Members Only tells the story of Raj, a middle-aged Indian-American man living in a predominately white community. I appreciated the point of view of an Indian man because I haven't read many books with that perspective. This book was an enjoyable and informative read. First, because Raj is exceedingly likable. Blunder after blunder, I felt compassion for him and was rooting for him from the very beginning. The escalation of the situations he accidentally put himself in was hard to read because of this.
I think beyond the obvious and important main topic of race discussions, this is also a book about how "cancel culture" can be so toxic and dangerous. Conclusions were jumped, assumptions were made, and a kind and generous character was lambasted by strangers who had no idea what happened.
An element of this book that I found really important was the sense of isolation Raj felt throughout his horrific experience. Although he was granted membership to the Tennis Club, he still felt like an outsider. That isolation was felt through the pages, and I found myself being so angry and sad for Raj, and other like him, who feel so excluded from a culture/community because of their race or ethnicity.
I think beyond the obvious and important main topic of race discussions, this is also a book about how "cancel culture" can be so toxic and dangerous. Conclusions were jumped, assumptions were made, and a kind and generous character was lambasted by strangers who had no idea what happened.
An element of this book that I found really important was the sense of isolation Raj felt throughout his horrific experience. Although he was granted membership to the Tennis Club, he still felt like an outsider. That isolation was felt through the pages, and I found myself being so angry and sad for Raj, and other like him, who feel so excluded from a culture/community because of their race or ethnicity.