Motiba's Tattoos

Motiba's Tattoos

"From the Bible to the <i>Odyssey</i> to Toni Morrison's <i>Song of Solomon</i>, the journey or quest has been a staple motif of Western literature. <i>Motiba's Tattoos</i> is a welcome addition to that list." <i>(The Washington Post)</i><br><br> Mira Kamdar was born in the United States to an Indian father and a Danish-American mother. In this fascinating memoir, she sets out to rediscover her family's story by tracing its journey from an isolated corner of India to the Web-wired world of twenty-first-century America.<br><br> Delving into the history of Motiba-the Gujarati word for grandmother-she follows the family's emigration from feudal India to Bombay where, in the city's Art Deco movie houses, they are introduced to postwar American life-Hollywood-style. Kamdar's father's journey to the U.S. in the '50s marks the beginning of the family's great westward Indian migration, and their subsequent struggle with multiethnic identity in postmodern California.<br><br> Deftly evoking lost times and places, <i>Motiba's Tattoos</i> explores the borderless world of Indian-Americans today. Told in rich, lyrical language, Kamdar's story becomes the story of every family who has ever assimilated into a new culture.