Tag Archives: Indian Literature

Book Review – Living With Adi

Book Title – Living With Adi
Author – Zarin Virji
Published By – Penguin Random House India
Recommended Age Group – 12+ years

Anupama Ma’am, my creative writing mentor, gives the best book recommendations. When she sent a link to buy ‘Living with Adi’, I knew I would absolutely love it.

PLOT

‘Living with Adi’ is a novel about an autistic teenager living in Mumbai with his family. The book features different crossroads in Adi’s life, and how he is resilient and brave through it all. Each part is written by someone in his life.

There are different people, some love Adi and others judge him. Their perspectives come together as a well rounded story, telling us who Adi is and who he is capable of becoming.

TAKEAWAYS

I’ve learnt a LOT about ASD from this book.

ASD struggles are real, but that doesn’t mean a neurodivergent child is any ‘different’ or ‘less’. I’ve also understood that ASD is a spectrum, and different children may face various problems. It’s an umbrella term.

Through this book, we see how some people heavily judge everyone around them, without even noticing and acknowledging their struggles.

CHARACTERS

The characters of this book need a special mention! Each character is intricately woven with nuances and foibles. Some characters will make you laugh, some will make you cry, some will make you want to hug them, and you will love some and despise some.

Each chapter is written through the lens of a different character. The characters have so much perspective!

The author has also left trails around the book about each character, and you will understand them so much better at the end of the book.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME

This book is near flawless. I understand why some of the characters’ perspectives weren’t included, but I still think it would be nice to hear from his doctor and some of the ‘bad guys’.

MY RECOMMENDATION

Ever since the package containing this book arrived at my house, I’ve been re-reading it, and I’ve honestly lost count of how many times. I love it a little more every time I read it, and find something new to appreciate in it. This is a must-have, must-buy and must-read! Take my word for it, you will not be disappointed.

You can get your copy of the book here.

Reviewed by: Vinisha Nainani from Hyderabad

Manarola Model

In the beautiful coastal town of Manarola, there lived a peasant girl named Lisa. She lived by the sea in a hut with her mother, as her father had left them when she was little. She didn’t have toys like we do, but she loved playing on the beach with her friends and helping people around her. There was no proper school in her town but she did her best to learn what she could and developed wonderful life skills as she grew up

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Book Review – Mayil Will Not Be Quiet

Book Title – Mayil Will Not Be Quiet
Author – Niveditha Subramaniam and Sowmya Rajendran
Illustrator – Niveditha Subramaniam
Published By – Tulika Publishers
Recommended Age Group – 11+ years

About the Book

This is a fictional book about real-life challenges any middle school girl goes through. It’s an amazing book that will make you cry and laugh and teach you all the crucial things one needs to know while growing up.

Synopsis

Have you ever wondered why that weird, quiet man wears a saree you see on a train or a bus? Or why all the great Bollywood actors/actresses are fair and white-skinned? Well! This book is a must-read if you are as curious as Mayil! It talks about everything any girl wants answers to. It’s a beautiful book explaining transgender, skin color, sex, love, and much more. Family drama… school fights! Enjoy how Mayil beats the irksome Jyothi, rejoins forces with Ki, and calmly handles the ‘V.S. Situation’.

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Book Review – As I Prepare For Landing

‘As I Prepare For Landing!’ is the debut book of Mrs. Gulnar Raheem Khan. It won the Best Debut award in the Fiction Book category held at the 4th ALS Lit Fest in the year 2022. It has been described as a ‘Basket of Stories’ and a ‘Casket of Poems’. I would, however, classify most of the prose in this book as personal experiences and anecdotes, since they do not follow the structure expected from a short story, like character arc, plot, conflict. They are simplistic in nature, with love and compassion being the common themes recurring throughout the book. 

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Book Review – My Act Of Heart

Book Title – My Act Of Heart

Author – Various

Ideated & Curated By – Anjali G Sharma & Deepika Ahuja

Recommended Age – 7+ years

Ideated and Curated by Anjali G Sharma and Deepika Ahuja, My Act Of Heart is an anthology of stories written by children from around the globe which bring to fore the virtues of compassion and generosity towards everyone, irrespective of genders and races. The stories included in this book are heartwarming and at times quite funny as well! Majority of the plots in the book are of a child or a group of children (for the most part friends) who either go somewhere where they observe someone in need, or chance upon something or someone they can help. Whatever be the case, the children in question choose to act on the scenario and with the consent of their parents or grandparents, help those in need. Now, if every single story was about helping a human, we could get pretty bored reading the book after a point. But what makes this book interesting throughout are the varied acts of compassion which are each unique. The book manages to keep the reader engaged and wanting to know what is coming next. 

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Diversity and Representation in YA and Children’s Literature

We are a planet made up of a diverse group of people – and a diverse group of people imply a diverse set of problems. We are riddled with issues so eclectic in their nature, it’s almost impossible to find a uniform solution to all of them. 

This is where I think literature comes into picture. We turn to books and poetry when we are most helpless. In times of adversity, we seek refuge in art – which is why it is so important to have proper and equal representation in all of art’s branches. 

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Book Review – Kings, Saviours & Scoundrels

Book Title – Kings, Saviours & Scoundrels: Timeless Tales from Katha Sarita Sagara

Author – Anupama Jain

Genre – Folktales/Legends

Publisher – Readomania

Recommended Age – 7+ years

Timeless Tales from Katha Sarita Sagara by Anupama Jain is a retelling of tales from the Kathā-saritsāgara – one of India’s oldest classics. It is a well-known collection of stories from the 11th century. It was also told in Sanskrit by Somadeva who was a Brahmin Sanskrit scholar from Kashmir. The stories are very old, but the morals conveyed by them are still relevant and understandable to kids as well.

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