A History of Burning

Spanning continents and centuries in the lives of four generations of one Indian-Ugandan family, A History of Burning is a riveting testament to home, exile, survival, and inheritance. Janika Oza is a writer you won't want to miss -- Lisa Ko, author of THE LEAVERS A History of Burning is as transfixing as a flame. Janika Oza writes strikingly and steadily, with exquisite, incisive detail, about making one's home in imperfect places. This is a book about what it means to be part of a family and lineage, in all its heartbreaking and wondrous complexity -- Rachel Khong, author of GOODBYE, VITAMIN A History of Burning is that rare epic that manages to retain both its sweep and its intimacy. Janika Oza has written a generational saga vivid and alive with sensory and historical detail, an excavation of stories often left untold. There is so much insight here into the aftershocks of colonialism and displacement, the way one generation's decisions, be they voluntary or compelled or somewhere in between, can reverberate through the ages and change lives yet to be lived. This is a beautiful book, unflinching yet deeply engaged with that most human work, the work of forgiveness -- Omar El Akkad, author of AMERICAN WAR Intimate and epic, A History of Burning effortlessly spans continents, political movements, and generations, while never losing sight of the humans living in these houses of history. Janika Oza bears witness, with rigor, with unflinching beauty, to a vital branch of South Asian diaspora, allowing both for the complexities of colonial violence and the human heart. A hymn for the ancestors, and the bitter, radiant acts of their survival: this book is a triumph -- Shruti Swamy, author of THE ARCHER [Oza's] writing reminds people that vulnerability and openness are the only ways we can save each other. A History of Burning is the art we need now -- Megan Giddings, author of LAKEWOOD