Why do you think the author chose A Great Country as the title for this novel?

Consider the title and how it works with the story. Why do you think the author, Shilpi Somaya Gowda, chose it?

Priya and Ashok come to America to have a better life. They won't be hindered by the caste system of India to pursue their dreams. To them, America is A Great County, a land of opportunity. It was a fitting title.

Agreed with Marcia. Most people who come to America are there to pursue the American Dream under the premise that it is a "great country" where everyone has an equal shot at succeeding. I have to think that the title is a little tongue-in-cheek, as the book showcases that not everyone has equal standing in America.

America is still the country of promise to many other countries. The belief is you will get a good education, work hard, have a nice home, and raise your family. Priya and Ashok quickly learned the difference between rupees and the dollar didn't make the American dream as easy as they imagined.

America is still a great country…from the outside. Once you’re here, no matter we’re you’re from, you realize that it is full of flaws, flaws that in this instance, prove to be particularly hostile and harmful.

The title A Great Country, it is a great country for many of us, born here, white skin. But not so for some immigrants and people with brown or black skin. We need to think about making America a great country for everyone.

In India, people were held back by the caste system. In the U.S., everyone could strive for advancement in position, education, and wealth. Priya chose to marry Ashok because he wanted to change his path and fate and have a new beginning. Although opportunities are available, the Shahs learned that the country is not perfect. Although there is no caste system, they witnessed some injustices or slights to people who immigrated to the U.S. and to poor minority citizens.

The family comes from India to the U.S. expecting a better life and more opportunity.

They find that, but they also have problems - so we are clearly supposed to understand that the U.S. is NOT so great after all.

So should they have stayed in India? Would they be better off if they had?

I guess I do have to wonder in what country would Ajay - flying a drone in restricted air space (amid concerns of terrorism) have immediately been assessed as merely a 12 year old boy who didn't know any better and treated by the police as such.

And then we also have Vikram continuing to practice Indian class discrimination - so is that truly an indictment of the U.S. or is that an individual act?

I agree with maren's explanation for the book title.
However, this country may not have the acknowledged-accepted-understood caste system of India but we still operate in an "informal" one based on race, ethnicity, social and economic, and geographical status. I highly recommend Isabelle Wilkerson's book, Caste, for a better understanding. And if you don't want to read the book, at least check out the movie, Origin.

Some not all think of the USA as a great country. They come here looking for a better life, and some do find that

The Shahs came to America hoping for more opportunities than they had in India. They did find more opportunities than they would have had in India, but they also found challenges and that things were not perfect. They had hoped to avoid the caste system and found that perhaps it still exists in America.

I think the title reflects the multiple meaning that “A Great Country” can have. The family was striving for more and better through out their lives. They learned though that there what they wanted may not be what they expected. What they needed was different than what they expected. Expectation was very hard to balance with reality. There were many more cultural challenges than they thought.

The United States is sometimes idolized as the Utopia where people can experience the "American dream". Unfortunately, those doors are not always open to everyone, especially if you are in the minority. Racism is truly alive and well in our country. I feel the author used this to show sarcasm in some ways. We can only hope we do better going forward for immigrants in our midst.

Because it is a great country. Just because we can be very cynical doesn't make less so. No other country in the world has as much to offer as we do.

The title reflects America's reputation in the eyes of many around the world, but the irony is that America is not the land of opportunity it appears to be. The Shahs learn this after moving to the affluent neighborhood of Pacific Hills, California. While it is true that they are able to escape the prison of India's caste system, they find that there is still prejudice against them because of their skin color and the fact that they are immigrants. Their step up in the world comes at a price they had not anticipated.

It seems an apt title for a story about immigrants coming to America to seek a better life, all their hopes and dreams of a happy life. What it doesn't convey is that sometimes that country isn't always great, especially to those who come from outside.

I think there is sarcasm in the title. It is a great country, but not for everyone and not all the time.

As others have already stated, leaving behind the official caste system must have seemed like “The American Dream” of A Great Country was in sight. Yet, as we all know, it is not always truly available and not every citizen or county or municipal water supply is that of A Great Country.
In the flip side, because the USA has been a great world power for so long, we often think we have the right to tell other nations what to do. When a pro female basketball player was arrested for having a drug (her “medicine) in her possession while traveling in Russia, we raised an uproar and got her released. Yet many Americans remain in U.S. prisons for having bought and used that same drug. My point is the disparities in when we care about issues.