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| Author: | Nader Habibi | | Publisher: | Aventine Press,2003 | | ISBN: | 1-59330-007-7 | | Price: | $12.95 | | Pages: | 174 | | Reviewer: | Introduced by the Author |
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It is well known that there is a strong admiration for light skin complexion in many developing countries. This tendency is most visible in South Asia where young people, (both men and women) express a preference for marriage partners with light skin color. Atul´s Quest is a satirical story about what happens when this admiration for whiteness is taken to an extreme. Atul is a young student of Indian origin at Yale University. He is so obsessed with whiteness that believes all people of dark skin must engage in intermarriage with whites to pass a lighter skin complexion to their future generations. After being turned down by several professors he finally finds a professor of economics who agrees to help him study the historical precedence and the social consequences of such a recommendation in the context of an independent study course. Realizing the controversial nature of this topic, they report a false topic for Atul’s independent study to the department. Half way into this research initiative, Atul accidentally discovers a secret society of Indian professionals that has already put these beliefs into practice. The discovery leads to twists and turns that add a flavor of adventure and intrigue to the story. Another intriguing aspect of the story is that unknown to Atul, the professor that is supervising his independent study, is secretly pursuing his own research agenda on causal relations between physical beauty and economic development. Atul’s Quest offers many examples of historical and contemporary evidence of admiration for light complexion in various parts of the world, in the context of conversations between Atul and his supervisor. There are also discussions of formal intellectual inquiries about “whitening” in 19th century Brazil and Japan. *About the Author: Nader Habibi is an economist and works for an economic consulting firm near Philadelphia. Prior to his current job he taught economics in several academic institutions in Iran, Turkey and the United States for 12 years. His last academic station was Yale University where he served as a research fellow and instructor for two years. Atul’s Quest is Nader’s first work of fiction. It was motivated by his close interactions with students and immigrants from various parts of the world. He himself grew up in Iran and came to the United States as an undergraduate student in 1978.
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