vellichortalks

Book: Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars

Author: Kai Cheng Thom

Genre: Fiction(LGBTQ+, Trans girl)

Language: English

Pages: 188

Publisher: Young Zuban (in 2019)

First Published in: 2016 by Metonymy Press

𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲:

It’s a story of a trans girl who grows up in a crooked house in a city called Gloom, where the sky is always grey, a place she escapes from, to become a woman, to become herself, to become anything she wants.

It’s not a story of an ordinary trans girl. It’s a story of a dangerous girl who is the greatest escape artist and knows how to kill a man with her bare hands. She is wild, she is fierce.

Leaving behind that crooked house and Gloom, she reaches the place of her dream, the City of Smoke and Lights, where anything can happen if you dream it. It’s a place full of fabulous femmes and fierce trans women. It’s a place where she finds sisterhood, companionship, where she arises, emerges and fights for herself and for the femmes.

𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:

The book is so so so different. It’s not the usual trans story we always read, where the society doesn’t accept a trans, it’s not about the pain and the suffering. It’s about being untamed and savage, it’s about raising your weapon and crushing those who maltreat you, shattering their bones to wreak vengeance.

Yeah it does set forth the reality, the things trans women go through. But it’s about coming to the fore to stamp out whoever comes against you and tortures you.

𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞:

Narrative gripping and profound.

This book has a very magical narration. That’s one of the best things about the book. It seems so dreamy and unworldly. The writer has fictionalized all the realities incredibly.

𝐓𝐨 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝:

If you wanna read a very whimsical book about fierce trans women then please go and read it soon.

I won’t recommend this to a beginner, because the narration involves a lot of fantasy, which may get difficult to comprehend.

.

.

.

If you wanna read this book, click here for the paperback, click here for the audio book.

Spread love and read more books🖤 @vellichortalks

Book: Radio Silence

Author: Alice Oseman

Genre: Fiction(Young Adult, LGBTQ+, Gay, Bisexual)

Language: English

Pages: 403

Publisher: Harper Collins

First Published in: February 2016

𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲:

Frances Janvier, the head girl of her school, is a studious and clever teenager of high ambition of joining the University of Cambridge. Among her friends, she is a monotonous and uneventful person, who only thinks of her study and career. But Frances has a concealed world of her own, where she wears funky clothes, listens to her favourite youtube podcast and does fan art. A version of hers, that she can never reveal in front of others.

But one day something unexpected happens in her life. She discovers the creator of her favourite podcast accidentally and in him she gets a friend, in front of whom she can be herself and there is nothing to hide. Life opens a new door of friendship for her.

But she has never known that life is going to be a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, bewilderment, realization and self discovery.

𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:

This book portrays a lot of things that a teenager goes through.

Society, parents and school often make us believe that there is nothing we can do if we don't get good marks in examination. We set our goals as per their norms. And some of us end up being a failure after a struggle of years. And some of us who get through this realize it later that, this is not what they are happy with, this is not something they wanna continue and they should have done something else, something they are passionate about.

Discovering your sexuality, figuring out what exactly you want to achieve in your life, the emotional support a child or a teenager needs, how he/she needs to be understood, the importance of friendship, the importance of listening to your inner voice, all these things have been described properly in this book. And really love this because of the reality it holds.

It's a great read.

𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞:

Well, simple and beginner' friendly. I really appreciate the author for the way she has depicted the important aspects of teenagers.

𝐓𝐨 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝:

Firstly I would recommend this book to all the teenagers. Apart from that if anyone who wants to read a book that focuses on the things that teenagers go through, the struggle to meet the expectations of parents, schools and society, the emotional breakdown, realization of their sexuality, the value of friendship, self-realization then you must read this book.

.

.

If you wanna read the book, click here for the paperback, click here for the kindle edition.

.

.

Author: Khaled Haosseini

Genre: Fiction

Language: English

Published on: 29th May 2003

Number of pages: 343

Story (no spoiler)

The book starts with a phone call from Raheem khan to Amir, far away from his motherland and a thousand of memories start reverberating in Amir’s mind. Memories of his childhood and Hassan. And the story goes to the flashback of Kabul in 1975.

Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan with valleys and snow capped peaks, and the motherland of Amir and Hssan. Where the streets, hills, flea market, kite shop, every corner beholds and contemplates the picture of their childhood.

Amir is privileged of being a Pashtun and son of Baba (a prominent, wealthy man of Kabul) and Hassan is a Hazara. Ali and Hassan live in a small mud hut inside the campus of Baba’s house. Despite of the discrimination that the society follows Baba always shows his love and care to Hassan.

(Pashtun is the largest group of Afghanistan and they are Sunni Muslims whereas Hazara people are minorities in Afghanistan and they are Shi’a Muslims.  Historically Hazaras were discriminated against by the Pashtuns and were servants working under them)

The story touches a reader’s heart with the beguiling narration of Khaled Hosseini. The way the novelist has described the bonding between the two lads (Amir & Hassan) and Afghanistan in 1970s is wondrous. The elucidation depicts a picture of the streets of Wazir Akbar Khan, the bazaars of Shar-e-nau and a beautiful Afghanistan, an Afghanistan of children awaiting for winters, preparing for the kite competition, where every morning Hassan’s voice is heard singing old Hazara songs while getting all the things ready for Amir to go to school. After school they go to a hill and Amir reads stories to Hassan.

But,

“History is not easy to overcome. Neither is religion.”

And

“Sometimes even a single day can change the course of a whole life time.”

An Afghanistan of children awaiting for winter is turned into a land of orphans and beggars. Social discrimination, wars and Afghanistan’s governmental and ministerial structure change the lives of Afghans forever. That Afghanistan of joy and happiness becomes a memory. And how all these affect the lives of Amir and Hassan has been portrayed in the book.

My contemplation:

For me this book is indelible. Every time my eyes catch a glimpse of it in my shelf, it gives me an emotional vibe. Although I have never been to Afghanistan, still my mind has a vivid picture of it, those winter mornings of Kabul, mountains, snow and a sky full of kites. Most of the time while reading, it made me emotional and left me in deep silence. A fear which is inside you, tugging you and always reminds you of your unatoned guilt and at last you overcome it at the cost of risking your life is what has been picturized in the book.  

Why I have a great admiration for the book and of course for the author is because besides the fictional prospective the actuality it holds. Portraying the story of two lads Amir and Hassan, the author has well delineated the suffering of the people in his country, and what made them leave their own land. Till now 2.5 million refugees of Afghanistan are struggling for livelihood. And all these together make the book a master piece. It’s a must read.

Style of writing:

The author has used simple language yet it’s compelling. Without any complicacy and lots of jargon, yet the book makes a reader indulge in emotion.

Who can read this

It’s suitable for readers of every level. As the writing style is simple so a beginner can pick it without any second thought.

Spread love and read more books🖤

Book: My Father’s Garden

Author: Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar

Genre: Fiction(LGBTQ+, Gay)

Language: English

Pages: 192

Publisher: Speaking Tiger

Originally Published in: 2018

𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲:

This book is about an unnamed medical student and it has three parts: Lover, Friend, Father.

The first part is about the protagonist’s college life in Jamshedpur. Away from home, hostel life gives him freedom. He is now away from all those thoughts and fear that he can never be the man his father has dreamt of. Now life is all about study and Samir, with whom he feels so different, the way he has never felt before. But time flies, college life comes to and end. Leaving behind the merry days, life takes a new path, first job at Pakur. And amidst the loneliness of life someone extends a hand of friendship to him. Bada Babu, the head cleark of the hospital, a well-known man in the locality. And the second part of the book is all about Pakur, the protagonist’s bonding with Bada Babu and Bada Babu’s family, and a lot of things about village politics and culture that he explores while his friendship with Bada Babu.

The third part is about the life of protagonist’s father, past stories of his father’s bravery and contributions to village and political party and the beautiful garden his father builts. To his father it’s not just a garden, it’s a refuge, an escape from agony, that bestows tranquility.

Though the book is known as an LGBTQ+ book, the first part is only about it. The rest two parts focus on different issues like social and political scenarios during the days when Jharkhand was not a separate state.

𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:

I couldn’t enjoy the book. The first part was the worst one. More than 80% of that part was about sex and lust. I’m not against books describing sex. But there was no sign of emotion, love, friendship whereas the title was “Lover”. The second part was not that bad and it didn’t have any connection with the first part. The third part was better than the former two ones. Altogether I didn’t like the book.

𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞:

It couldn’t hold me. Only a few parts of the last chapter had good narration. Overall it was no great shakes.

𝐓𝐨 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝:

I would never recommend this book to anyone. But if you want to read about gay sexual relation, local politics issues, some tribal cultures then you can go for it.