Review by Kirsten Ladner -- Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana
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Kirsten Ladner
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- Latest Review: Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana
Review by Kirsten Ladner -- Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana
[Following is a volunteer review of "Elastic Girl" by Olivia Rana.]
4 out of 4 stars
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Elastic Girl is a book based in India. Before Muthu Tikaram is born, her grandfather murders the family’s landlord, this act of violence shapes Muthu’s life from the very beginning. Muthu was too young to understand the ramifications of murder. Muthu notices that her sisters are given special treatment while she is forced to sell rotis on the dusty roadside. She does not understand why. All she wants is to be a star just like all of her Bollywood idols. Muthu’s family becomes homeless and is forced to live by the side of the railway station. Muthu is sold to The Great Raman Circus of Chennai. Her father convinces her that this is the only way to free the family from poverty. Muthu innocently believes that her dream is about to come true. She thinks that with her extraordinary contortionist abilities she will become a star. Muthu’s hopes of becoming a star is shattered when she finds the circus full of misery and abuse. She remains in enslavement in the circus for several years. Muthu and her friend, Gloria, plan their escape. They are convinced that they can make it on their own in Mumbai. After all, Mumbai is known as the City of Dreams. Will Muthu succeed in making her name as the Elastic Girl or will her dreams turn into a nightmare? What is the true strength of the Elastic Girl?
Elastic Girl is a really good book. The story is well written and appeared to be very well researched and believable. I liked this book. I also found it to be very sad, especially since this book is based on some truths. This story draws attention to the plight of child performers in India, and on the horrors of child trafficking. I like the fact that this story brings attention to this topic. It is very tragic, but if it is going on I think people should know about it. Not knowing about such things will not help the problem go away or make it less horrible, but maybe if people know about what is happening, something can be done. This story made me be thankful to live in the United States.
I have learned a lot about India, and the plight of the people. Many people who live in India do not have many of the modern conveniences that I, and most other people in the United States have ,and take for granted. There is a lot of corruption in India from the government and down below the ranks. Things happened in this book that would not stand in the United States. I read the book in one day because I could not put it down. I also cried a lot while reading the book. It was hard reading what Muthu had to go through from childhood to adulthood, even before she went to the circus. I kept thinking after every bad thing that happened to Muthu that things would start looking up for her, but then something else bad would happen. I really liked Muthu. I sort of just wanted to protect her from all of the things that she was having to go through, and at such an innocent and young age. The harsh realities of this story created strong emotions for me, both happy and sad. Many people in their whole life do not go through what she went through in her young life. What I liked most about the story was the circus. Not how everyone, including the animals, were treated, but I liked all of the amazing acts that were performed. Reading about what all the circus performers could do was really neat. I also learned things about India, such as culture, beliefs and superstitions. I learned about how people lived in India, what they ate and what they wore.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I chose this rating because the book had such a deep reality, and emotion to it. The reality in this book hit me hard. I laughed and I cried. This book has real aspects of how life is in India.
I do not recommend this book to children because it has realities that children should not be subjected to. I also do not recommend this book to anyone who does not like sad stories or harsh realities. I do recommend this story to anyone who is looking for a heart wrenching story with plenty of reality in it. This book is definitely not for everyone. You definitely have to be in a certain frame of mind to read this book as it is not an easy read. This is a really good book if you are able to handle the subject matter.
******
Elastic Girl
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4 out of 4 stars
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Elastic Girl is a book based in India. Before Muthu Tikaram is born, her grandfather murders the family’s landlord, this act of violence shapes Muthu’s life from the very beginning. Muthu was too young to understand the ramifications of murder. Muthu notices that her sisters are given special treatment while she is forced to sell rotis on the dusty roadside. She does not understand why. All she wants is to be a star just like all of her Bollywood idols. Muthu’s family becomes homeless and is forced to live by the side of the railway station. Muthu is sold to The Great Raman Circus of Chennai. Her father convinces her that this is the only way to free the family from poverty. Muthu innocently believes that her dream is about to come true. She thinks that with her extraordinary contortionist abilities she will become a star. Muthu’s hopes of becoming a star is shattered when she finds the circus full of misery and abuse. She remains in enslavement in the circus for several years. Muthu and her friend, Gloria, plan their escape. They are convinced that they can make it on their own in Mumbai. After all, Mumbai is known as the City of Dreams. Will Muthu succeed in making her name as the Elastic Girl or will her dreams turn into a nightmare? What is the true strength of the Elastic Girl?
Elastic Girl is a really good book. The story is well written and appeared to be very well researched and believable. I liked this book. I also found it to be very sad, especially since this book is based on some truths. This story draws attention to the plight of child performers in India, and on the horrors of child trafficking. I like the fact that this story brings attention to this topic. It is very tragic, but if it is going on I think people should know about it. Not knowing about such things will not help the problem go away or make it less horrible, but maybe if people know about what is happening, something can be done. This story made me be thankful to live in the United States.
I have learned a lot about India, and the plight of the people. Many people who live in India do not have many of the modern conveniences that I, and most other people in the United States have ,and take for granted. There is a lot of corruption in India from the government and down below the ranks. Things happened in this book that would not stand in the United States. I read the book in one day because I could not put it down. I also cried a lot while reading the book. It was hard reading what Muthu had to go through from childhood to adulthood, even before she went to the circus. I kept thinking after every bad thing that happened to Muthu that things would start looking up for her, but then something else bad would happen. I really liked Muthu. I sort of just wanted to protect her from all of the things that she was having to go through, and at such an innocent and young age. The harsh realities of this story created strong emotions for me, both happy and sad. Many people in their whole life do not go through what she went through in her young life. What I liked most about the story was the circus. Not how everyone, including the animals, were treated, but I liked all of the amazing acts that were performed. Reading about what all the circus performers could do was really neat. I also learned things about India, such as culture, beliefs and superstitions. I learned about how people lived in India, what they ate and what they wore.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I chose this rating because the book had such a deep reality, and emotion to it. The reality in this book hit me hard. I laughed and I cried. This book has real aspects of how life is in India.
I do not recommend this book to children because it has realities that children should not be subjected to. I also do not recommend this book to anyone who does not like sad stories or harsh realities. I do recommend this story to anyone who is looking for a heart wrenching story with plenty of reality in it. This book is definitely not for everyone. You definitely have to be in a certain frame of mind to read this book as it is not an easy read. This is a really good book if you are able to handle the subject matter.
******
Elastic Girl
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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Latest Review: Elastic Girl by Olivia Rana
