We chat with author Kashmira Sheth about I’m From Here Too, which is an eloquent verse novel that follows an Indian American Sikh boy through a year of change, challenges, and growth
Hi, Kashmira! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Sure. I was born and raised in India. My childhood was split into two parts. The first eight years or so, I lived with my grnadparents in a small city. Our house was huge with beautiful tropical plants. My grandparents told stories and we read Indian Epice of Mahabharat and Ramayan in the evenings. When I was eight, I moved to Mumbai with my parents. The place was small and there was no garden. But I did have a library in the building and I was able to pursure my love of reading. My peaents shared many stories of their childhood with my brother and me. At the age of seventeen, I came to the USA for my studies. Eventhough I loved stories I never thought of becoming a writer and received my BS and MS in Microbiology. I worked in my field for many years.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I have always loved stories but I didn’t puruse writing until later in life. As a child, I loved listening to the stories, reading historical novels in my mother-tonge of Gujarati and loved Hindi poems and songs. When my daughters were young I read picture books (English) with them, rediscovering the joy of reading. Even after they became fluents readers I kept up with them. Even now we share our reading list. It was decade-long reading with my children that made me ache to share my story.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Since I read in my langaiage Gujarati I will share the one that I read later on. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. It was the first picture book that one of my neighbors gave us when my husband and I were expecting our first child. The beautiful illustrations enticed me and stayed with me.
The one that I remember from my childhood is probably Mahabahrat my grandmother read to all the children in the family. It was a heavy, thick volume and had to be supported by a book stand. Others were stories written by founder of my Montessori school, Gijubhai Badehka. (I started to learn English in 5th grade so there were no books in English before that)
- The one that made you want to become an author: I don’t think there was a single book that made me want to become an author but many books that I shared with my daughters during their childhood. I remember enjoying books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Lois Lowry, Madelline L’engle, Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway and many many more. They all made me want to share my stories.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: There are so many of them! But if I have to pick one that has influenced me most, and I come back to it again and again is the epic Mahabharat. It is not just a story about the two princely cousins, trying to hold onto their sucession which eventually leads to the war, but also dwells into the way of life. The Bhagvat Gita is part of it. As a child, I didn’t enjoy this philosophical aspect of the story as much as all the rest of it though. The intrigue, love, betrayal, magic, the gods and their magics were much powerful forces of the story that swept me away.
Your latest novel, I’m from Here Too, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
I would say it is about belonging, bullying, faith, courage, and connections.
What can readers expect?
I hope reader can see a unique perspective of a Sikh youth growing up in Wisconsin and at the same time feel the connection with him at the most deeper human level of love and acceptance. The setting may seem unfamiliar—may it be a small town in Midwest, the land marked by glaciers, a Sikh temple, the wheat fields of Punjab, but Anoop’s fear and yearning can make them empathiese with him.
Where did the inspiration for I’m from Here Too come from?
The idea emerged out of the tragedy when the gurudara, a Sikh temple, in Oak Creek WI, was attached by a gunman killing many people. It made me think about how a Sikh youth would feel growing up in rural Wisconsin. What might he face? How would he survive?
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I enjoyed Anopp’s visit to India. As he saw his grandfather’s wheat fields and walked with him, I thought of tropical garden of my childhood and the preciouse time I spent with my grandparetns and my great grandfather!
What do you hope your readers take away from I’m from Here Too?
My hope is that I’m from Here Too immerses them into an unfamiliar world of senses and a familiar world of emotions. That they see how we’re all interconnected with our history, our present, our future.
What’s next for you?
Right now I’m working on a contemparay MG novel. I have a picture book coming out in 2026.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
I read widely. Here is the partial list of titles I have read recently:
- James by Percival Everett
- Refugee by Alan Gratz
- The Covenent of Water by Abraham Verghese
- When you Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
- The Perils of Lady Catherine De Bourgh by Claudia Gray
- Harbor Me by Jacqueleen Woodson
- The Crossover by Kwame Alaxander
- The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
- The Return of Faraz Ali by Aamina Ahmad and many many picture books.
- I just picked up Brading Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and can’t wait to start reading it.
