Bookshop Shantiâs story starts when her family leaves their village in India for an American town âwith cold rain and orange and yellow leaves,â and she begins to move back and forth between both cultures: âRemembering the village./ Learning the town./ Again and again./ In Between.â At home, her mother teaches her traditional Indian dance; in town, her friend Tonya, who is Black, takes her to ballet. âBaba taught Shanti Bangla lettersâ; she reads him
The Little Engine That Could in English. Her blue toy elephant accompanies her everywhere, a whimsical, consistent presence. One day, she hits a point of exhaustion: âIf only her friends could learn the village./ If only her parents could learn the town./ Again and again./ In Between.â Yet Shantiâs soon ready to go on: âShe was good at making/