This book is called Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan. I had really enjoyed this book because I was able to really relate to it. The author bases the book off of the Indian culture. Since I am indian, I was able to really understand some of the terms the author uses.I will provide just a brief summary of the book. Like many girls her age in India, thirteen-year-old Koly is getting married. When she discovers that the husband her parents have chosen for her is a sickly boy with wicked parents, Koly wishes she could flee. According to tradition, though, she has no choice. On her wedding day, Koly's fate is sealed. In the wake of her marriage, however, Koly's life takes an unexpected turn, and she finds herself alone in a strange city of white-sari-clad widows. Her only choice seems to be to shed her name and her future and join the hopeless hordes who chant for food. Even then, cast out into a current of time-worn tradition, this rare young woman sets out to forge her won exceptional future. And a life, like a beautiful tapestry, comes together for Koly--one stitch at a time.
Some people might find this book to be very disturbing because of certain actions that take place in the book. But, we as a society have to accept that these things do happen and we will have to live with it the rest of our lives.
The author's writing style was also very authentic and I would give this book a rating of 4 of 5 stars. I hope that you guys add this book to your list of future reads.
This book seems very interesting because the author takes into perspective a problem currently in our society where girls are forced to marry at such a young age, especialy in areas where there is much poverty. However, I was really intriguied by the summary you wrote and consider reading this book soon.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds exciting. I love to read about other cultures, so this book seems interesting to me!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds really interesting and I really want to read this book. The summary was very well written without giving away too much and I also feel I'll be able to relate to it since I'm Indian and have heard many stories about kids getting married at such a young age.
ReplyDeleteI've read this book before and I really liked it because I was able to relate to it, as an Indian. I thought the summary you provided was very accurate wihtout giving too much away.
ReplyDeleteI, however, don't agree with this statement you made: "Some people might find this book to be very disturbing because of certain actions that take place in the book. But, we as a society have to accept that these things do happen and we will have to live with it the rest of our lives."
Some people may find the actions disturbing, in fact, I find them disturbing. But I don't think we should just acccept that this happens and let these kinds of things happen to young girls. I think that rather than 'just living with it', we should do something about it. Educate the people, create new laws, have a place for young widows to go, provide a lawyer for girls who are being forced into marriage, anything. We can, and should, do something to change the fact that these actions do happen. We shouldn't just accept it, we should change it.