Red, White, and Whole Summary and Study Guide
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Quick Facts
| Author | Rajani LaRocca |
| Publication Year | 2020 |
| Genre | Novel in verse |
| Setting | Small midwestern city, 1980s |
| Narrator | First-person |
| Protagonist | Reha, a thirteen-year-old Indian-American girl |
Short Summary
Reha is a thirteen-year-old Indian-American girl living in a small midwestern city in the 1980s, navigating two worlds: her American school life and her Indian home life. Her mother Amma works in a hospital hematology lab, and her father is an engineer. When Amma is diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, Reha's world fractures. She struggles with guilt, grief, and the fear of losing her mother, while also navigating first love with classmate Pete and the tension between her Indian heritage and American identity. Amma's illness progresses despite chemotherapy, and she dies. A month later, Reha receives a posthumous aerogramme from her mother, who tells her she belongs to both India and America and can be whole. The novel ends with Reha beginning to heal, reconnecting with friends, and accepting her dual identity.
Full Summary
Two Worlds
The novel opens with Reha describing her two lives: weekdays at school with her American friends, and weekends with her Indian community. She feels caught between these worlds, noting that only in one place does she have her parents. Her mother Amma works in a hospital hematology lab, and her father is an engineer. Reha's name means