(RNS) — An education scholar and mother of two teenagers, Indu Viswanathan is no stranger to the challenges of misrepresentation in the U.S. public school system. She was first exposed to stereotypes and tropes surrounding the Hindu faith — which she and other practitioners say have persisted — as a grade school student in the 1980s.  Now, Viswanathan’s upcoming book, “Hindu at Heart: Education, Faith, and What It Means to Belong in America,” to be published by Briarcliff Press on May 24, challenges an inaccurate historical narrative of Hinduism conceived by Westerners. Refuting claims the religion is a pagan, irrational or un-American tradition, she draws on decades of research and firsthand engagement with families, schools and public institutions.…