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Dimple Lala is confused. An American Born Confused Desi, some would say. Not Indian enough to be Indian and not American enough to be American. Born Confused charts 17-year-old Dimple's struggle to bring together her two rich cultural identities without falling apart in the process.

All her life Dimple has resisted the traditions of her parents and striven to be like her blonde, blue-eyed "supertwin" Gwyn. Tall, thin and confident (and irresistible to boys) Gwyn is everything Dimple is not. But Dimple has something that doesn't: "Indianness", a heritage that she does her best to ignore until, out of the blue, it seems that all things Indian are hip and cool. Even Gwyn is sporting a bindi between her brows. But what do you do when the world gets hold of your culture before you've managed to grasp it yourself?

Encouraged by her cousin Kavita and aided by her talent for photography Dimple discovers New York's explosive South Asian club and college scene. But this whole new world and its array of exciting characters - from DJs to drag queens - only serve to make Dimple even more uncertain of where she belongs.

To complicate matters still further, Dimple's parents are trying to set her up with a "suitable boy". Their first meeting is a disaster, but then she bumps into him again at an underground party - where he spins a magical web of words and music that draws her swiftly in. Suddenly he becomes suitable because of his sheer unsuitability. Trouble is, Gwyn seems to think so too…

Born Confused is a funny, thoughtful and perceptive novel resounding with the beats of bhangra to pop and filled with the energy of meeting and melding cultures. It is also a universal story about finding yourself, finding your friends, finding love and finding your culture - sometimes where you least expect it.

Born Confused was published to critical acclaim in the US in October 2002. It was named an ALA Best Books for Young Adults book of the year and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age 2003.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tanuja Desai Hidier is American-born and now lives in London. Before moving to the UK she lived in New York and worked as a writer and editor for magazines, CD-ROM projects and websites.

Born Confused is Tanuja's first novel and is published in June 2003. The theme of first and second generation Indian-Americans, and of individuals coming to terms with their cross-cultural backgrounds, also figures prominently in much of Tanuja's other work. Desai Hidier's short story, The Border, was awarded first prize in the London Writers Waterstones competition for Fiction in 2001. Another short story Tiger, Tiger was included in the Big City Lit anthology celebrating a decade of Asian-American writing.

Tanuja has also worked as a filmmaker. Her short film, The Test (which she wrote and directed) deals with many of the same cultural assimilation themes as her fiction. The Test was screened as part of the 19th Asian American International Film Festival. It also received an Award of Merit from the 1996 Sinking Creek Film & Video Festival at Vanderbilt University in the US and was included in the curriculum of a New York University course in 1997, South Asian American Youth Comes of Age.

Tanuja now lives in London, where she is lead vocalist/lyricist in a melodic rock band. The group is currently working on a set of original songs based on Born Confused.

For more information visit www.thisistanuja.com

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