Red, White, and Whole

Reha is the protagonist of the novel. She is 13 years old, and she feels as though she is living two lives. As the daughter of immigrants, she does her best to connect with Indian culture even though she does not speak Tamil or Kannada and feels out of place whenever she visits Bangalore. She also tries to connect with American culture, but she looks and dresses differently from her peers, values school more than most other girls in her grade, and is not allowed to date boys. Part of her journey in Red, White, and Whole involves learning how to balance the two halves of her life by integrating them into one whole.

Although Reha sometimes resents her parents for strictly limiting her social life, she understands that they want what is best for her, and she loves them both tremendously. When it comes to school, her parents want her to do well, and she wants to make them proud. She genuinely loves school for its own sake as well, especially her biology classes. Her parents want her to succeed, but they allow her to choose her own academic interests, hoping that she will follow her own goals and dreams to build a good life for herself.