Many Windows: Six Kids, Five Faiths, One Community
By Rukhsana Khan with Elisa Carbone and Uma Krishnaswami
Napoleon, 2008

Book Review by Pooja Makhijani
From Kahani Winter 2009



In Many Windows: Six Kids, Five Faiths, One Community, an innovative short story collection, readers meet shy TJ, thoughtful Natalie, curious Jameel, kind Deepa, understanding Benjamin, and outgoing Stephanie. Classmates, but not friends, these children come from five different religions—Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism. They all share a love for basketball.

Each story in the collection centers on a different celebration within the faith of that child and represents a window into the life of the child. In Lights Against the Darkness, Deepa understands that, regardless of how far her best friend and former basketball teammate Bani is, they can celebrate Diwali together. In The Visit, Jameel celebrates Eid ul Fitr with his family and comes to terms with his dear uncle’s past.

In the final story of the book, Deepa, Jameel, and their classmates come together in one community at the end.

The conception of Many Windows (Napoleon, 2008), by Rukhsana Khan with Elisa Carbone and Uma Krishnaswami, is quite unique. It began as a “collaborative exercise that [three friends] worked on one winter, sending stories back and forth,” according to Ms. Krishnaswami. “[It] became more than we’d envisioned at first.” The book came together with hours of three-way calls and online chats.

An informative appendix offers readers more information about the various celebrations described in the book: the Buddha’s birthday, Eid ul Fitr, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Diwali. These ends notes are chock full of interesting facts: in Japan, Buddha’s birthday coincides with the blooming of the cherry blossoms; some Hindu communities in Alaska celebrate Diwali by carving diyas out of ice; in Mexico, Christmas festivities include star-shaped pinatas filled with candies and small gifts.

In a time of global turmoil with people of various faiths in major conflict, Many Windows celebrates friendship and is a reminder of what is important.