Tanuja Desai Hidier is a second-generation Indian American whose novel Born Confused tells a coming-of-age story of a young girl living in suburban New Jersey. The novel has won several awards as well as the attention of many in the Indian-American community.

Desai Hidier was born in Boston and grew up in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. "It was a sanctuary of trees and fields and apple orchards and dogs on no leashes and safe trick-or-treating," the author explained in an interview on her Web site. Her parents had come to America from India and settled in Massachusetts. The young Desai Hidier showed an early interest in written expression. "I began writing poems at age six for fun and turned to fiction at 10 or 11," she explained in an interview for the News India Times. "I realized that I could best express myself through writing, so I kept it up." Speaking to...