Hindu – Cannonball Read 17

While looks easy, there is a lot packed it and not all of it is nice, but worth the read

Fitting Indian by Jyoti Chand and Tara Anand

February 19, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Fitting Indian by Jyoti Chand and Tara Anand has several potential triggers. They include (but are not limited to): self-harm, alcohol consumption, sexual context, suicidal thoughts, bullying, mental health, suicide attempt, and cultural situations/responses. Despite the issues, or maybe because of them, this is actually a fantastic story about how mental health is “hidden” even when it is right in front of you. The idea of being the “perfect Indian girl”, the idea of the “favorite son,” the idea of family and honor, and more, […]

An Intense, Important Middle Grade

Lion of the Sky by Ritu Hemnani

May 5, 2024 by LB Leave a Comment

I was immediately intrigued by the cover of Lion of the Sky with the two boys flying kites, and when I read the synopsis I knew I wanted to read it. For some reason I’ve been coming across more books, and middle grade ones at that, talking about the Indian Partition and the experiences of those who survived. This was my first story which focused on a Hindu family migrating from Pakistan, and the similarities and differences of the experiences are striking, and utterly heartbreaking. […]

Celebrating environmentally

Ganesha Goes Green by Lakshmi Thamizhmani

July 11, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

In a recent box of books sent to me by a publisher, Ganesha Goes Green by Lakshmi Thamizhmani was included. At first, it was a bit awkward. The pronunciation of some words did not come naturally to me, therefore, it took a minute or two to get into it. But once I did this story about conservation, while keeping true to the culture and holiday, was worth it. Not only do you learn about Indian culture, and the holiday Ganesha Chaturthi, you learn about how Prema and her […]

The crime, the punishment, the Americanized reporter

Honor by Thirty Umrigar

November 4, 2021 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

The world of India is opened in a way few know within the pages of Honor by Thirty Umrigar. The Beauty and The Beast of this country with its different cultures, traditions, physical light and ugly are out in the open. When a Hindu woman and her Muslim husband, are attacked by her brothers, killing her husband, an American reporter takes on her story. Not just because another woman was involved in an Honor Killing, but because she is willing to stand up to her […]

Giving Rebirth is Not For the Weak

November 9, 2014 by ElCicco Leave a Comment

There are no harmless, compassionate ways to remake oneself. We murder who we were so we can rebirth ourselves in the images of dreams. Even 25 years after it was first published, the themes of this novel remain relevant: the immigrant experience of trying to assimilate into US culture and the particular experience of a young Hindu woman who chooses to defy traditional expectations and dares to remake herself. Violence, including murder, is a part not just of Jasmine’s personal story but of other women, […]

Trigger Warning: Life can be tragic

June 12, 2014 by ElCicco Leave a Comment

Last month, the New York Times, and subsequently other major news outlets, covered the controversy over trigger warnings in academia, i.e., a growing movement on US college campuses to have professors provide warnings in advance of potentially disturbing topics covered in their syllabi (rape, racism, suicide, etc.). When I saw some of the books listed as requiring trigger warnings (Huck Finn, The Great Gatsby, Things Fall Apart), I was deeply disturbed and I generally agree with those who have spoken out against warnings. And does […]

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Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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