Royal Abduls

Second-generation author Ramiza Shamoun Koya weaves a fictional account of an Indian-american family struggling with a sense of belonging in post-9/11 Washington D.C. When Amina Abdul's nephew brings an ornamental knife to school, his expulsion puts pressure on an already-fracturing family. Caught between wanting to foster his thirst for ancestral knowledge, and willing that the family not draw attention to themselves, Amina straddles who she is and what is expected of her.