Raj Bhatt was raised in Bombay until he was 8 and moved to NYC. He learned early on that the brown color of his skin set him apart from the rest of the populace. But in India, his religion was also a precursor for the way he was treated. Eventually, Raj and his white wife join a California tennis club in the same town where he is a college professor. At a tennis club membership meeting, Raj makes one flippant remark about a potential black couple joining the club and it starts a disastrous week where he is considered at once racist and then reverse racist. That’s not a great predicament when you simply want to belong and ensure your kids have a place in the future community. Expected to accept people’s subtle racist tendencies on an almost daily basis, yet immediately judged when he makes one mistake, Raj decisions weigh heavily on his mind and his ability to work highlighting the fact that Raj lives in a world in-between acceptance and outright prejudice. It’s not a fun place in which to reside. He just wants to belong. Members Only was witty, insightful, and enlightened story that managed to avoid being heavy-handed. I loved it. Thanks to author Sameer Pandya for this sweet story. Thanks to @bookishfirst and @houghtonmifflinharcourt for the advanced reader copy. Read this one which has a publication date of May 12, 2020. As always the thoughts and reviews are my own and without bias. Can’t we all just get along? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #membersonly #book #race @sameerpandya524 #anthropology IG:@bookbimbo