Just caught my friend reading this book and she recommended it for reading.The book is a non-fiction written by Jasvinder Sanghera ,whose first book on the same lines, Shame was a best seller.
Book Review
'Daughters of Shame' tells us about the atrocities faced by young married and unmarried girls under the guise of family honour and traditional values.It is shocking to know that people from the so-called educated and reputable families in the west treat their women so inhumanely.These families who originally belong to India and Pakistan try uphold their traditional upbringing in the western society they reside in.There is a plethora of problems in doing this as the young girls who are surrounded by the western influences and culture prevalent around them are confused about their identity and find it difficult to co-relate with the traditional values and submissive culture while being bombarded each day with the open and permissive values of the west.
Some of the real life incidents gave me goose bumps like the one which depicts how a father brutally attacked and killed his teenage daughter when she expressed her desire to marry a westerner.The father,in the name of family honour ,stabs her about 26 times and the attack is so brutal that the knife too bends.There are many such instances that portray how families subjugate their young daughters behind the closed doors and try to get them married forcibly at a young age without allowing them to decide for themselves.Even after the forced marriage the ill-treatment of the young bride continues in her in-laws house and she surrenders to the atrocities meekly.
A few among these young girls are helped by the social organisation started by Jasvinder Sanghera who herself went against her family to marry a man of her choice.All the incidents are a part of the efforts taken by the organisation to help these girls fight back and lead a life of their own without being subjugated by their family.It is a book that brings hope to the many young women out there who are fighting alone for an identity for themselves.It is inspiring and at the same time depressing to know about the problems faced by the girls living in a mixed social set-up.
Frankly speaking,after reading the book I decided to read something more positive and picked up the book 'A Cup of Comfort for Teachers',a book which is a part of the series which tells us inspiring stories that gives us hope.I do not intend to read the book 'Shame' by the same authoress as I have read enough about the pain and want to read about positive stories now.
Book Review
Title: Daughters of Shame
Author- Jasvinder Sanghera
Genre: Non-fiction
'Daughters of Shame' tells us about the atrocities faced by young married and unmarried girls under the guise of family honour and traditional values.It is shocking to know that people from the so-called educated and reputable families in the west treat their women so inhumanely.These families who originally belong to India and Pakistan try uphold their traditional upbringing in the western society they reside in.There is a plethora of problems in doing this as the young girls who are surrounded by the western influences and culture prevalent around them are confused about their identity and find it difficult to co-relate with the traditional values and submissive culture while being bombarded each day with the open and permissive values of the west.
Some of the real life incidents gave me goose bumps like the one which depicts how a father brutally attacked and killed his teenage daughter when she expressed her desire to marry a westerner.The father,in the name of family honour ,stabs her about 26 times and the attack is so brutal that the knife too bends.There are many such instances that portray how families subjugate their young daughters behind the closed doors and try to get them married forcibly at a young age without allowing them to decide for themselves.Even after the forced marriage the ill-treatment of the young bride continues in her in-laws house and she surrenders to the atrocities meekly.
A few among these young girls are helped by the social organisation started by Jasvinder Sanghera who herself went against her family to marry a man of her choice.All the incidents are a part of the efforts taken by the organisation to help these girls fight back and lead a life of their own without being subjugated by their family.It is a book that brings hope to the many young women out there who are fighting alone for an identity for themselves.It is inspiring and at the same time depressing to know about the problems faced by the girls living in a mixed social set-up.
Frankly speaking,after reading the book I decided to read something more positive and picked up the book 'A Cup of Comfort for Teachers',a book which is a part of the series which tells us inspiring stories that gives us hope.I do not intend to read the book 'Shame' by the same authoress as I have read enough about the pain and want to read about positive stories now.
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