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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
As fabulous as one of his religion's gods ..., April 28, 2009
This review is from: Blue Boy (Paperback)
By all appearances, Kiran Sharma is a good little boy. The 12 year old son of hardworking, religious immigrant parents who immigrated to the US from India, Kiran is an "A" student in most subjects, is quiet and respectful, attends religious services, and is a favorite among many of his teachers. He is also a loner, the only Indian student in his school, likes to play with dolls, has been known to experiment with his mother's makeup, and - when he stumbles on naked teenagers making out in a park - finds he is far more attracted to the young man than the girl. Not really sure what all that means, and nobody to confide in, Kiran feels isolated and different from his classmates and even the children of others of his faith. But a revelation about one of the Hindu gods, Krishna, who was also rather flamboyant, into music and acting out, and - with blue skin - obviously very different from everyone else, gives young Kiran hope, and he decides to emulate Krishna as much as possible, in his own life as well as portraying him in an upcoming class talent show.
"Blue Boy" is a sweet, captivating original story of a boy trying to make the best of a life his classmates tease him about, and to take strength from his beliefs and his parents' apprehensions about him. Alternately touching, sad and humorous, this is a coming-of-age novel of discovery and self-acceptance that anyone who has ever felt different can take to heart, and root for young Kiran as he strives to be the person he knows he can be. I give the book four finger-cymbal-clanging stars out of five.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hare Krishna in a whole new light, June 13, 2009
This review is from: Blue Boy (Paperback)
First, in the interest of honesty, I must say straight out that Rakesh Satyal is my editor. If I hadn't liked Blue Boy I simply would not review it; but since I did like it, I don't see any harm in saying so, and why.
Blue Boy is what is often called a "coming of age" story, about a boy's recognition and acceptance of his homosexuality. But this book, like the best of these, is so much more than that. Everyone who knows Satyal or works with him uses the same word to describe him: "brilliant." And this characterization is what distinguishes Blue Boy from so many similar stories. Satyal's voice is witty, sharp, somewhat cruel--the marks of a, dare I say it?--very masculine style.
Satyal has achieved what he set out to do, as explained in his Q&A at the end of the book: write a "humorous" and "playful" account of growing up Indian (Punjabi)-American in Middle America (Cincinnati). The scenes in which Kiran, the protagonist, discovers the escalating pleasures of pornographic magazines, are hilarious, speaking to everyone, of any gender or sexual orientation, who has gone through this essential rite of passage. And the payoff, a puncturing of a lyrical, misty embrace of sensuality, with an honest, coarse and pithy sentence, is, well, brilliant.
The hardest thing for a humorist to bring off is depicting serious emotion without spoiling the mood or sinking into sentimentality. Satyal manages this in an episode that truly made this reader laugh through her tears: the story of Kiran's dolls, Strawberry Shortcake and her sidekick, Blueberry Muffin. Anyone who's ever played with dolls knows there is a hierarchy. It's the acolyte, Blueberry, who meets a terrible fate, the incident made achingly poignant as Kiran acknowledges the sacrifice of the less valued one.
While the author's focus on his Indian heritage and his "differences" from the American children give the book a unique flavor, it's important to stress, as other reviewers have said, that the story's appeal is universal. A middle-aged, white-bread, New York woman, I was drawn in and captivated from the beginning, made just uncomfortable enough by the acerbic humor, the critical but affectionate look at Punjabi culture and the meticulously observed descriptions of people's physical appearance to know I was reading the work of a master.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
fascinating look, September 26, 2010
This review is from: Blue Boy (Paperback)
Blue Boy is, in some ways, a typical story of a young boy struggling to figure out who he is. He fits nowhere. He is of Indian parentage- adrift in Ohio. He is Hindu- again, in Ohio. His public school classmates are white and no more and no less cruel than children of 12 or 13 can be (which is certainly cruel enough for someone who is- and who perceives himself as- different). He does not fit in at home, where he spends time dancing, playing with dolls and using his mother's makeup. He does not easily fit in with the other Hindu children whom he sees weekly, either; he is outspoken, and it only points up his isolation.
Kiran is bright, artistic, a bit smug, and very lonely. When the child begins to see himself as turning blue, he rationalizes a new identity for himself.
The novel is quick reading, and both funny and agonizing. Kiran observes teens engaging in impersonal sex in the park, and this only serves to compound his uncertainty about himself. The resolution is a bit pat, but the struggle is very real as the boy works to come to terms with who he is.
The novel provides an unusual perspective on the Hindu religion as a child sees it, and insight into the life of a boy who is alone in the midst of people.
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