ALWAYS A FOREIGNER (PB)

A fascinating memoir is about
growing up as an Indian Foreign Service child in the 70s and 80s.  The journey was like the voyage of Sinbad,
full of adventure.    Running up a Himalayan
hillside pulling leeches off her legs, covering drug busts in a gritty US
suburb to uncovering racism under the pure Alpine snow, Ashwini Devare’s
fascinating memoir is about growing up as an Indian Foreign Service child in
the 70s and 80s. From the Soviet Union’s Iron Curtain to Burma’s Bamboo
Curtain, Ashwini Devare lived in six countries by the time she was
fifteen.   In each country, she had a
front-row seat to tumultuous global events that redefined the twentieth
century, from the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri to the integration of Sikkim
into India, the assassination of Indira Gandhi to student-led democracy in
South Korea.   Ashwini Devare’s journey
from diplomat’s daughter to broadcast journalist was marked by constant
changes and upheaval. ‘Fitting in’ was the mantra for survival.   This is a remarkable story of an Indian
family that faces the challenges of love, loss and separation with
resilience, optimism and courage. A family that would continually be flung
from their comfort zones into alien, unfamiliar lands, always holding hands
to soften the landings. In the background was the constant comfort of the
Indian flag—providing reassurance as the family navigated their way in
foreign lands.