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A review by misspalah
The Principal Girl: Feminist Tales from Asia by Tutu Dutta, Sharifah Aishah Osman
5.0
My oh My! How do i start with this review? I love all the stories in this book. This is not an exaggeration. Every single story is so distinctive but at the same time retain the essence of feminism. The book are divided into 2 parts which are stories from long time ago and contemporary stories. In fact, i was surprised that i enjoyed the contemporary stories part more than the other part in the book. For the majority of the stories in this particular part, it consisted of the reimagining characters from old folklore and history that has been adapted to the current time. Furthermore, these authors managed to add layers of social commentary in these stories in a brilliant manner. It was about adventure, pain, passion, revenge and losses embedded in each tale. It was waiting to be uncovered by the readers when they picked up this book. While i love all the stories in this book, there are few that stands out from the rest.
Part 1 : stories from long ago
1) Red and White by Preeta Samarasan
Perhaps, you have read, watch and listen to 'Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih' million times. Try to read it again but this time in the perspective of the so called 'bad girl'.
2) The Veiled Knight by Hezreen Abdul Rashid
The first female warrior in Islam's history.
3) The girl on the mountain by Leela Chakrabarty
It takes a strong girl to defy the king and say what's exactly on her mind. While she is beautiful but she doesn't let anyone takes her for a fool.
Part 2 : Contemporary Stories
1) Surya and the supernatural sleuths by Julya oui
A kind hearted girl with a third eye vision tried to search a missing girl in her town. She got helped from supernatural beings that lived around her.
2) Gamble by Sharmilla Ganesan
The adaptation of draupadi in the modern setting.
3) Grey by Shireen Zainuddin
The journey of 2 best friends searching for 'Mahsuri' and rediscovering themselves while on the journey.
4) Unduk Ngadau by Julie Padasian
The strong bond between grandmother and grand daughters shared through the Huminodun and Unduk Ngadau.
5) Under the bridge by Golda Mowe
Is it a real crocodile? Is it only myth? Is it just a shred of imagination?
The fact that this book was so malaysian (if there's even such term) is just another plus points. I was surprised to check that the book got low rating in Goodreads. I would suggest everyone to browse gerakbudaya website and buy this book. After you have read it, please pass it to your daughters, nieces, females students whomever you feel that need to read this book. To gerakbudaya, if there's a possibility of translating this to Bahasa Malaysia, do publish it.
Part 1 : stories from long ago
1) Red and White by Preeta Samarasan
Perhaps, you have read, watch and listen to 'Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih' million times. Try to read it again but this time in the perspective of the so called 'bad girl'.
2) The Veiled Knight by Hezreen Abdul Rashid
The first female warrior in Islam's history.
3) The girl on the mountain by Leela Chakrabarty
It takes a strong girl to defy the king and say what's exactly on her mind. While she is beautiful but she doesn't let anyone takes her for a fool.
Part 2 : Contemporary Stories
1) Surya and the supernatural sleuths by Julya oui
A kind hearted girl with a third eye vision tried to search a missing girl in her town. She got helped from supernatural beings that lived around her.
2) Gamble by Sharmilla Ganesan
The adaptation of draupadi in the modern setting.
3) Grey by Shireen Zainuddin
The journey of 2 best friends searching for 'Mahsuri' and rediscovering themselves while on the journey.
4) Unduk Ngadau by Julie Padasian
The strong bond between grandmother and grand daughters shared through the Huminodun and Unduk Ngadau.
5) Under the bridge by Golda Mowe
Is it a real crocodile? Is it only myth? Is it just a shred of imagination?
The fact that this book was so malaysian (if there's even such term) is just another plus points. I was surprised to check that the book got low rating in Goodreads. I would suggest everyone to browse gerakbudaya website and buy this book. After you have read it, please pass it to your daughters, nieces, females students whomever you feel that need to read this book. To gerakbudaya, if there's a possibility of translating this to Bahasa Malaysia, do publish it.