The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is classified as a fiction book. The book follows a pair of twins throughout two periods in their lives, the present and the past, and their dynamics and relationships with their family. The book features an array of topics such as; family dynamics, generational trauma, sexual assault, and death. So the book isn’t a light read because of the topics, but it is a beautiful combination of words and themes.
Saroo was just a 5 year old little boy when his life was turned upside down. Saroo was running around a train station in India with his older brother Guddu when he got on a train and ended up thousands of miles from home. Frightened and panicked, Saroo ended up in a juvenile detention center. While there, the woman in charge found a home for Saroo in Australia. Saroo starts this journey in Australia and grows up there. Twenty-five years later Saroo seeks out to find where he grew up before he got lost.
Queen of Ice is an amazing quick read. Once you pick it up, it’s difficult to put down. The book follows Didda as she rises from a timid girl to the ruler of her land. It is a perfect balance of friendship, heartbreak, and trust. Queen of Ice represents women empowerment, and the importance of confidence. The book moves at a pretty fast pace so, there are rarely any boring parts. The book is based in India so naturally, it mildly represents Indian culture. This representation makes the book even more interesting and allows the reader to place themselves in that situation.
In Shameful Flight, Wolpert analyzes the British exit of India and the permanent effects it had on society. His book follows the various political figures that were key in the partition such as Nehru, Jinnah, Atlee, and Mountbatten. The book shows the process of the partition and focuses the blame on Mountbatten, who in his haste, left India with no unity and arbitrary boundaries.
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman is a devastatingly realistic look into the life of a homeless child. It tells a realistic story of abuse and homelessness, and yet also is a story of hope. The book is set in India, and follows the two main characters, young girls named Viji and Rukku as they run away from their abusive household and live alone on the streets. They meet other characters and try to survive the harsh life.
The year is 2054 and India has a ratio of 5 boys to 1 girl. Girls have now become valuable assets. To combat the selling of daughters to the highest bidder, a group of women have founded a closed country they named Koyanagar. In Koyanagar, young men are chosen to compete for a chance to marry a girl. It is now Sudasa's turn to witness the testing of five young men and then choose one to become her future husband. Sudasa does not want a husband, she does not want to marry and bear children.
Veda lives in India and is a classical (Bharatanatyam) dancer. She lives and breathes dance, has for as long as she can remember. She plans to make dancing her career, despite her mother continually pushing her toward engineering. She is amazingly talented and has just won first place in a major competition. After the competition, the bus taking the competitors back home crashes. She wakes in the hospital with her right leg missing below the knee. Talk about a strong female protagonist! This girl simply will not give up!
