Kashmira Sheth: Our Shared Humanity Is Stronger Than the Labels That Keep Us Separated

Kashmira Sheth was born in India and came to the United States when she was seventeen to attend Iowa State University, where she received a BS in microbiology. She is the author of several picture books, chapter books, and middle grade and young adult novels.

Kashmira Sheth (Photo credit: Bob Beverson)

In this interview, Kashmira shares how a mass shooting inspired her most recent middle-grade novel, how it coming out in verse surprised her, and more. 

Name: Kashmira Sheth
Book title: I’m from Here Too
Publisher: Peachtree
Release date: July 2, 2024
Genre/category: Middle grade fiction
Previous titles: Chapter books: Nina Soni Series (six titles); Picture Books: My Dadima Wears a Sari, Monsoon afternoon, Tiger in My Soup, Sona and the Wedding Game, Feast of Peas; MG/YA novels: Boys without Names, Keeping Corner, Koyal Dark Mango Sweet, Blue Jasmine.
Elevator pitch: Anoop is many things: a brother, a son, a grandson, a friend, a middle school student, and a budding writer. He is also Indian American and Sikh. I’m from Here Too is an exploration of faith, culture, and identity, focusing on an underexplored culture and religion.

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What prompted you to write this book?

In 2012, a gunman attacked and killed several people in the Sikh gurudwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. After 9/11 many Sikhs were targeted with hate crimes and some were killed, but this attack was the first mass shooting targeting a specific Sikh community. This tragic incident first prompted me to write this book.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

It took many years to go from idea to publication. There were two main reasons behind that. The first was that at that time I was working on a chapter book series about a 9-year-old, Nina Soni. Eventually, I wrote six Nina Soni books, which took a few years. 

The second reason was that I had no clue how to tell this story. Should this be a middle grade or a young adult novel? Where did I want to set the story? How could I weave the event that had impacted the Sikh community with the story I wanted to tell? Since there were many doubts and questions and no answers, it took time to have a clear idea about the story. 

So this novel started out as my own quest to understand the terror of the attack on the gurudwara. Once I decided who would tell this story and how would he express his emotions, I was ready. Still, I had not thought about the format, but as I started writing, it came out in verse. That was a surprise to me.

Since I’m not a Sikh, I also had a lot of research to do. As I learned more about Sikhism, I incorporated elements in the story that I had not planned when I first started writing it. One specific example is how Anoop learns about the Prakash ceremony and other rituals and their significance from his grandfather.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

Since I have worked with my editor Kathy Landwehr (Peachtree Publishers) on many books before, the process was relatively smooth. However, a verse novel took more effort to revise. During revisions, I had to pay attention to line breaks, word choices, and rhythms.

Since this is a book in verse and Anoop, the main character, is also a poet, my editor suggested that I separate his poems from the rest of the book. I went back and revised it so that his poems would have an emotional focus, while his narrative voice would describe what was happening in his life. Kathy also suggested to have Anoop’s poems in a darker shade to separate them from the rest of the book.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

One of the most important learning moments was how to connect Anoop’s emotions with readers. Many children have experienced bullying, but to truly understand Anoop they had to know about his history and his faith. 

Growing up in India, I had learned about the Sikh religion in school. After coming to the US, I made friends who were Sikh. I was fortunate to go to gurudwaras with them. Yet, there was so much more about the religion to know and digest. 

As I started the research I found myself absorbed in it. I began to understand the concepts of equality, seva (service), and sacrifice not only from a historical, but also from a timeless, humanitarian perspective. I tried to weave that in the story.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

Anoop is Sikh, he has long hair, and wears a patka. He is also first generation Indian-American. As depicted on the cover, he looks very different from his classmates and may look very different from the readers. Yet, I hope readers will feel empathy for him and recognize themselves in the story.

Bullying is something that many, if not all, children have experienced. I hope this book is able to bring an understanding that no matter who we are, who we identify with, what our background is, we all are together in this journey and tied to one another with our hopes, fears, joy, belonging, and sadness.

Our shared humanity is a bond that is stronger than all the labels that keep us separated.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

I have two pieces of advice.

Read widely. Even though you may write in one genre, reading across multiple genres and age groups are critical and vastly enjoyable. It fuels creativity.

Writing is often about self-discovery. To travel deeper into the ideas and thoughts that shape us is enlightening and often scary. Since it is a journey, my advice is don’t be afraid to take a new path, you may come across unexpected vistas. 

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