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Ladataan... Strong as Fire, Fierce as FlameTekijä: Supriya Kelkar
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In 1857 India, 12-year-old Meera escapes a life she has no say inâ??and certain death on her husband's funeral pyreâ??only to end up a servant to a British general in the East India Company. When a rebellion against British colonizers spreads, she must choose between relative safety in a British household or standing up for herself and her people. India, 1857Meera's future has been planned for her for as long as she can remember. As a child, her parents married her to a boy from a neighboring village whom she barely knows. Later, on the eve of her thirteenth birthday, she prepares to leave her family to live with her husband'sâ??just as her strict religion dictates. But that night, Indian soldiers mutiny against their British commanders and destroy the British ammunition depot, burning down parts of Delhi. Riots follow, and Meera's husband is killed. Upon hearing the news, Meera's father insists that she follow the dictates of their fringe religious sect: She must end her life by throwing herself on her husband's funeral pyre. Risking everything, Meera runs away, escaping into the chaos of the rebellion. But her newfound freedom is short-lived, as she is forced to become a servant in the house of a high-ranking British East India Company captain. Slowly through her work, she gains confidence, new friends, new skillsâ??and sometimes her life even feels peaceful. But one day, Meera stumbles upon the captain's secret stock of ammunition, destined to be used by the British to continue colonizing India and control its citizens. Will Meera do her part to take down the British colonists and alert the rebellion of the stockpile? Or will she stay safe and let others make decisions for her? It really comes down to this: how much fire must a girl face to finally write her Kirjastojen kuvailuja ei löytynyt. |
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Google Books — Ladataan... LajityypitMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyKongressin kirjaston luokitusArvio (tähdet)Keskiarvo:
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There are hardly any books in YA or younger age groups that are on my radar which explore the colonization of India/South Asia in any meaningful way, so this novel set just after the events of the 1857 First War of Independence felt like a breath of fresh air. Through the story of Meera - a child bride and a preteen widow all set to be sacrificed in the ritual of sati - the author shows us the reality of India at the time. How there was a dichotomy between rebels wanting to achieve freedom for India from the British colonizers who stole our land and taxed our people for using our own resources, leading to many dying of hunger; while at the same time, there were still Indian families who supported the cause for freedom of the country but couldn’t imagine the women in their households to be equally free.
We also get to meet interesting and brave young girls like Meera, Bhavani, Chhaya and more who want to prove that just because they are women, it doesn’t mean they can’t contribute to the cause. We get to see the indifference that British women showed towards the Indians, considering themselves as liberators and saviors and the rebels as just inconveniences who didn’t deserve any leniency. The author did a brilliant job showing exactly how the Indian people were exploited and then expected to feel fortunate to be serving their colonial masters. It definitely evoked very strong feelings in me because of my personal connection to this history, and that’s probably why I was so cheering on for the young women to succeed in their small rebellion and carve a path for their freedom and future.
To conclude, this is a very engaging middle grade novel about a young brave woman who decides to escape her fate and make her own future; but this is also an excellent exploration of the atrocious conditions during British East India Company’s rule and how many people contributed in their own small ways which led to our independence, despite many of them living in dire straits and also facing additional problems of their own like misogyny, sexism, illiteracy etc. This is a wonderfully written tale of strength and resilience during a tumultuous part of Indian history, and I can’t recommend it enough. ( )