The Blue Notebook by Dr. James A. Levine – 224 pages
Book Blurb:
An unforgettable, deeply affecting debut novel, The Blue Notebook tells the story of Batuk, a precocious fifteen-year-old girl from rural India who is sold into sexual slavery by her father. As she navigates the grim realities of Mumbai’s Common Street, Batuk manages to put pen to paper, recording her private thoughts and writing fantastic tales that help her transcend her daily existence. Beautifully crafted, surprisingly hopeful, and filled with both tragedy and humor, The Blue Notebook shows how even in the most difficult situations, people use storytelling to make sense of and give meaning to their lives.
My Review: 4.5 stars
A short, phenomenally well written book by a doctor who wrote this story after visiting Mumbai. It is extremely dark as we live in this young girl’s head, but her spirit and tenacity to find solace with pen and paper keeps us cheering her on. I really enjoyed this book as depressing as it was.
I highly recommend if you can handle the subject matter. All US proceeds of the book go to help exploited children.
I highly recommend if you can handle the subject matter. All US proceeds of the book go to help exploited children.
Quotes I liked:
You can never fully straighten bent metal; you can only make it less bent.”
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I could not put this book down! The subject matter was difficult but handled well. I was so glad to see that the proceeds of the book go to help exploited children – Thanks for the recommendation. Laurie d.