Ahimsa by Supra Kelkar - OPTIONAL

Kelkar, Supriya Ahimsa, 304 pages.  Tu Books (Lee and Low), 2017.  $19.  Content: G.

In 1942 India, Anjali’s mother works for a British officer.  However, Anjali gets her mother fired when she paints a “Q”, for Gandhi’s Quit India Movement, on the building where her mother works.  Mother decides that it is time for one of the adults to join the freedom fighting movement, and also decides to burn all of the family’s foreign-made clothing in a show of support.  All of these changes throw Anjali’s life in turmoil at home, in the neighborhood, and at school.

Kelkar’s book covers an important time in Indian history and gives a detailed look at the life of a family on the frontline.  Sometimes the back story is a little heavy handed because there are so many facets of the time period to convey.  I would like this much more if it were longer and for an older crowd, giving the story more time to develop, instead of crowding it in simply for a younger reader.  My other concern is I don’t know who is going to read this.  Unless your school has Indian immigrants or a teacher who likes to have students reading historical fiction, it probably won’t attract an audience on its own.

EL - OPTIONAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher