The Yale Chronicles

“A must-read for anyone connected to Yale University, or any fan of historical fiction! This beautifully written book introduces us to a man who has had a lasting global impact but whose story is still relatively unknown. The author’s meticulous research and vivid storytelling make Elihu Yale’s journey feel immediate and compelling, bringing history to life in a way that is deeply engaging.”

Temidayo O.,

Yale Law School ‘15

Inspiration for writing the book

I stumbled upon this story quite by accident while marveling at the artwork on Yale University’s stunning campus, and discovered Elihu Yale purely by his absence — of his statue or any form of commemoration— in stark contrast to John Harvard’s statue looming over Harvard Yard. Curious, I dug relentlessly for 12 years, haunting libraries, museums, and roaming the streets of Madras (now Chennai), my own birthplace. The Yale Chronicles is the result of that quest. Astonishing for this day and age of information overload, Elihu Yale's story remains relatively unknown.

Testimonials

Testimonials Steam

If you are a fan of Edward Rutherfurd’s massive historical novels, you will be knocked off your feet by Rathna K Prasad’s monumental The Yale Chronicles. Meticulously researched and captivatingly written, this engrossing novel The Yale Chronicles by engineer Prasad, tells the improbable story of Elihu Yale who gave his name to Yale University.

Yale's is a rags to riches tale: born in Boston, reared in London, this astonishing young man signs on with the East India Company. In India, Yale accumulates a vast fortune. 

Prasad’s extraordinary research is matched only by her adroit and lush narrative skills in bringing Yale’s story to rich, beautifully textured and gorgeously colored life. The Yale Chronicles is a feast. Sit down and prepare for a banquet.

Virginia C.
Professor of Sociology, NJ

Author of The Dragon's Daughters Return
Draw on Culture: China
Co-author (pen name Crystal Sharpe) SandraTrouxMysteries.com

The Yale Chronicles is one of those rare books that intrigue and satisfy the reader on multiple levels. Rathna K. Prasad weaves a tale so vivid in its detail, you can almost smell and touch the long-ago world in which Elihu Yale grew up and fought his battles. Simultaneously, she draws you into the complex social dynamics that made him the man for whom the university was named, and the man so many of its modern faculty and students seemed inclined to ignore. A debut writer, this former engineer-turned-historian with personal roots in the Indian region where Yale flourished, brings him into a well-merited and long-overdue limelight.   

Elaine D.,

Fiction and Non-Fiction Author, South Africa

Rathna Prasad shares an important, impeccably researched, and emotionally compelling story about a figure we only thought we knew. Her voice as a South Asian woman is an important one as we learn the history of one of Yale’s most beloved figures. This is the story of an individual coming of age, yes, but it is also a window into the world of India under British rule, which played a critical role in the making of our founder. Her ability to make his remarkable journey come to life will leave readers wanting more...

Keerthi M.

Yale College ‘05

The Yale Chronicles tells the remarkable and completely unexpected story behind one of the most famous names in the world. The author’s almost fifteen years of research behind this series is evident in the beautiful and rich detail found on each page - taking the reader through the polluted and political streets of Cromwell’s England, the rolling hills of Wales, the exotic kingdoms of pre-Colonial India, and the frightening puritanism of the American colonies. This is a breathtaking masterpiece, painting the fates of empires through the timelessness of human adventure. An absolute must-read for any fan of historical fiction or just history.

Shankar P.

Brown University ‘06, RI

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Birth of a Dream and I am glad its author took such care in telling this story.The book is a fascinating deep dive into the life of Elihu Yale, a name I knew well from my time at Yale Law School but whose story was largely unknown to me. The book brings 17th-century London, Wales, and the high-stakes world of the East India Company to life in a way that is engaging and clearly well-researched. I especially appreciated how the author unearthed the complexities of Yale’s journey—his ambition, successes, and moral dilemmas—while shedding light on his lasting legacy. For anyone with a connection to Yale or an interest in history, this is a compelling read. I am eagerly awaiting the release of the next two books in The Yale Chronicles trilogy.

Temidayo O.

Yale Law School '15

Based on the true story set in the 17th century that’s never been told of Yale Elihu, the founder of Yale University, The Yale Chronicles will entrance you. It is a mesmerizing adventure of rags to riches that brims with political intrigue and fascinating history, spanning three continents, spun by the lyrical hand of Rathna Prasad.

Jordan L

Author and award-winning Emerging Screenwriter, NJ

A fascinating exploration of the birth of one of our most iconic educational institutions, The Yale Chronicles is a deeply researched, lively story that brings to light the little-known history of the founding of Yale University. In engaging and highly readable prose, Rathna Prasad introduces readers to the brilliant and tenacious Elihu Yale, and takes us on a journey through the obstacles and breakthroughs that led to the founding of a preeminent educational institution, one which has shaped generations of future leaders.

Kathy H.

Publishing Executive, Novelist, Poet, Essayist, NJ

The Yale Chronicles got me hooked to learn more about Elihu Yale! As an avid reader who hasn’t read much historical fiction before (a genre I’ve grown to love), I could not put Birth of A Dream down. Young Elihu’s experiences are captivating and I look forward to seeing how he is shaped by his time in India. I can’t wait to read Book 2!

Pallavi C.

Attorney, Avid Reader, TX

This book has everything: intrigue and adventure of an unforgettable hero. Richly detailed with vivid storytelling, The Yale Chronicles takes the reader to the cobblestone streets of London and the high seas to the story about a pivotal figure in American history -- Elihu Yale.

Carrie N.

Brown University, Assistant Dean, RI

Who knew there was such a story behind Yale University?  I can’t wait to learn more about how the real-life adventures of Elihu Yale in India led to the establishment of such a respected university. Sounds like a must-read for every Yalie!

Jessica K.

Attending Physician, CA

The Yale Chronicles is a riveting, well-researched journey into the forgotten story of Elihu Yale. With rich historical detail and compelling storytelling, it brings to life his rise from adversity to immense wealth, navigating ambition, betrayal, and legacy. A must-read for history lovers and Yale alumni alike!  

Raj S.,

Realtor, Avid Reader, TX

THE YALE CHRONICLES

Elihu Yale, born in America in the Boston spring of 1649, returned to England as a toddler, and grew up in Cromwellian London.

Let’s take a peek into his vibrant coming-of-age story as he grows entrepreneurial, his character forged by plague calamities, Welsh farming challenges, catastrophic fires devouring his father’s business. Despite strict rules forbidding private trade, Elihu is determined to reverse his family’s losses and sails to India in 1671 as a lowly Writer in service of the English East India Company [EIC]. The voyage is long, the ship at the mercy of storms and pirate attacks. Elihu stumbles upon dark secrets of EIC, and his aspiration for wealth is sharpened by passion to redress injustice.

Stationed in Fort St. George, facing frequent threats of wars with competing companies vying for market power, did Elihu flourish in the opulent bazaars of spices, textiles, diamonds? Or did he succumb to despair in the sweltering, starkly demarcated Black and White towns of Madras? Living there in Madras well into middle-age, did Elihu foster powerful friendships with locals, find joy in love and marriage, and fulfill his dream to repair his father’s finances?

Elihu returned home, richer than the King of England. But how? Did he make his money on slave-trade as is often alluded? Was he fired dishonorably by EIC for stealing and cheating? Why was his family name enshrined in a fledgling college in New Haven—the very town where his beloved grandmother was ostracized?

Ready to embark upon a journey in quest of Light & Truth? Welcome to my humble tribute to the Yale University motto: Lux et Veritas.

Rathna Kace Prasad

Author of The Yale Chronicles

I’m Rathna Prasad

Glad to meet you!

Rathna Prasad was born in Madras (now Chennai), the place where Elihu Yale made his enormous fortune. She spent an idyllic childhood in the gold mining town of Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), about150 miles from Madras. Known as Little England, KGF was a bustling town of spacious bungalows, gardens and clubs for officers, with long ‘lines’ of humble townhouses for miners; the skyline dominated by towering shafts working the deepest mines in the world — Marikuppam, Champion Reef, Nundydoorg, Oorgaum.

Ambitious men from many European nations poured into KGF in the late1800s to oversee the rich mines, their wives settling into leisurely routines of morning coffee, embroidery, and local gossip. The relentless mining, with gold bricks delivered monthly to the London Mint, exhausted underground gold veins in KGF. The flourishing town faltered and was finally abandoned in 2000. The rapid decline and desolation of her childhood town left a lasting impression on Rathna. How could people and places disappear into the mists of time like they had never been?

Rathna migrated to America, pursued advanced degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Business Administration, and held leadership positions in Fortune 50 companies. She researched and published technical papers in IEEE, ASME, National Aeronautical Labs.

One crisp autumn morning in 2012, Rathna visited Yale University where her son studied. Struck by the stark absence of Elihu Yale, she wandered around campus, stunned by the paucity of knowledge about Yale’s namesake. Students she met shrugged, pointed to Nathan Hale’s statue, or presumed he was Eli Whitney. The casual indifference smote Rathna’s heart. Why was he so absent?

Was it because he left the land of his birth as a toddler? Does history record stories of migrants through a distorted lens? Are their struggles to succeed in a foreign land of no consequence? Is it their lot to be the forgotten people that no nation cares to claim as her own?

Rathna’s visit to Yale University incited a restless urgency to research its rich history. The Yale Chronicles is the result of that deep and compelling drive.