[Assam] Book : 12 year old's view - India to USA & edu. - "Blue Jasmine"

[umesh sharma]

Hi,
   
  Some might like this 2004 book from the perspective  of a 12 year old girl who has a 4 year old sister and parents -moving from small town in Gujarat to USA. I read it all in 3 hours (180 pages -11 chapters in small print) from the local govt library.
   
  (see chapter 1 http://www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com/blue_jasmine_chap1.html )
   
   The author has very dexterously weaved the issues of school educational inequality based on parental income and family issues (as a new relationship between the heroine and her classmate in Gujarat - who cannot pay for school fees, has a single uniform)  and is getting "of age." Then when she reaches USA -she faces a new environemnet where you do not stand up to answer questions, no uniforms ad is ridiculed by another classmate for her poor English and heavy Indian accent (she does have a great support group of fellow students but they cannot prevent her harassment -she has to gather courage to stand up for herself).
   
  Her little 4 year old sister adjusts very easily -picking up the accent and the language (and forgetting her native language fast --as also specified by research by Harvard's Prof. Catherine Snow and others http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/features/snow10012002.html ) They miss the Diwali but pick up Thanksgiving etc. Her mother (who is a housewife due to visa restrictions [?] ) gathers phone numbers of local Indians and connects thru weekend parties of Indian families -- the way I am seeing in L.A. region now.
   
  Other links: http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=62-0786818557-0
  http://kashmirasheth.typepad.com/my_weblog/blue_jasmine/index.html (author's weblog) 
   
  Try it out - esp. those who are thinking about moving to new areas (even those who move from one region in India to another --such as from NE to North or South India -with language and cultural differences)
   
  Any comments?
   
  Umesh


Umesh Sharma
5121 Lackawanna ST
College Park, MD 20740

 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]

Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005

weblog: http://jaipurschool.bihu.in/
 		
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