Stranger on the Home Front
Stranger on the Home Front begins in California in 1916. When the book opens, Margaret Singh is a carefree schoolgirl whose father is Indian and mother is American. She lives in San Francisco, far from the troubles of war. But after the United States enters the Great War, Margaret’s father is suddenly arrested for his association with the Ghadar Party, a group fighting to free India from British rule. Suddenly, Margaret is looked upon with great suspicion at school, even though she is, in fact, an American. Through it all, Margaret learns to stand up for herself and her beliefs.
This is middle-grade historical fiction that explores racial prejudice in America during World War I. It also teaches the reader about the Ghadar party, a group of Indian immigrants on the U.S. West Coast who supported the Indian overthrow of British rule. Because the Indian independence movement had the support of Germany during World War I, members were looked upon with suspicion and arrested. This led to the Hindu-German Conspiracy Trial. We also learn that German Americans were oppressed and discriminated against, at this time through Margaret’s friend Betty. Margaret’s mother represents the many American women who lost their citizenship between 1907 and 1922 simply for marrying foreign-born men. The author’s note and the timeline at the end of the book provide more interesting facts about this period in history.
This book is part of the I Am America series, which teaches children about overlooked, lost, or forgotten stories in history.
