SPOTLIGHT WEDNESDAY - Jazz in Love by Neesha Meminger

Neesha Meminger and I share a dirty little secret with Jasbir (aka, Jazz) the protagonist of her latest novel, JAZZ IN LOVE. Don't tell, but we love bodice rippers. I'm so embarrassed by my collection that I keep it in a box in the crawl space. Oh. But now the Internets know. Oops.



Here's the flap copy:

Jasbir, otherwise known as Jazz, has always been a stellar student and obedient, albeit wise-cracking, daughter. Everything has gone along just fine - she has good friends in the "genius" program she's been in since kindergarten, her teachers and principal adore her, and her parents dote on her. But now, in her junior year of high school, her mother hears that Jazz was seen hugging a boy on the street, and goes ballistic. Mom immediately implements the Guided Dating Plan, which includes setting up blind dates with "suitable," pre-screened Indian candidates. There's only one problem: Jazz has her sights set on the very UNsuitable new hottie at school. When Jazz makes a few out-of-the-ordinary decisions, everything explodes, and she realizes she'll need a lot more than her genius education to get out of the huge mess she's created. Can Jazz find a way to follow her own heart and still stay in the good graces of her parents?

With her characteristic humor and pitch perfect teen dialogue (loved "Bindibos" - Bimbos who sport a bindi) Meminger explores the age-old struggle between traditional parents and a teen who wants to be more "modern". Jasbir is from a Sikh family, and although her best friend Jeevan (Jeeves), the boy whom she was seen hugging is also Sikh, he is from a lesser caste and thus deemed "unsuitable." And as for Tyler R, the incredible hot guy who makes Jazz want to rip her own bodice, even though he's Indian,he's from the Caribbean, so fuggedaboudit!

Lyn Miller-Lachmann, author of the excellent Gringolandia and editor of the Multicultural Review, reviewed Jazz in Love for Readergirlz:

Meminger offers a fascinating window into Punjabi-American lives that also weaves in cultural information seamlessly and offers opportunities to compare and contrast one’s own cultural limits and expectations. Readers who share the cultural background of the characters will recognize the generational divide between traditional parents and children who have adopted the ways of the new country, as well as the diverse experiences of an Indian diaspora that includes England and the Caribbean...While the book begins as a romance, it takes some unexpected turns that lead readers to examine the difference between love and lust...Those looking for a fun, smart read will be well served by this novel

Visit Neesha on the Web at http://neeshameminger.com