|
A well-written passage to India
By AMITA SHAH
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 11, 2002
Neela: Victory Song (Pleasant Company Publications, $7.95) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is from the Girls of Many Lands line of American Girl products.
* * *
Overview: The year is 1939, and 12-year-old Neela Sen, her 15-year old sister, Usha, and their parents live in a village in Bengal, India. The book opens with Usha's wedding preparations. Neela knows that her mother, Sarada, will now be looking for a groom for her, but Neela is a lot more interested in other things, such as the fight for independence in India. Neela is filled with many rebellious ideas that were unheard of at that time. The day after Usha's wedding, Neela's father, Hari Charan, leaves to join a march against British rule in Calcutta. He has told Neela not to let her mother know why he is going to Calcutta.
Three weeks after Hari Charan left, no one has heard from him. Neela is worried that something has happened to him, but her mother thinks she is silly to worry so much. Neela doesn't know whether she should tell her mother the real reason her father went to Calcutta. Neela takes matters into her own hands and chooses to go to Calcutta to try to find her father.
Favorite part of the book: It was hard to chose one good part. Two parts of the story struck me as interesting. In the beginning, the author describes Usha's wedding very well. It is almost as if you are there, experiencing it all. Also, at the high point of the story, when Neela decides to go to Calcutta, it gets exciting, and I couldn't put the book down until I finished. Overall, this novel is well-written, and I would recommend it to girls ages 9 to 12.
This story has historical accuracy and cultural authenticity. This fascinating novel reveals a strong and determined 12-year-old heroine facing circumstances and changes that are specific to her culture and time. Neela: Victory Song expands girls' knowledge of different cultures and events that shaped world history. The story explores the richness, beauty and unique traditions of the cultures and people beyond America's borders.
Worst part of the book: The story seemed to end too abruptly. The author failed to explain what happened to Neela's marriage prospects.
Rating: B
-- Amita Shah, 14, is in the 10th grade at St. Petersburg High.
The Author
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni was born in India and lives in San Francisco and Houston, where she teaches Creative Writing at the University of Houston. Her first book of stories, Arranged Marriage, won an American Book Award. She writes poetry; volunteers with Maitri, a South Asian community organization that helps women in trouble, and teaches Indian culture to first-graders at the Chinmaya Mission. She has two children, 7 and 10.
Here's the rest of today's Xpress
|
