Beyond Ethnic Loneliness:
The Pain of Marginalization and the Path to Belonging
An Indian American immigrant who grew up in white Southern culture, Prasanta Verma names and sheds light on the realities of ethnic loneliness. She unpacks the exhausting effects of cultural isolation, the dynamics of marginalization, and the weight of being other. In the midst of disconnection and erasure, she points to the longing to belong, the need to share our stories, and the hope of finding safe friendships and community. Our places of exile can become places where we find belonging―to ourselves, to others, and to God.
Beyond Ethnic Loneliness is available now at Amazon and wherever books are sold.
Publishers Weekly Review
“Poet Verma debuts with a candid exploration of what it means to search for belonging in a society riven by racial and ethnic prejudice… readers will be won over by the author’s bracing honesty, keen insights into America’s systemic inequalities, and measured hope for repairing them… It’s a brave and compassionate look at questions of belonging, identity, and faith.”
What People are Saying About Beyond Ethnic Loneliness:
Beyond Ethnic Loneliness is a moving read for any person of color who has silently carried the burden of isolation, invisibility, and marginalization…If you work with persons of color and seek to comprehend these struggles, read this book now.
~Terence Lester, founder of Love Beyond Walls and author of All God’s Children
Beyond Ethnic Loneliness so helpfully names and holds space for the challenges faced by ethnic minorities, challenges that are overlooked or swept under the rug. I felt seen by Prasanta Verma’s thoughtful reflections, compelling stories, and poignant poetry… I wish I’d had a book like this much earlier in my life…
~Sabrina S. Chan, author of Learning Our Names and national director of InterVarsity Asian American Ministries
Prasanta Verma wonderfully articulates what ethnic loneliness means for people of color through personal stories, poetry, and research…Read this book to grow your appreciation of how our God-given differences add to the richness of living, relating, and belonging.
~DJ Chuang, director of Christian Asian Mental Health and author of MultiAsian.Church: A Future for Asian Americans in a Multiethnic World
With clarity and insight, Prasanta Verma gives voice to stories of isolation and marginalization that are often experienced by many immigrants and people of color. Her engagement with these narratives addresses critical issues faced by racial and ethnic minorities. The book also moves the reader forward toward healing, hope, and an understanding of culture and ethnicity…This book is a valuable resource to anyone engaging in issues of race and ethnicity.
~Joshua Joseph, assistant director of the Thriving Immigrant Congregations Initiative at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Beyond Ethnic Loneliness is a revelation. Prasanta Verma beautifully illuminates the joys and struggles of ethnic immigrants and BIPOC in America. Although ethnic loneliness is found inconsistently in other literature on ethnicity, racism, or racial trauma, Prasanta centers it.
~Sheila Wise Rowe, author of Healing Racial Trauma and Young, Gifted, and Black
Beyond Ethnic Loneliness is a literary basket brimming with goodness. Within its pages you will find a sojourner’s memoir, a motherly embrace, a valuable glossary, scriptural insight, and thoughtful resources. Loneliness has been a backdrop to our human stories, and this project brings much-needed acknowledgment and practical steps to help fill the emptiness.
~Dorena Williamson, bridge builder and author of The Celebration Place
Before reading this book, I had never thought to give myself permission to connect my ethnicity with loneliness―even though I experienced it in palpable amounts. Prasanta not only gives readers permission for this and so much more in her offering, but she also holds their hands and walks alongside them as she illuminates a path forward.
~Quantrilla Ard, author, speaker, and grief coach at The PhD Mamma
She defines the complicated feelings of life in the in-between space while simultaneously reminding ethnic outsiders that not only do they belong, but their ethnicity is also beautiful and God honoring. This book will challenge your assumptions and help you walk in the outsider’s shoes.
~E. L Sherene Joseph, writer and storyteller at the crossroads of Christianity, culture, and community
Beyond Ethnic Loneliness is a magnificent work. With passion and clarity, Verma gives voice to a quieted minority…she offers a hand-in-hand path forward out of loneliness and towards a togetherness that values the experiences and identities of all people.
~Josh Olds, Lifeisstory.com and podcaster
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