Book Club Pick: A Burning

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Abstract

ut passing score on a certificate exam — a source of great pride in her family and neighborhood— and got a job in retail. In the course of the story, I developed much affection for her, which is what pushed me through the book so quickly. <i>Will she be exonerated? Will the truth prevail? Will her family be spared the heartache? </i>are the questions that compelled me.</p><p id="7b10"><b>PT Sir</b> is the physical education teacher at the school where Jivan won admission through a chance encounter. We watch as he is drawn into and then advances in a political party that is gaining power. We see how the increase in status affects him materially, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.</p><p id="0949"><b>Lovely</b> is a transwoman, identified as a <i>hijra</i> in the book. She’s a charmer with a unique way of speaking who begs and gives blessings (to brides, babies, lovers…) for a living and spends some of her money on an acting class. She dreams of becoming a movie star. Jivan tutors her in English.</p><p id="8d19">Reading this book gave me some insight into life in India and got me thinking about many important issues including income inequality, criminal justice, celebrity culture, religious prejudice, mob mentality, and family bonds.</p><p id="6d62">Final reckoning: Read it!</p><p id="ac2f">Tangential question: Why don’t men have book clubs? This is particularly perplexing considering that until last century, they wrote all the books!</p><p id="6c42"><i>For more of the good stuff, follow <a href="https://medium.com/four

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th-wave">Fourth Wave</a>, where we’re changing the world for the better, one story at a time. Got one of your own? <a href="https://readmedium.com/submit-to-the-wave-7c92f095e86f?source=friends_link&sk=c6df1d6e65509aab783bdc7ea7332ab8">Submit to the Wave!</a></i></p><p id="3abc"><i>For more by this author, try:</i></p><div id="66d8" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/5-reasons-im-excited-about-the-nobel-prize-in-chemistry-534bef71158b"> <div> <div> <h2>5 Reasons I’m Excited About the Nobel Prize in Chemistry</h2> <div><h3>A random list of joyful responses to the news</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*iBJKZEbH2JMeT_g_.jpg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="2882" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/two-books-by-badass-women-590aef457290"> <div> <div> <h2>Two Books by Badass Women</h2> <div><h3>An Old Testament prophet and an anti-feminist</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*MsdHmDnxM2he3Oa_fW_msg.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

I finished this novel by Megha Majumdar in two nights

About a year ago, I asked to join a book club. The rest of the women in the club had been meeting for 30 years, so I was lucky to gain admission. Although I love reading, I often don’t know what to read. I have particular tastes. I like literature, philosophy, feminism and people’s history, not the hagiography that passes for history in many books. Not the grand stories of wars and generals, but the stories of common people with regular lives. The real stuff.

Joining this club has been a gift. Besides meeting nine intelligent, engaged, and articulate women, I’ve gotten great recommendations. Over the past year, we’ve read 12 books, many of which had a big impact on me. The selection for next month was A Burning by Megha Majumdar. I checked a digital edition out of the library on the night of our meeting and read it on my phone over the next two days.

The story has three main characters. The protagonist is Jivan, a girl of perhaps 17 who lives in a slum and and is wrongly accused of aiding terrorists in a big crime, apparently because of bias against Muslims in India.

Jivan is a good girl with a good heart and great appetite for the world. She left school a bit early after getting a low but passing score on a certificate exam — a source of great pride in her family and neighborhood— and got a job in retail. In the course of the story, I developed much affection for her, which is what pushed me through the book so quickly. Will she be exonerated? Will the truth prevail? Will her family be spared the heartache? are the questions that compelled me.

PT Sir is the physical education teacher at the school where Jivan won admission through a chance encounter. We watch as he is drawn into and then advances in a political party that is gaining power. We see how the increase in status affects him materially, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.

Lovely is a transwoman, identified as a hijra in the book. She’s a charmer with a unique way of speaking who begs and gives blessings (to brides, babies, lovers…) for a living and spends some of her money on an acting class. She dreams of becoming a movie star. Jivan tutors her in English.

Reading this book gave me some insight into life in India and got me thinking about many important issues including income inequality, criminal justice, celebrity culture, religious prejudice, mob mentality, and family bonds.

Final reckoning: Read it!

Tangential question: Why don’t men have book clubs? This is particularly perplexing considering that until last century, they wrote all the books!

For more of the good stuff, follow Fourth Wave, where we’re changing the world for the better, one story at a time. Got one of your own? Submit to the Wave!

For more by this author, try: