What We Inherit: Growing Up Indian

Published by AWARE
An anthology of essays and poems written by and for Indian women (and a few men), brimming with inconvenient truths and painful retrospect

Format: Paperback
Pages: 320

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A celebration of the slippages, strife and secret histories that make us—for better or worse—who we are.

A woman faces off against a xenophobic stranger across a supermarket turnstile.

A young girl mistakes her first period for strawberry yoghurt and endures an embarrassing puberty ceremony.

At the funeral of her cruel and prejudiced dadhi, a granddaughter reflects on the confusions of grief and the trauma passed through family lines.

A follow-up to the best-selling anthology Growing Up Perempuan (AWARE, 2018), What We Inherit tells the stories of Indian women (and a few men) in Singapore entirely in their own words. They question the expectations foisted upon them, discover new avenues into old traditions and carve out spaces for joy amid anger and sorrow. At a time when the bonds between us seem at constant risk of breaking, What We Inherit turns our attention towards community in all its complexities. It’s a reminder of how we honour, betray and ultimately bear witness to each other… and ourselves.