Wow. So many words come to mind to describe this book by James Levine: beautiful, sad, disturbing, poignant, and horrifying are just a few. The story of Batuk, the Indian girl sold into prostitution by her family at 9 years of age, is one of the most amazing books I have ever read.
I am amazed that a middle-aged male doctor was so adept at capturing the voice of a young female Indian prostitute. Dr. Levine really takes us inside Batuk’s head, and also gives us a pretty ugly picture of the seedy side of India. I had just watched Slumdog Millionaire before starting The Blue Notebook, but the movie only scratched the surface of the atrocities suffered by the poor and unwanted children of India.
I am also amazed at the depth of Dr. Levine’s characters. The story is told in Batuk’s voice, writing in her cherished blue notebook, so I am not surprised at how well-developed her character was. But even the characters we only meet on one or two occasions – Bubba, for instance – are drawn with such detail that the reader can almost see them, can almost hear their voices.
The book is not for everyone. It’s a difficult subject told in strong detail. But I strongly urge everyone to buy a copy, if only because all of Dr. Levine’s American proceeds are being donated to the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children. You can get if for about $16 on Amazon.
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Annelise and I both read Sold by Patricia Mccormick this summer. This young adult book was a National Book Award finalist, and is also about child prostitution in India. It was very good. Mccormick also wrote Cut, about, well, cutting. http://www.pattymccormick.com/
ReplyDeleteMy favorite YA author is Laurie Halse Anderson, who wrote Speak, Catalyst and Winter Girls, to name just a few. (She also has written some children's books.) http://www.writerlady.com/ Laurie's books deal with intense issues. anyone who has any contact with a teenager should read them. Or who ever was a teenager. And don't be put off by the fact that it is a YA book. I think they are the best written books. (Wow, that does not read grammatically correct, but I am not sure how to say it any other way!)