Fitting Indian

Social mediainfluencer Jyoti Chands and Tara Anand’s debut YA graphic novel is NetflixsNever Have I Evermeets Tillie WaldensSpinningand follows Nitasha’s journey navigating high school and her mental health issues within a traditional South Asian family.

All Nitashas parents want is for her to be the perfect Indian daughtersomething she is decidedlynot. Everything she does seems to disappoint them, especially her mom. They just don’t get that she’llnever be like her doctor older brother.To make matters worse, she’s never quite felt like she belongs at school either, and lately,her best friend, Ava, and her crush, Henry, seem to be more interested in the rich new girl than in her.

Alcohol takes the edge off, but when that doesn’t work, Nitasha turns to cutting. She cant stop asking herself: Will she ever be enough for her friends or her family? Or even for herself?

This authentic and powerful teen graphic novel debut from Jyoti Chand and Tara Anandshines a light on how harmful the stigma of mental illness is and how lifesaving a community that is honest about mental health can be.