Members Only

By Sameer Pandya

Book Overview

First the white members of Raj Bhatt's posh tennis club call him racist. Then his life falls apart. Along the way, he wonders: where does he, a brown man, belong in America? This award-winning novel "offers deep insight into the ways the characters are shaped by racism" (Publishers Weekly).

An NPR Best Book - A Millions Most Anticipated Title of 2020 - A Rumpus Best Book for Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month

Raj is often unsure of where he belongs. Having moved to America from Bombay as a child, he knew few Indian kids. Now middle-aged, he lives mostly happily in California, with a job at a university. Still, his white wife seems to fit in better than he does at times, especially at their tennis club, a place he's cautiously come to love. But it's there that, in one week, his life unravels. It begins at a meeting for potential new members: Raj thrills to find an African American couple on the list; he dreams of a more diverse club. But in an effort to connect, he makes a racist joke. The committee turns on him, no matter the years of prejudice he's put up with. And worse still, he soon finds his job is in jeopardy after a group of students report him as a reverse racist, thanks to his alleged "anti-Western bias." Heartfelt, humorous, and hard-hitting, Members Only explores what membership and belonging mean, as Raj navigates the complicated space between black and white America.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 035837992X
• ISBN13: 9780358379928
• Release Date: July 2020
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A powerful commentary on racism, racial identity, and cancel culture

Member’s Only follows Raj, an Indian American professor who is accused of racism twice over one week. When Raj accidentally uses a racial slur while interviewing an African American couple for membership to the prestigious tennis club he belongs to, the other members turn on him and accuse him of racism. As if that’s not bad enough, the next day a student uploads his Anthropology lecture to a popular conservative website and he is accused of having an anti-Western, anti-Christian bias. Both situations quickly escalate, and both Raj’s job and his membership to the tennis club come under fire. Members Only is a story about one man with a powerful commentary on racism, racial identity, and cancel culture. It takes place over a single week, starting with the tennis club membership on Sunday. It’s told in long chapters, broken up by each day. Raj narrates the story in the first person and it is told largely in the present, with anecdotes where Raj reflects on impactful moments in his life that have shaped his current viewpoint. Though the synopsis and title lead you to believe the story is focused on the tennis club, the bulk of the book is focused on the negative press Raj receives as a professor under a microscope and the overall impact on his psyche. At first, I found this story challenging but after the first chapter, I felt like I came to get to know Raj, and connected with his story and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found myself sympathizing with Raj and the predicament he finds himself in. If you like contemporary character-driven stories, Members Only is a book for you.