May is Mental Health Awareness Month and debut author Jyoti Chand, the author of the graphic novel Fitting Indian took time to write about her journey to writing as well as how this book (and books in general) can help teachers and librarians to start important conversations about mental health.

When I sat down to write Fitting Indian, I had one audience in mind: my younger self.

Growing up as a first-generation South Asian in America, I didn’t see characters who looked like me—let alone characters who wrestled with identity, cultural pressure, and mental health the way I was behind closed doors. I loved reading, but every book I picked up seemed to exist in a world where someone like me didn’t belong. Over time, that invisibility seeped into how I viewed myself. It made it harder to speak up. Harder to ask for help. Harder to believe that my experiences were valid.

Fitting Indian was born from a deep desire to give the younger version of myself—and the countless young people like her—a mirror. A story that doesn’t shy away from showing the messy, complicated parts of growing up between cultures. A story that says, “You are seen. You are not broken for struggling. You are not alone.”

Through Nitasha’s journey, I wanted to explore the silent battles so many teens face, especially within immigrant families where mental health is often an unspoken topic. I wanted to shed light on how heavy the weight of expectations can feel—and also, how healing can begin when we start to speak our truths.

I hope Fitting Indian can open doors for important conversations in classrooms and libraries. Conversations about mental health. About identity. About how the definition of success isn’t one-size-fits-all. About the courage it takes to ask for help even when it feels like no one will understand. I hope it helps students who rarely see themselves reflected in books feel empowered to share their own stories, in whatever way feels right to them.

There are so many ways educators and librarians can use Fitting Indian as a conversation starter. Some ideas include:

•   Discussing how cultural expectations can shape mental health.
•   Exploring the stigma around mental health in AAPI communities.
•   Encouraging students to reflect on what “fitting in” means to them.
•   Creating safe spaces where students can share challenges they face—and their dreams beyond those challenges.

At its heart, Fitting Indian is a testament to anyone who has ever felt like they had to twist themselves into something else just to belong. You don’t have to. You never did.

I can’t wait for you to meet Nitasha—and maybe, in some small way, see a piece of yourself in her too.