Indian American Mitali Perkins Makes The New Yorker’s Long List

WASHINGTON (Diya TV) – Indian-American author Mitali Perkins is a contender for a National Book Award.

Her novel “You Bring the Distant Near” is among 10 on The New Yorker’s “long list” in the Young People’s Literature category.

The book also received high remarks from Bustle, starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Horn Book, School Library Journal, and Booklist. Teen Vogue and EW also praised the book. EW called it as one of the most anticipated young adult novels of 2017.

“An unforgettable novel that spans decades and continents as it moves among three generations of Indian women, some new immigrants to the U.S., all struggling to bridge cultures. Perkins’ vibrantly written exploration of a family in transition is saturated with romance, humor, and meaningful reflections on patriotism, blended cultures, and carving one’s own path,” said a Publishers Weekly review.

Mitali says her “biggest lifeline during those early years was story. Books were my rock, my stability, my safe place as I navigated the border between California suburbia and the Bengali culture of my traditional home.”

“When I began to write fiction, my protagonists were often-not surprisingly-strong characters trying to bridge different cultures or to promote justice,” she adds on her website.

Mitali is one of many people of all ages who like to immerse themselves in different books in order to escape the harsh realities of life. For some, this may be the inspiration behind becoming an author themselves; allowing people to read about different worlds and characters, even if it is for a short time. To help make this experience as delightful and exciting as possible, enlisting the guidance of professional “freelance editors near me” could ensure that your book is the best it can be, as well as increasing the likelihood of being nominated for something similar to a National Book Award, just like Mitali.

A judging panel will select the finalists. The panel includes Suzanna Hermans, the co-owner of Oblong Books & Music; Brendan Kiely, whose book “All American Boys,” co-authored by Jason Reynolds, won the 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award; Kekla Magoon,whose book “X: A Novel,” written with Ilyasah Shabazz, was long-listed for the award in 2015; Meg Medina, whose novel “Burn Baby Burn” was long-listed for the award in 2016; and Alex Sanchez, whose books include “Rainbow Boys” and the Lambda Literary Award-winning “So Hard to Say.”

Finalists will be announced on October 4. Winners will be announced on November 15.

Perkins was born in Kolkata to Bengali parents who traveled extensively while she was a kid. She lived in Ghana, Cameroon, London, New York and Mexico before turning 11-years-old, finally settling in California.

Perkins, who graduated from Stanford and UC Berkeley has authored 10 young-reader novels published by Penguin Random House, Charlesbridge, Candlewick, Little Brown and Macmillan Children’s Books.