Bookish Thoughts on Climbing the Stairs -Part One-

 Hey bookworms! Today I'm going to be chatting about my bookish thoughts on the latest book I'm reading which is called Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman. Let's get into it!

This is a young adult novel set during WWII in British occupied India. Our main character is Vidya. She is 15 years old, loves school and being a tomboy, and hopes to go to college one day. She lives with her mother, amma, her father who is a doctor and freedom fighter, appa, and her brother Kitta. 

What is a freedom fighter you might ask? They were Indians fighting for their freedom from the British. Vidya's father helped and attended to any wounded during protests and marches. What I love about this book is how it's full of so much information about how the British oppressed the Indians. I didn't know that the British forced Indian farmers to grow indigo instead of food for their families. Disgusting! The Indians were treated as sub-human in their own country because the British looked down on anything not British. 

I also learned that the British wanted Indians to fight with them during WWII. Why would they when the British asked them to do so during WWI and promised the Indians their freedom and then took back their word? I highly recommend reading this book if you want to be educated more on the mistreatment of Indians by the British occupation. 

I also love how much you learn about Hinduism in this book. Amma quotes the Bhagavad Gita, the family celebrates their gods and goddesses feast days, and it's all very beautiful to read about. I love reading about Vidya's happy family and their culture. 

The chapter I'm currently on is about her eldest uncle Periappa coming to visit. He takes the caste system very seriously and is rather pompous. Vidya and Kitta do not like him. In fact, the family sends their servants away so Periappa doesn't mistreat them. I'm interested in learning more about their family dynamics. 

For only getting 40 pages into the book, I have learned so much and been so fascinated! Can't wait to read more!

If you want to see my bookish thoughts on my other book blogs, here are the links below:

The Towering Sky by Katharine McGee Bookish Thoughts: bookishmunchkinya.blogspot.com

Hungry Hearts: Short Story -Rain by Sangu Mandanna- Bookish Thoughts: bookishmunchkinromance.blogspot.com

Tidelands by Philippa Gregory Bookish Thoughts: bookishmunchkinhistory.blogspot.com

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black Bookish Thoughts: bookishmunchkinfantasy.blogspot.com

I hope you enjoyed this bookish thoughts, give my other blogs a read, and I'll see you tomorrow!

Alette