Throwback Thursday: Monsoon Summer

Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins
Delacorte Press/Random House

Rating: 4/5

IQ "But the line had gone dead, I walked home replaying our conversation, sheltered in the privacy of my umbrella. What had those missing words been? If only the connection had stayed clear! Now the words were drifting in outer space somewhere, and I'd never find out what they were." Jasmine pgs. 110-111

Jazz Gardner has a great business going with her best friend, Steve Morales (a guy she's secretly in love with), they sell Berkley Memories and their business is doing quite well. Unfortunately (or is it?) for them both, Jazz's mom wins a grant for her and the family to travel to India and set up a women's clinic near the orphanage where Jasmine's mom was adopted from. Jazz doesn't want to go not just because she doesn't want to leave Steve but because she's not a big fan of volunteer work (after all how do you know the person you're helping really needs help?). Jazz doesn't have a cell-phone or a laptop so she will have to rely on rare long-distance phone calls with Steve and hope that he won't start dating another girl. Jazz is not, however prepared for the madness and magic of monsoon season in India, the countryside is lush and the people are a bit crazy but crazy isn't always bad.

Something that's really starting to get on my nerves about girls in books is when they constantly complain about their bodies (which I get believe, I hate my body) but then there are AT LEAST 2-3 guys interested in them. In Jazz's case, she goes to a dance club and every guy wants to dance with her and I understand that before that she thought she was ugly but after that she should have felt way better about herself. And yet she continued to believe she was ugly, it especially pained me that she thought that because she was tall. I really don't think a person's height should affect how good they feel about themselves. It was hard for me to relate to Jazz though because she's not a 'do-gooder' and while I don't do all I can to help people, volunteering is a huge part of my life so it was hard for me to fathom someone so dead set against it, even after her motive is explained. Plus who wouldn't jump at the opportunity to visit India? Yes it would be tough being without technology (I'm spending 10 days in Guatemala with no phone and I think I'm already going into withdrawal and I haven't left yet....) but this is a chance for Jazz to see a new country, learn more about her heritage and make a 'small' difference. I was sympathetic though to her being worried that Steve would start crushing on a girl while she was away. I can definitely empathize. But I was a bit peeved that Jasmine was 'in love' with Steve at the age of fifteen. *sigh*

Steve was an one-dimensional crush (well Jazz would say his flaw is that he's too nice/too caring) and that made it hard for me to take him seriously, but the other characters were well-drawn, especially members of Jazz's family and that made me happy. Granted Jazz was spending the summer with her family in close quarters so they needed to be described in great detail but I liked that their personalities were shown through their actions or Jazz's observations, not just Jazz talking to the reader. I also loved that a rich girl character we are introduced to wasn't a complete brat, she shows that she's privileged but she's nice to Jazz and as someone who is tired of the rich-girl-is-a-bully storyline I really appreciated the character. Jazz starts out the book being quite selfish so that makes her transformation all the more sweet to read about and Jazz isn't whiny selfish, she's just very cautious which leads to her being selfish. Reading about Jazz slowly opening up to the wonder and madness of monsoon season in India is cheering and India is described with resplendent detail, especially the scenes where Jazz describes the marketplace and Karthak dance.

Monsoon Summer's magic lies in reading about Jazz's maturing, it's a truly captivating coming-of-age because I wasn't always sure she would come around. *Spoiler: highlight to read* Is it selfish/mean of me to say that I was happy this story didn't turn into a miraculous meeting between Jazz's mom and her biological parents? That would have been incredible but not very realistic *End of spoiler* This is an absolutely perfect summer read since it's deep but I didn't drown in the depth and there are enough light-hearted moments that the story is entertaining. It's interesting to read about Jazz's struggle to balance two very different standards of beauty, American standards and Indian standards. The author shows the ridiculous American (thin is everything) and Indian ideas (dark skin=bad) of beauty that are ingrained in the respective cultures and how they hurt girls in both cultures. And as much as I thought Steve was unrealistic, he's still adorable and a great friend. Danita was my favorite character because how can you not like someone whose a hard-worker and is determined to keep her family together, even when the monsoon affects her and makes her almost-agree to something crazy? Jazz's parents are in my top ten favorite parents in YA because not only are they vividly present but they go on a date night. And Jazz treats her parents like human beings. *Happy sigh* Read this book for the setting of India and one of the most rewarding coming-of-age stories in YA. Plus the food sounds phenomenal.

Disclosure: Received as part of Goodreads BookSwap

*I will be in Guatemala with no Internet access from June 10-20. All emails/comments will be answered upon my return.

Male Monday: Bamboo People

Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins 2010 ARC
Charlesbridge

Rating: 5/5

IQ "A man full of hatred is like a gun, my son.' Peh says, 'He can be used for only one purpose-to kill.' [...] 'And that's why I'm going to stay like the bamboo, Tu Reh. I want to be used for many purposes. Not just one.'" pg. 148-149 (I know it's the quote on the back cover, but it's there for good reason. It jumped out at me the most).

Chiko is a Burmese boy who wants to be a teacher. His father is a doctor who has instilled in him a love of learning. However his father is seized by the government for treating "a leader of the freedom and democracy movement" (pg. 8) and declared an "enemy of the state." Chiko must now be even more careful read his beloved books in private. Chiko is later forced into the Burmese army. He is a city boy who loves peace and he's completely out of shape. He has a lot to learn, things he can't learn from books. Tu Reh is a Karenni boy who hates all Burmese people after Burmese soldiers destroyed his family's farm. His family had to flew to a refugee camp near Thailand. Tu Reh is ready and willing to fight against the Burmese, to him, they are not human beings.

The Burmese government wants to get rid of ethnic minorities, like the Karenni. They brainwash Burmese citizens into believing all ethnic minorities are evil and therefore must be kicked out of Burma. I've heard of Aung San Suu Kyi but I didn't know much about her and very little about Burma (also known as Myanmar). Yet another eye opening book by Mitali Perkins. She explains the reasoning behind the conflict in a way that all readers can understand without talking down to her young readers. She has created unforgettable characters, thus making sure you will not forget the story and the plight of Burma. I liked both boys, but Chiko was my favorite (why didn't he listen to his mother early on??). This might be because the reader spends more time with Chiko. I'm not exactly sure but I felt like more chapters were devoted to Chiko, which was fine with me. I also fell in love with Tai, I wanted to meet him and receive the honor of being his friend. He's funny, brave and without him Chiko might not have survived. I also wanted to meet and become friends with Ree Meh, a Karenni girl that Tu Reh befriends. She's stubborn and fiercely independent, so she might not want to be friends at first ;) Actually, I wanted to meet all these characters.

When I did my New Crayons post, I mentioned that I feared being depressed by the story because both boys are essentially child soldiers (Burma has the largest number of child soldiers). It's an important story to be told, but I always feel helpless when I read these sort of stories. I was wrong. This story does not ask for pity, instead it merely seeks to inform you. To let you know that there are tragic events happening outside your own little bubble, but people are surviving. It is a story is filled with hope and humor, it's an uplifting tale of friendship and tolerance. In fact, pity on the person who does not read this book and get to meet such wonderful characters and learn about the resilient people. As a bonus, the book includes ways we can help so at least I feel useful. The story never becomes tedious and characters are slowly but surely changing for the better.

Bamboo People is a lot like the bamboo that the people of Burma represent; it has multiple purposes. The story entertains, uplifts and educates. It is a story that will leave an impact on you, whether you realize it or not. I couldn't help but wonder if Chiko and Tu Reh would have been friends, we will never really know due to the fact that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Both boys start off letting their circumstances shape them, but they soon learn to take their future into their own hands. I was transported to Burma and learned not only about the causes of the war and the trials of living there but also the smaller things like the clothing, food and the outward differences between the Burmese and the Karenni (most Karenni are Christians whereas the Burmese are Buddhists). What I really want to know is why did the U.S. only just allow the Karenni to enter the U.S. in 2009? An absolute must read for everyone, it reminds us, once again, that literature teaches tolerance.

Disclosure: Received from April at Good Books & Good Wine. She even got it autographed for me at BEA :D Thank you x infinity April and thank you for signing it Mitali!

Ways to Help: Text Burma to 20222 and you've donated $5. It's that simple. If you have more money to spare, $50 can help 5 people. You know what just visit the website Mitali created to go with the book, Bamboopeople.org The website is fantastic, it includes ways you can help, discussion guides and more information about the Burmese and Karenni people. Please donate if you can, I don't have $50 to spare but I did text Burma. Let me know if you donated too :)

PS I wanted to share this line because I thought it was adorable "The familiar dimple in Mother's left cheek deepens. Father used to say that he tumbled into it when he first saw her and never climbed back out." (pg.8) All together now, one, two, three! "Awwwww"

Secret Keeper

Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins

Rating: 5/5

IQ "After all, during the first thirteen years of my life, nobody defined me first as a girl-not even myself. That did give me a strange kind of freedom. I remember thinking I could do anything, be anything, go anywhere...Perhaps I should be grateful that I was able to become a person before I had to become a woman. Not every girl gets that chance. Still, it makes me sad, but I don't quite know why." Asha pg. 104-105

This review is going to be in letter form to the author. I sort of stole this idea from A Striped Armchair, hope you don't mind, Eva!

First here's some background on the book. Asha, Reet and her mother must go live with their father's brother and his family while their father travels to America to get a job. Times are hard in India. The country is going through political turmoil during the time of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and there also economic issues as well, making it nearly impossible for Asha's father to get a job. Asha is the "ugly" one in the family as she's skinny and even worse, dark-skinned. Her older sister, Reet is the light, beautiful one who receives many marriage proposals. Before Asha's father left, he told her to take care of her mother and sister and Asha takes this responsibility very seriously. However, months are going by with no letter from their father asking for them to move to America and their finances are draining away, they are becoming a hindrance to Asha's uncle and his family.

Dear Ms. Perkins,
I am writing to express my great love for Secret Keeper. You made 1970s India come alive for me, even though Asha, her older sister Reet and her mother rarely left the house of Asha's uncle in Calcutta, I was still able to get a clear picture of the social, political and economical situations of India during this time.

There's something I need to get off my chest:The Ending! How could you do that to me??!!!!!!!!!! The ending was excellent, don't get me wrong, I appreciated the lack of cliffhangers and having most of my questions answered. However, this is one book that I didn't want to have a realistic ending, I wanted a happy ending. I want to demand it's re-written to satisfy me, lol.

Other than that, I loved everything. I even loved the ending, albeit begrudgingly and I did tear up. I understand why Nathalie would want to have dinner with Asha, she's amazing. Asha is the younger sister but she acts the way an older sister should and the way a boy would (her mother never had any sons). Asha is brave, determined and is going places. She loves school, especially reading and she dreams of being a psychiatrist (I'm not a fan of psychiatrists, but I would definitely hire Asha to be mine!). She has impulsive moments, but for the most part she hatches out a plan and thinks it all the way through before implementing it.

The other characters were wonderful as well. The budding romance (if you can even call it that) between Asha and her next door neighbor, Jay Sen was wonderful to read about. Jay is so sweet and he helps Asha to realize how beautiful she really is. I must admit Reet annoyed me at times because as the older sister she should have stepped up more than she did. All the characters had many layers that you skillfully peeled away to expose their true selves. Even the seemingly awful Aunt had her moments. I got to know Asha's family as she too became reacquainted with them. I thought it was interesting how Asha and her sister refer to their mother retreating into depression as being taken prisoner by the Jailor. It's quite a true anaolgy and I sympathized with Asha while she struggled to free her mother from the clutches of the Jailor.

More than anything this book opened up my eyes to how good women of my generation have it. I don't think girls my age (high school and younger) understand how bad women were treated in the past. We had so very few rights and it was even worse to be a woman of color. Granted, this story does not take place in America so the situation could have been better in America than in India. The older sister must get married before the younger, women are not allowed to walk around after they have their period and once your husband dies, you must wear a white saree and give up eating meat. It wasn't fair, women had very little freedom and could hardly achieve anything. This book also brings up questions concerning family relationships, how much we should do for our families and how often should we place them before ourselves. I think this is a common thing among women not just back then but today as well. Women don't always put themselves first and sometimes they need to.

Thank you for opening my eyes to another culture, time and place in a story that is absolutely enthralling. My only regret is that I waited so long to read Secret Keeper, I was missing out. I fully intend on reading the rest of your books.

Sincerely,
Ari

PS The one thing I couldn't visualize was the game of cricket. It essentially sounds like baseball so that's the image I went with :)