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ivassavi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
svnz's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
This is an insightful memoir by a dalit woman from a small village in India. She was given an oppourtunity at a young age to be educated and boarded free of cost for the entirety of her school life. The author, having been born into a very poor family, had her life completely changed by her education while trying to come to a balance between that and her more traditional roots.
Some parts of the book are quite disturbing and it may be hard to stomach for readers unfamiliar with lives people lead in small Indian villages, but I feel the author does a great job of showcasing them and the reasons why such things happen. The book is positive, inspiring and an absolute page turner despite the difficult parts.
I'd recommend this book to anyone with an interest in knowing more about the lives of poor rural people and how education can propel them forward in society.
This is an insightful memoir by a dalit woman from a small village in India. She was given an oppourtunity at a young age to be educated and boarded free of cost for the entirety of her school life. The author, having been born into a very poor family, had her life completely changed by her education while trying to come to a balance between that and her more traditional roots.
Some parts of the book are quite disturbing and it may be hard to stomach for readers unfamiliar with lives people lead in small Indian villages, but I feel the author does a great job of showcasing them and the reasons why such things happen. The book is positive, inspiring and an absolute page turner despite the difficult parts.
I'd recommend this book to anyone with an interest in knowing more about the lives of poor rural people and how education can propel them forward in society.
laureninthebuf's review
5.0
After a recent trip to Bangalore, where I found the people to be so warm and kind, I couldn’t fathom a social caste system that deemed people unworthy by birth. Now, after reading this, I see how deep the poverty remains — and with it, the violence. I felt empathy for Shilpa Raj and the deep chasm that was created in her family by her life being lifted through education. I’m inspired by her outlook on her future and her innate grasp of who she is, all in spite of her unfathomable start in life.
jherta's review
4.0
Well written account of one young lady’s journey in gaining an education to break the chains of the caste system—but also the resentment and distrust it causes in her family.
coorebeek's review
5.0
Sept book club - incredibly vulnerable and eye open to the realities that women in a India still live in today. I will be thinking about this memoir for a long time.
_askthebookbug's review
5.0
• r e c o m m e n d a t i o n •
This is the story of a daughter who would have perhaps be smothered to death upon her birth if her grandmother hadn't intervened. Of a daughter who's mother is a house maid and father who chases elephants. Of a daughter who lost her sister due to unforeseen events. Of a daughter whose destiny changed because of a single man.
Shilpa Anthony Raj, born in Thattaguppe comes from a turbulent family. In a village where girls are considered to be a burden and are married off the minute they attain puberty, Shilpa escapes her fate. Shanti Bhavan, an institute set up by Dr Abraham George decides to select one child from each house and gift them with free schooling. Shilpa's father, who once wanted her dead now fights to get her admitted to the school. With all kinds of rumours running across the village about how these strangers are planning on selling the children's body parts, it was a courageous move on the parents to send their children. This, happened to be a turning point in Shilpa's life, one that ultimately saved her from leading a submissive life.
Shilpa and many other children who grew up in Shanti Bhavan grew up with two homes. Back in the village, they were admired and envied but in Shanti Bhavan, the children were brought up equally. Shilpa and others struggle to strike a balance between the two lives. Coming from a home where violence was a daily occurrence, these kids miraculously walked a different path. Shilpa's life is one of grief and uncertainty when she goes to the village and when her sister dies at the age of 14, she carries the guilt of not saving her till date. Through her, I came to admire the man behind this initiative. To educate and improve the lives of hundreds of poorest of the poor families without taking a penny from them is simply marvelous.
This memoir is painfully honest and to think that a 20 year old would speak so honestly about her life and that of her family is truly commendable. I highly recommend this.
P.S. Daughters of Destiny in Netflix is a documentary series about Shanti Bhavan. You can see Shilpa narrating few lines from this memoir.
This is the story of a daughter who would have perhaps be smothered to death upon her birth if her grandmother hadn't intervened. Of a daughter who's mother is a house maid and father who chases elephants. Of a daughter who lost her sister due to unforeseen events. Of a daughter whose destiny changed because of a single man.
Shilpa Anthony Raj, born in Thattaguppe comes from a turbulent family. In a village where girls are considered to be a burden and are married off the minute they attain puberty, Shilpa escapes her fate. Shanti Bhavan, an institute set up by Dr Abraham George decides to select one child from each house and gift them with free schooling. Shilpa's father, who once wanted her dead now fights to get her admitted to the school. With all kinds of rumours running across the village about how these strangers are planning on selling the children's body parts, it was a courageous move on the parents to send their children. This, happened to be a turning point in Shilpa's life, one that ultimately saved her from leading a submissive life.
Shilpa and many other children who grew up in Shanti Bhavan grew up with two homes. Back in the village, they were admired and envied but in Shanti Bhavan, the children were brought up equally. Shilpa and others struggle to strike a balance between the two lives. Coming from a home where violence was a daily occurrence, these kids miraculously walked a different path. Shilpa's life is one of grief and uncertainty when she goes to the village and when her sister dies at the age of 14, she carries the guilt of not saving her till date. Through her, I came to admire the man behind this initiative. To educate and improve the lives of hundreds of poorest of the poor families without taking a penny from them is simply marvelous.
This memoir is painfully honest and to think that a 20 year old would speak so honestly about her life and that of her family is truly commendable. I highly recommend this.
P.S. Daughters of Destiny in Netflix is a documentary series about Shanti Bhavan. You can see Shilpa narrating few lines from this memoir.
dhanushgopinath's review
4.0
This is Shilpa Raj's memoir of her growing up in a South Indian village, born into a poor Dalit family, where, as a girl, the odds are really against you.
In this she tells about the hardships she & her family goes through. It is also the story of a beautiful school called Shanti Bhavan, somewhere outside Bangalore, and how Shanti Bhavan and its staff helped Shilpa & scores of other children from poor Indian families get education.
Her memoir is honest, gritty, hard hitting & poignant. She writes about how broken her family is, fights her parents have, her sister's death, growing up in school, confusion about her affair with her uncle, sexual harrasment, infatuations, her studies, all with brutal honesty.
And she wrote all this when she was at 16 years of age. Hats off!
In this she tells about the hardships she & her family goes through. It is also the story of a beautiful school called Shanti Bhavan, somewhere outside Bangalore, and how Shanti Bhavan and its staff helped Shilpa & scores of other children from poor Indian families get education.
Her memoir is honest, gritty, hard hitting & poignant. She writes about how broken her family is, fights her parents have, her sister's death, growing up in school, confusion about her affair with her uncle, sexual harrasment, infatuations, her studies, all with brutal honesty.
And she wrote all this when she was at 16 years of age. Hats off!
samidhak's review
4.0
*Note: A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, I would like to thank the author and publisher.*
Review :
Shilpa Raj is a phenomenal writer. The tone, setting and imagery in the book is perfect and reading about her life, through her own evocative words made the effect more than real. She can transport you to the exact location through her writing.
This is a memoir. It is filled with specific details about her life and where and how she grew up. She dwells a bit on her village’s past as well and everything is placed out for you, which makes it easy for the reader to navigate through the story. There are no sudden epiphanies, or plot twists. It starts with a tragedy that takes place in her present time, and circles back to it in the end. The ups and downs that she and her family have faced are enough to make you rethink the situation of the poor in the country. I was glad to read about someone from South India, as voices like these are hard to come by.
Even though she is Christian her family is not free from the caste binaries. Raj has been true to herself and her family, by not painting an unrealistic picture. The paternal grandfather is an alcoholic, so is the father, both are cheap flirts, who like to beat their women. The women are married young, the mother abandons the family to work as a maid, and even marriage inside the family is addressed with pure honesty and has not been sugar-coated. What I really liked about the narrative was the way in which her maturity and honesty seemed to be real. She was not a perfect observer herself; she made mistakes in judging people, in demanding things that weren’t rightfully hers. She sometimes sold off her self esteem just to be someone she was not, but in the end it was how she came through these tough times is what made this memoir work for me.
Penury, child marriage and survival through making Sayaram (alcohol) are described in detail. She does acknowledge that these things aren’t ideal but she also focuses on how the poor can’t choose morality over money. The realistic quality of the book really hit me; these weren’t thing unfolding in fiction but real incidents with real consequence and real threat of lives; especially for young girls. This isn’t a political memoir, she focuses on herself and her family but much like everything else, politics tends to be entwined in the lives of people.
I would recommend this magnificent piece of work to anyone who wishes to read it. It won’t bore you, or make you feel like you’re read non-fiction; instead it will stay with you and make you question the privilege that you take for granted.
- Samidha Kalia
Review :
“I want to believe that life outlives death.”
Shilpa Raj is a phenomenal writer. The tone, setting and imagery in the book is perfect and reading about her life, through her own evocative words made the effect more than real. She can transport you to the exact location through her writing.
This is a memoir. It is filled with specific details about her life and where and how she grew up. She dwells a bit on her village’s past as well and everything is placed out for you, which makes it easy for the reader to navigate through the story. There are no sudden epiphanies, or plot twists. It starts with a tragedy that takes place in her present time, and circles back to it in the end. The ups and downs that she and her family have faced are enough to make you rethink the situation of the poor in the country. I was glad to read about someone from South India, as voices like these are hard to come by.
Even though she is Christian her family is not free from the caste binaries. Raj has been true to herself and her family, by not painting an unrealistic picture. The paternal grandfather is an alcoholic, so is the father, both are cheap flirts, who like to beat their women. The women are married young, the mother abandons the family to work as a maid, and even marriage inside the family is addressed with pure honesty and has not been sugar-coated. What I really liked about the narrative was the way in which her maturity and honesty seemed to be real. She was not a perfect observer herself; she made mistakes in judging people, in demanding things that weren’t rightfully hers. She sometimes sold off her self esteem just to be someone she was not, but in the end it was how she came through these tough times is what made this memoir work for me.
“Food, for us, was a means of survival, not a source of enjoyment.”
Penury, child marriage and survival through making Sayaram (alcohol) are described in detail. She does acknowledge that these things aren’t ideal but she also focuses on how the poor can’t choose morality over money. The realistic quality of the book really hit me; these weren’t thing unfolding in fiction but real incidents with real consequence and real threat of lives; especially for young girls. This isn’t a political memoir, she focuses on herself and her family but much like everything else, politics tends to be entwined in the lives of people.
I would recommend this magnificent piece of work to anyone who wishes to read it. It won’t bore you, or make you feel like you’re read non-fiction; instead it will stay with you and make you question the privilege that you take for granted.
“‘When we die, no pujari comes near us’ Appa said, ‘The elephant must have been from the high caste’”
- Samidha Kalia
penlly's review
5.0
Shilpa's journey mirrors the dichotomy of India as a whole, caught between the two opposing worlds of the downtrodden and the empowered. Her straightforward honesty shines through her work and illuminates her family and village in a way that opposes the human tendancy to distill that with which we are unfamiliar into either martyr or villain. Shilpa and all the other Shanti Bhavan children paving their own paths have voices that demand to be heard and it is a joy to listen to them tell their own stories.