Members Only - Hardcover

Pandya, Sameer

  • 3.89 out of 5 stars
    1,936 ratings by Goodreads
 
9780358098546: Members Only
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0358098548 ISBN 13: 9780358098546
Publisher: Mariner Books, 2020

Synopsis

First the white members of Raj Bhatt’s posh tennis club call him racist. Then his life falls apart. Along the way, he wonders: where does he, a brown man, belong in America? This award-winning novel “offers deep insight into the ways the characters are shaped by racism” (Publishers Weekly). ¶ An NPR Best Book · A Millions Most Anticipated Title of 2020 · A Rumpus Best Book for Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month ¶ Raj is often unsure of where he belongs. Having moved to America from Bombay as a child, he knew few Indian kids. Now middle-aged, he lives mostly happily in California, with a job at a university. Still, his white wife seems to fit in better than he does at times, especially at their tennis club, a place he’s cautiously come to love. But it’s there that, in one week, his life unravels. It begins at a meeting for potential new members: Raj thrills to find an African American couple on the list; he dreams of a more diverse club. But in an effort to connect, he makes a racist joke. The committee turns on him, no matter the years of prejudice he’s put up with. And worse still, he soon finds his job is in jeopardy after a group of students report him as a reverse racist, thanks to his alleged “anti-Western bias.” Heartfelt, humorous, and hard-hitting, Members Only explores what membership and belonging mean, as Raj navigates the complicated space between black and white America.

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About the Author

SAMEER PANDYA is the author of the story collection The Blind Writer, which was longlisted for the PEN/Open Book Award. He is also the recipient of the PEN/Civitella Fellowship. His fiction, commentary, and cultural criticism has appeared in a range of publications, including the Atlantic, Salon, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and Narrative Magazine. He teaches creative writing and South Asian and Asian American literature at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Members Only is his first novel.

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Publisher
Mariner Books
Publication date
2020
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0358098548
ISBN 13 
9780358098546
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
368
Rating
  • 3.89 out of 5 stars
    1,936 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780358379928: Members Only: An NPR Best Book – A Humorous Indian American Story of Race, Privilege, and Belonging

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  035837992X ISBN 13:  9780358379928
Publisher: Mariner Books, 2020
Softcover