Ants among Elephants by Sujatha Gidla
This was a book that has been on my reading list for many months and I finally got down to reading it. The book takes us on a journey through the lives of the author's mother and uncles, specifically her older uncle, Satyam, who was a communist leader in Andhra and Telengana. They belonged to an untouchable family and were dwelling in poverty and debt in post-independence India. This biographical account explains the caste dynamics in India and gives an insight into the lives of the untouchable community—lives which are often ignored—as well as looking at the status of women in India. It also explains to us the conidtions of the people placed at the lowest rungs in our society and how they get attracted to communism, thus, providing the reader with an overall account of the begninnings of the communist movement in India. This book also made me raise questions about Nehru as a leader and made me realise that perhaps he isn't all that saintly, as we in our history classes are made to believe. When I reached the end of the book I felt a strange emptiness in me—I was sad that it was coming to an end because this was one of the first books that really made me reflect on the society around me.
I totally recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about the intricacies of caste equations in India, communism and a book that keeps you engrossed for its entirety.
Current Show by Perumal Murugan
Being a huge fan of Perumal Murugan’s writing, I was looking forward to reading Current Show—the last of his English translations I had left to read.
I eagerly delved into the book, evidently a work of Murugan’s both stylistically and content wise, to find an account of the daily life of the protagonist Sathi—a young lower-caste soda seller at a local cinema.
Having extremely high expectations, however, I did feel slightly disappointed on finishing the book. I found the plot to be rather underdeveloped; I wish some of the parallel plots like the relationship with Sathi and his father were explored. I kept expecting a twist or a rollercoaster like run of events towards the end like in Seasons of the Palm or Pyre. Instead, it was anticlimactic. The every day interactions between the multitude of characters such as the Beedi-man and the Soda-man were lacklustre and, therefore, disappointing.
Yet, the novel was not without its impact. In its depiction of Sathi’s everyday encounters in tasteful subtilty we gain perspective on lifestyles of otherwise overlooked people.
Perhaps, Murugan was trying to write a novel characteristic of the trance like state the weed smoked created—a slowed down, relaxed and loosely designed story—doesn’t mean this is not worth the read; it works as a light read which gives you an appetizer of Murugan’s writing. However, I recommend reading his other works for the main course.
Maid in India by Tripti Lahiri
This book was a real eyeopener for me! Living in India, almost every single household—be it a relative's or a friend's—that I have visited has one thing in common: domestic workers, commonly addressed as "didis" and "bhaiyas". This book left me feeling angry at how and why we normalise the mistreatment of these people in our houses to the extent that we rarely ever speak against it! Probably, because, unfortunately, the "upper class," that we take so much pride in belonging to, has taught us to consider them as unworthy of our respect. The book is divided into 7 parts, each of which analyses different aspects of three to four domestic worker's lives in the capital city of New Delhi, ranging from online maid brokers, to their hardships, the conditions back in the villages that drive them to take on such jobs and their overall treatment. Moreover, I constantly compared this to the employer-employee relations that exist in any company—how drastic the difference is, even though fundamentally they're the same: employee depends on the employer for wages. This is an incredibly insightful account filled with numerous facts and figures that substantiated every claim the Lahiri made. For instance, the book revealed to me, by far the biggest shocker, that some domestic workers are paid a meagre 1800Rs a month. Extremely well written and full of details, the book left me challenging our extremely degrading and frankly, disgusting Indian norms: Why are they made to eat on separate plates? Why are they not allowed to sit on the furniture?
I highly recommend this book to everyone especially the employers of domestic workers—hopefully this will change your attitude towards the people you depend on so much, perhaps even the most. And for those who don't, perhaps this book will give you a reason to speak out against their ill treatment.
Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo
This novel is certainly is a story that will "stay with me". As a reader it always kept me wanting to read more. The book examines the life of a childless Nigerian couple and the social pressures/stigma that they face. It throws light mainly on what desperate measures the unfortunate couple are forced to take, while showcasing the the fragility and strength of relationships. The novel provided one with a deeper understanding of the intricacies of the couple's relationship. I was captivated by the strong female voice in the story. The political commentary, which I liked, acts as a breather in this intense narrative as well as a way to get a better understanding of Nigerian society.
Read if you want a fast moving story which never allowed me a second to be bored, perfect if you want to be engaged with a book you would not not want to put down.
The Tatooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
I borrowed this book from a library hoping to read an account on the horrors of the death camp—Aushwitz. Instead, I found myself reading a love story about Lale, the protagonist, and Gita revolving around the theme of hope agaisnt the backdrop of the concentration camp which in a way glazed over the camp's brutality. Perhaps that was Morris' point— love persisting in the most adverse of times. Either way, the writing was dissapointing. Such a powerful, rather remarkable true story could certainly have been phrased better instead of the lacklustre fashion in which it was. This story does restore your faith in love, but, unfortunately, the writing did no justice to it.
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
This novel by John Green revolves around friendships, tracking down a billionaire, cash rewards, star wars fan fiction, high school romance, anxiety and loss.
The protagonist of the story Aza Holmes is an introverted teenager suffering from
anxiety and invasive thoughts essentially about c.Diff,a bacteria, and infections. Her best
friend, Daisy, is a quirky, enthusiastic girl with whom she embarks on the journey to solve
the mystery of the missing billionaire, Russel Picket, for which there is a $100,000 cash.
While doing so, they meet his son, Davis. Soon enough he and Aza fall for each other. The
story shifts focus from finding the billionaire to Aza’s life, relationships and mental
health.
To be honest, I was not particularly excited about reading another John Green book for
I was tired of the clichés. However, this book took me by surprise—I was engrossed
throughout. I especially appreciated that none of the characters were “perfect”, they had
their flaws and quirks just like in real. Green keeps bringing up Aza’s invasive thoughts
and anxiety, allowing us to experience her anxiety. This realistic picture of her
thoughts that Green provided really gives us an insight into how severe anxiety may be. Green's writing is seasoned with random thoughts and metaphors which are extremely enriching and enhance the overall reading experience. The teen romance in the book isn’t mushy: Davis and Aza have their issues which manifest themselves in their relationship, finally something believable.
This book was close to flawless, but the one thing which I found un-relatable,
especially as a high schooler myself, were the conversations the teenage characters would have. They were extremely articulate, profound and to an extent seemed unnatural because they were so close to perfect!
Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a memorable and unconventional story to delve into.
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