Skip to main content

A Life of my Own by Rupangi Sharma (Book Reviews: 4/5)

'A Life of my Own' is a story that will take you on an emotional ride; sympathy, joy, anger, and pride, all wrapped up in this 168 page book.

Shweta is pregnant for the first time post several years of her marriage, but her husband and in-laws force her to consult a doctor for the baby's gender reveal. Things go downhill after that and Shweta has no other choice but to protect her foetus from her torturing in-laws. Her journey is inspiring and written with honesty.

The uniqueness of the plot was the conversation between the baby and God, where the inquisitive former would ask a variety of questions about it's mother and the people around her. Their brief chit-chats are pretty interesting as well. I appreciate the author's way of presenting her characters.

As much I enjoyed reading the book, my heart sank down everytime there was a remark on female foeticide in India and the blind bias for a male child. We usually ignore this fact assuming it's a rural thing and uneducated thing and 'big cities don't have such problems. ' But the illegal and unethical practice is followed almost equally in all the social circles, irrespective of their religion, living standards, caste, economic stature and education. 'What if it's a girl? ' is a question that haunts the people when it comes to welcoming a baby in the family. Unnecessary pressure is thrust upon expecting women and a biased behavior comes their way based on the gender of their child. The sad part is, many women have no other option but to succumb to their family's orders of aborting the female foetus, and the numbers of that happening are horrifying.

The truth of a woman's pain resonates very well throughout the book, and that's what makes it pretty realistic and relatable. The characters are defined well and so is the pace of the story. The only thing which I felt unnecessary in the book was the character of Sahil. His association with Shweta somehow reflected that she would need a man's support immediately after she leaves one. I believe his involvement could have been limited to friendship and not a fling.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Perks of being a Solo Traveler: What my amazing Solo Trips taught me

Today marks the first anniversary of my first ever solo-trip. I had picked Agra, Uttar Pradesh for I was always mesmerized by the breathtakingly beautiful Taj Mahal. After somehow convincing my parents to allow me to travel alone, I landed up in Agra for a three-day trip.              It's fun, it's slightly overwhelming, even weird at times, but the experience of being on your own in a new town taught me a lot. Here are some perks that the adventure of solo travel brings along with it:   1. You make all the rules: Wanna go lakeside at 5 am? Or feeling like taking a nap in the afternoon? You can do whatever you like, whenever you like. Evening walks by the sea shore or enjoying breeze in the balcony, it's totally your call. Taj Mahal, Agra, UttarPradesh 2. Staying at amazing hostels: Backpacker hostels are far safer and cheaper than hotel rooms. Moreover, sharing your dorm room with travelers from different nationalities is an altogether wonderful exper

This Quora Answer Is A Proof Of How Double Standard Our Mindset Is Towards Women

Like every other day, I was busy scrolling down Quora and paused at a question, the  top answer  of which sort of, pissed me off. I was aggravated with the tone of the answer, which is sadly the major reason for the huge response the answer is receiving.  Here's the screenshot of the question: And here's the answer I'm talking about: The answer is hidden in this anecdote I : I have a  friend, NIT graduate used to work for one of the largest steel makers in the world, and in due course of time he was engaged to his girlfriend.  Two years into the job he applied for and was accepted into the prestigious Indian Military Academy.  When he broke this news to his girlfriend she immediately put a choice to him "Either join the Army or marry me". My friend chose the Army, and thus the engagement was called off. Sad ending no? But wait, this happened next : My friend joined the IMA, passed out this year and currently is busy being a certified badass at 11,000 ft

The Broken Promise

“What is wrong with you, Vineet? Why the hell..oh God!” yelled a bewildered Sneha. She was sick of her boyfriend’s annoying habit of scaring street dogs by passing his bike near them at a lightning speed. “Come on Sneha, this is just for fun. I never do it hurt them. I never have.” But she chose to express her anger with silence. They were coming back from a fancy dress shop on Vineet’s motorbike. Sneha has auditioned for the International Ballet Dance competition and had cleared the state round. If she could impress the judges at the national level competition, she’d get a chance to represent India in France. She had always dreamt of becoming a professional ballet dancer and making her parents proud. Vineet and Sneha were returning from the shop which provided clothes for rent when this irritating incident happened for apparently the hundredth time. “You’re upset, and I know exactly what will bring your mood back to normal,” said Vineet, parking his bike in the parking z