I knew this book would be a tough one, but I didn't realize just how traumatic it would be. Although the book is beautifully written, it was hard to read. The protagonist goes through a series of rapes and abuse that seem to only get worse as the book continues. The book illustrates a lot of the atrocities children and women face in the streets of Mumbai. I only wish there were more light moments to balance the book out. If you rate a book based on emotional response, then I give this a 15/10. Books rarely move me to tears, but this one did, and not just because of the eye-wateringly graphic sexual violence. The personality of young Batuk, sold into sexual slavery at the age of 9 by her father, transcends the squalor and brutality of her life. The fact that she is such an engaging character makes it all too easy to imagine yourself, worse, your daughter, enslaved and prostituted, given a slightly different throw of the cosmic dice. But the book is full of hope, and, oddly, warmth and humour, as 15 year old Batuk reveals her innocent, naughty, 9 year-old self, her devotion to her beloved, flawed father, and her refusal to lose her humanity in a world where inhumanity reigns, assisted by her hidden literacy, which sustains and empowers her.I hesitate to recommend this, as it's an uncomfortable read indeed, but I couldn't put it down. Batuk isn't a real person, but there are thousands of girls like her in India and elsewhere, deprived of their liberty and lives for no other reason than their parents' poverty. Proceeds from the book support missing and exploited children charities, and the book's front plate has links to these charities.
What do You think about Het Blauwe Schriftje (2009)?
Mayo physician and prof first book. Story of a child/teenage prostitute in India and her writings.
—Lloyd
Disturbing and raw. But so is trafficking
—JennaLinda
