I always find something surprising and wonderful, especially in the kids/YA section. It’s one of those places that make me feel like I have a home.
Sekaran’s 5 book picks:
“Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations” by Mira Jacob: This graphic memoir is simultaneously funny and profound, and it explores the nuances of the Indian American experience in a way I’ve never seen before.
“Exit West” by Mohsin Hamid: This is a book about two refugees in exile. It’s a love story that plays with the boundaries of reality. It’s spare and beautifully written and cuts right to the bone.
“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald: This is a perennial favorite. I go back to it again and again for its writing, its wisdom and its melancholy.
“Beloved” by Toni Morrison: This is another of my lifelong favorites.
“The Serpent’s Secret” by Sayantani Dasgupta: My son loved this story of an Indian anti-princess. It’s adventurous and funny and incorporates Hindu mythology.