An Afternoon with Raj Tawney and Vanessa Garcia

***Please note: This event will take place at the Books & Books in Coral Gables at 265 Aragon Ave. Tickets are FREE and books will be available for purchase at the event. Want your copy early or can't make it in-person?

New York Times essayist, Raj Tawney, delivers a gripping story of a multi-ethnic American boy who forges a complex friendship with a Pakistani immigrant in the wake of 9/11. It's 2002--less than one year after the September 11th attacks-- and sixth-grader Kamal Rao is tackling a brave new world of challenges, including figuring out who he really is and how he fits in. Even with New York City in its backyard, the suburban town where he lives is anything but open-minded. That means Kamal - frequently picked on and feeling ostracized -- usually spends his time alone, making mud pies in the backyard or cooking recipes with his mom and grandma from his family's three cultures.

Then, one day, a Pakistani immigrant named Jaz arrives at school, entering Kamal's life and challenging his sluggish movement through the world. As the two boys forge a friendship over their love of exploring the outdoors and eating good food, the newcomer begins to show Kamal how being "different" isn't a bad thing at all. For the first time, a fire is lit within Kamal - but what will happen when questions of Jaz's origins and his intentions begin to come into question at school and in their town? Will Kamal-- now on the cusp of discovering who he really is and who he wants to be -- risk his own safety and his family's trust help his new friend, someone he barely knows at all? Based on the author's personal life experiences, an insightful middle-grade novel from a fresh voice in children's fiction that will be felt long after the last page.

Raj Tawney is a writer and journalist whose work largely reflects his mixed-race upbringing in suburban Long Island, NY. Born to an Indian, Puerto Rican, and Italian American family, Tawney has explored his identity through personal essays published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and other outlets throughout the country. His debut memoir Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience (Fordham University Press) was published in 2023 to much acclaim. He is based in Miami, Florida.

Vanessa Garcia is a Cuban-American multidisciplinary writer -- screenwriter, playwright, novelist, and journalist/essayist -- who has written and worked for Sesame Street, where she’s been nominated for an Emmy ("Monster Meditation"), and won two Telly Awards ("Tamir On the Street").
She’s the author of the novel, White Light, which won an International Latino Book Award and was one of NPRs best books of 2015. Her first Picture Book for children, What the Bread Says, launched October 1, 2022.
Vanessa also hosts a podcast about family with her own sister and mother called Never The Empty Nest, available anywhere you listen to podcasts.

She holds a PhD from the University of California Irvine in Creative Nonfiction. Her dissertation focused on Cuba.

Host or Publisher Books & Books