God Loves Hair

by Vivek Shraya, Juliana Neufeld (Illustrator)

Overview

"A touching poetic exploration of budding sexuality, the mysticism of religion, and family dynamics. Shraya's text and Neufeld's illustrations capture the confusion, innocence, and de3lusions of adolescence bang on."—Brian Francis, author of Fruit

I am often mistaken for a girl. Not just because I like to wear dresses or makeup. I don't mind. My parents are from India and here is not quite home. School isn't always safe and neither is my body. But I feel safe in my love for God. And God loves hair.

First self-published to acclaim in 2011, Vivek Shraya's first book, now published by Arsenal Pulp Press for the first time, is a collection of twenty-one short stories following a tender, intellectual, and curious child of Indian origin as he navigates the complex realms of sexuality, gender, racial politics, religion, and belonging. Told with the poignant insight and honesty that only the voice of a young mind can convey, God Loves Hair is a moving and ultimately joyous portrait of youth that celebrates diversity in all shapes, sizes, and colors. A Lambda Literary Award finalist in the category of children's books. The stories are accompanied by the award-winning full-color illustrations of Juliana Neufeld.

Vivek Shraya is a multimedia artist, working in the mediums of music, performance, literature, and film. He is also author of She of the Mountains.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781551525433
Publisher:	Arsenal Pulp Press, Limited
Publication date:	09/09/2014
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	92
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Vivek Shraya: Vivek Shraya is a multimedia artist, working in the mediums of music, performance, literature, and film. Vivek has released albums ranging from acoustic folk-rock to electro synth-pop. His most recent film, What I LOVE about being QUEER, includes a book and online component.

Editorial Reviews

★ 09/29/2014
Hinduism and its institutions can heap shame on gay adolescents just as effectively as the Judeo-Christian world, Shraya's collection of short stories shows. Originally self-published in 2011, this terse, honest account of growing up gay in an East Indian family living in Canada explores layers of identity—immigrant, male, cultural consumer, sexual being. "Maybe you should dress me up in a sari and see what I would look like as a girl," his young narrator tells his Indian aunts coyly, reveling in the jewelry and makeup that go with his costume. Later, in his teens, the boy tries to manage amorphous and confusing desires by dedicating his life to God at a religious summer school. An older adherent follows him back to his room: "Just sit next to me for a second." Caution and excuses are no help: "He grabs my face with his hands and slams his chapped lips against mine." Shraya's stripped-down prose has documentary force, and Neufeld's illustrations, with their intersecting planes of translucent color and their linoleum block-style images, add humor and bite. It's an important addition to the library of coming-out literature. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

2014-07-16
A young boy grapples with his self-image and budding homosexuality. In his debut novella, the Toronto-based Shraya explores growing up gay and religious through the character of a nameless Indo-Canadian boy who from childhood on is somewhat female-identified. The protagonist is born with "a full head of jet-black hair," coming to sport "one long, thin ponytail" as he waits until age 2 for his first haircut, receiving compliments all the while for being a "cute baby girl." Thus begins the boy's fluid—at times troubling—experience with gender, which Shraya cleverly encapsulates in the boy's experience of developing body hair alongside others in his life. His younger brother buzzes some of his off; his father demonstrates how to shave his mustache; Vicky Macker, the cool girl, wants to dye his hair red, like hers; and his mother, with whom he most closely identifies, zealously plucks her eyebrows. Throughout this brief bildungsroman, the boy negotiates his way through Canadian and Indian cultures, learning differing roles played by the sexes and often feeling comforted and occasionally frightened by the strength of his Hindu faith. Neufeld's mixed-media illustrations pair well with the scenes they depict, capturing the essence of being young with their multilayered texture and comic book-like immediacy. Running the emotional spectrum from shame to pleasure and acceptance, Shraya offers a refreshing window into the intimate struggles of youth. (Fiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews

Vivek Shraya warmly narrates her tenth-anniversary edition of connected short stories inspired by her own childhood. Shraya's youthful tone reflects a curious boy's innocence as he navigates coming of age with Hindu parents unwilling to discuss bodies, sex, and queerness. This book was originally published before the author began to identify as transgender. Shraya's emotional connection with the protagonist adds a layer of authenticity and sincerity to an audiobook full of heartbreak, anxiety, and, ultimately, joy. This performance highlights the realities of being brown, queer, and Hindu and the necessity to figure out how those identities intersect. While the audiobook lacks the illustrations of the physical book, it does feature Shraya's stunning singing voice . A.K.R. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile

Vivek Shraya warmly narrates her tenth-anniversary edition of connected short stories inspired by her own childhood. Shraya's youthful tone reflects a curious boy's innocence as he navigates coming of age with Hindu parents unwilling to discuss bodies, sex, and queerness. This book was originally published before the author began to identify as transgender. Shraya's emotional connection with the protagonist adds a layer of authenticity and sincerity to an audiobook full of heartbreak, anxiety, and, ultimately, joy. This performance highlights the realities of being brown, queer, and Hindu and the necessity to figure out how those identities intersect. While the audiobook lacks the illustrations of the physical book, it does feature Shraya's stunning singing voice . A.K.R. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile