Her grappling with identity and place of belonging in a rapidly changing world is one Hiranandani can relate to, herself the daughter of a Hindu father and Jewish-American mother. Throughout the novel, Nisha questions what this heritage makes her.

Hiranandani’s protagonist, Nisha, faces a unique challenge to her identity: her father is Hindu, but her late mother was Muslim. I always knew Partition was something that had happened to my family, but I hadn’t realized how huge the event was on a global scale, and I was shocked as I began to reflect on it,” said Hiranandani. “When I was 11, I watched the movie Gandhi, which was pivotal for me. Violence, chaos, and tragedy plagued the countless travelers as their paths crisscrossed over a border which appeared overnight. Hindus and other non-Muslims living in Pakistan and Muslims living in India prior to independence were pushed to migrate to their new, respective homes as a sovereign India and a newborn Pakistan established themselves on the world stage. Its messages of love, family, friendship, kindness, and tolerance are still compelling and timely today.India’s independence brought about the formation of a new nation, Pakistan, carved out of northwestern India as a new homeland for Indian Muslims, leaving the rest of India to Hindus, Sikhs, and other non-Muslim Indians. This chapter of recent history will be a revelation to many Western readers. As 12-year-old narrator Nisha writes letters to her deceased mother in her diary, she describes the family's flight, hardships, dangers - including murderous brawls and crazed knife-wielding men trying to kill children. It's loosely based on the experiences of author Hiranandani's family members in the 1940s. It's the story of a Hindu family whose home, once in India, becomes part of Muslim Pakistan when British colonial rule ends and religious violence erupts between once-peaceful neighbors.

Parents need to know that Veera Hiranandani's The Night Diary was named a 2019 Newbery Honor Book. Nisha and Amil's mother died giving birth to them, so their birthday is always sad as well as happy.ĭid you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide. Onetime friends and neighbors start beating and killing each other over religious differences, and bullies start the process young. In one scene, a crazed stranger holds a knife to a tween character's throat, planning to kill her in revenge for his own family. Deadly religious warfare is what drives the family from their once-happy home as refugees. Characters in danger for most of the story, sometimes have to leave a place because they're putting others in danger.

Nisha from the night diary