66 pages 2 hours read

Red, White, and Whole

Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Middle Grade | Published in 2021

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Summary and Study Guide

Overview

Red, White, and Whole is a 2021 middle grade novel by Indian American writer Rajani LaRocca. The novel is written in verse, which means that each of the many short chapters is actually a poem. All of the poems come together to tell the story of Reha, a 13-year-old Indian American girl growing up in the Midwest in 1983 and struggling to find a balance between her family’s Indian culture and her desire to fit in with her American friends. To add to her troubles, Reha’s world is turned upside-down when her mother is diagnosed with leukemia. LaRocca, who is a practicing physician and an Indian immigrant to the United States, incorporates her own medical expertise and her personal experiences into the story. Red, White, and Whole was the winner of many accolades, including the 2022 John Newbery Honor for contributions to American literature for children, the 2022 Walter Dean Myers Award, the 2021 New England Book Award.

This guide uses the 2021 Quill Tree Books e-book edition of the novel.

Content Warning: This guide and its source text both discuss grief and loss after the death of a parent. There are also some brief references to racism and discrimination.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock Icon

Unlock all 66 pages of this Study Guide

Plus, gain access to 8,850+ more expert-written Study Guides.

Including features:

+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools