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Diversity Quota
Ranjan Adiga
Debutiful - Most Anticipated Book List
“Adiga deftly complicates the conventional politics around immigrant narratives, instead drawing out the tender, lonely, shameful, and devoted qualities of his characters. . . . A thoughtful, encapsulating portrait of Nepali life.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Caught in the spaces between cultures
Complicating the idea of a single immigrant narrative, the stories in Diversity Quota move from the US to Nepal and back again, showing how displacement can lead to suffering or hope—sometimes simultaneously. In Kathmandu, Nepalis are frequently caught up in battles between tradition and progress; in the United States, their cultural dislocation is often emblematic of the larger predicaments immigrants face. Ranjan Adiga navigates these larger problems of racism, inequity, and gender roles, all the while centering the humanity of his characters, flaws and all.
In these stories, the lines between “winners” and “losers” in a rapidly globalizing world become frayed and warped. A Nepali migrant’s worst fears materialize in “Leech.” A couple in “Denver” tries to acclimate to a new social class. A middle-aged man is attracted to his barber in “Haircut and Massage.” A Nepali professor is captivated by a white American student in “The Diversity Committee.” In often unexpected ways, Adiga captures moments of survival amid worlds colored by precarity.
Ranjan Adiga’s stories and articles have appeared in Story Quarterly, the New York Times, Huffington Post, and the Salt Lake Tribune, among others. Originally from Nepal, he now teaches creative writing at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Praise
“Portrays a colorful cast of Nepalis both at home and in the US—immigrants, students, couples, professor, father, son, man, woman, and servant—with remarkable empathy and brutal honesty. Adiga’s protagonists confront their deepest fears and personal struggles: be it class, sex, poverty, misogyny, or male anxiety. Wry, unsentimental, yet tender, their lived experiences will move you and take your breath away.”
—Yang Huang, author of My Good Son
“The stories are enlightening and from the heart. Getting to know these characters and their stories was a delight.”
—Debutiful
“The stories exploring transgressions and dissolution of boundaries are richly imagined and immaculately crafted. Adiga lends a powerful voice to the challenges and dreams of his Nepali characters, both in Nepal and in their adopted homeland of America. Diversity Quota is a strikingly original collection, a terrific book.”
—Samrat Upadhyay, author of Arresting God in Kathmandu
Table of Contents
Denver
Leech
Spicy Kitchen
Kali
A Short Visit
High Heels
Haircut and Massage
Student Visa
The Diversity Committee
Dry Blood
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Larger images
October 2024
164 pp. 5.5 x 8.5
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