Blending Out

What does it mean to be accepted? Meet Ryley Agarwal, an Indian-American high school sophomore who is quite clearly on the outside and wants nothing more than to belong. Then fast forward ten years and meet a Ryley Agarwal who is in her first year of law school, seemingly accepted by her peers. Traveling between these two periods of her life, readers bear witness to Ryley giving up parts of herself to fit into a world where exclusion, assimilation, and elite institutions intersect.This semi-autobiographical tale paints an authentic picture of what it looks like to be an outsider and exactly what the cost of admission entails. Blending Out speaks to anyone who has struggled to come to terms with their racial, sexual, or intellectual identity. And for those who continue to struggle, it is Bagrodia's hope that Ryley's journey effectively shows the reader how one person came to love all aspects of their identity.