Q&A: Jayanthi K. Manikandan, Author of 'Unboxed!: My American Life'

Jayanthi Manikandan has a Master’s degree in Information Security from Walsh College, Detroit, Michigan. The writing bug bit her accidentally and she has been writing since 2012. Though she was a purely technical writer and e-learning developer initially, she realized she loves to pen her thoughts too! She loves to write for both her blogs and has been a freelance writer for several organizations as well. She lived in the US for 14 years before returning to India and the book Unboxed!: My American Life chronicles her journey through that time. She now resides in Bangalore with her husband and two children.

I chat with her about her book Unboxed!: My American Life, her inspiration for writing the book, book recommendations, and much more.

Hello, Jayanthi! Tell us a bit about yourself!

Hello! I am Jayanthi, a wife, a daughter, and a mother. I like to write, talk, and am a very simple person with simple likes!

How would you describe your book Unboxed!: My American Life in one sentence?

It is my no-frills and fancy American experience.

Now tell us a little more about the book! What can readers expect?

I have talked about my American experiences across three states in the USA – Texas, New York, and Michigan – in my book Unboxed!. I have written about the different travel attractions in the USA (Statue of Liberty, the original Twin Towers, Mackinac Island), the myths about the USA, and the reality of living in the USA.

Readers can expect to read about my visa moving, being on a dependent visa and not being able to work, public schools and private schools in the USA, college education there, and more.

I have also interviewed several people who explain living on both sides of the planet fairly.

'Unboxed!: My American Life', published by Notion Press

What prompted you to write this book?

I started my writing career by creating technical e-learning videos and writing technical blogs. As time progressed, I figured I liked to write non-technical thoughts too!

That is when I started writing my American experience in the form of blog posts which blossomed into an e-book and which finally became a published book! I got a great response from my readers since many of us were in a similar boat and this prompted me to write the book.

The book describes the American life and about your varied cultural experiences in India and the USA, and the differences between the collegiate systems in the two countries. After being in the USA for a long time and then having returned to India, what do you miss about the USA?

Every country has its pluses and minuses. The idea of a perfect place is a myth. I appreciate many things in the US and have appreciated many, many things in India too. Having said that, I miss the corruption-free lifestyle in the USA a tad bit more than anything else.

What is the message that you want readers to take away from this book?

I have given a balanced idea of the US through my book. I always think people in India look at the USA (or maybe any foreign country) with rose-tinted glasses. There is “rose” there alright, but in different places than where you would expect to see.

How have you been coping with the current pandemic and what will be the new normal for you post it?

As a writer, I have always been doing WFH and this has been continuing all through the pandemic. The only difference is my whole family is doing WFH and study from home!

Initially, it was new for all of us to adjust to this way of working and studying – but now I think it is best for all of us to work/study this way.

I don’t see any major changes in the new normal for me. My family might move to the office and school/college but I feel that reality is still some time away.

Lastly, are you currently reading anything and do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

Frankly, I am a hopeless reader! Since I am catching up on any Information Security related technical bytes all the time, I just like to sit still even with half a movie here and there.

My teenage daughter though is an amazing reader and she always recommends me to read the Harry Potter books, Wonder by R. J. Palacio, Percy Jackson book series, books by Sudha Murty, and more!

Of course, my book Unboxed! is an amazing read for anybody and everybody!

The book ‘Unboxed!’ is available online and at your nearest bookstore.

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