Customer Reviews

Homeless Bird

5 star:		(112)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I grew up in India till the age of 24. I was very excited when I saw this book on the NY Times children's bestseller list and bought it for my daughter. However, the excitement soon turned to complete shock and and utter disgust. People of Indian origin have discussed this book and absolutely detest it. The facts are wrong and contradictory, and it portrays a picture of India which is very misleading. It is akin to an Indian writer writing a book for Indian children based in the US where the protagonist is raped by her father - yes, it happens in rare instances in the US, but it is rare, and it is not something that we make the topic of a children's book. Let me point out some factual mistakes - (1) holi is portayed as a festival where people mix color with cow urine and spray it on each other - this is so absurd that when I showed it to other Indians, we were in splits of laughter. On holi, we put natural colored powders like turmeric, or colored flour on each other. Children also have water gun and water baloon fights (just like in the United States), (2) the girl calls her father "baap". This is very unlikely to happen in India. It is a very disrespectful form of addressing a father, (3) the girl protagonist's (Koli's) parents are too poor to feed her but can give a dowry to marry her (the people who want the dowry can afford to feed her, so presumably the dowry is more than the cost of feeding the girl). I wondered whether I could have been mistaken about (1)-(3) - after all, the book has won a prestigious award and presumably they checked on the facts. I assumed that the author had lived in India or had at least travelled there. I found an interview with the author (...)Gloria Whelan very proudly claims that she lives in the wilderness of Northern Michigan and her research on India was limited to local libraries. The book sells based on a heart-wrenching picture of a girl in this poor, downtrodden, third-world country, who fights against all odds to find happiness - I thought that type of theme was reserved for Silhoutte romances, not children's books that go on to win medals - incidentally, didn't the committee for the 2000 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, or the publisher verify the facts of the novel?

13 year old Koly leaves her family and a simple but harsh country life when she is married off to a Hindu boy she has never met. She knows she cannot resist because her dowry will help her family financially. To her surprise, she is soon widowed when the groom dies of tuberculosis and is left in the hands of his selfish and greedy Mother. Koly is eventually abandoned in a holy city where unwanted widows are deserted and must use her strength and courage to carve out a life for herself. This is a beautifully written and fully engaging story with imagery that transports the reader directly into Koly's world. Readers will admire this strong female character who must rely on herself and her beautiful gift for embroidery to become self sustainable and find true happiness. Hindi terms and explanations of Indian culture give a fascinating look at life in modern India and the societal limiations of girls and women.

My 11 year old daughter and I each read this book and came to the same conclusion -- time well spent. We loved it. She read it in one day. Once you begin, you just can't put it down. So many trials are faced and ultimately triumphed over. Koly is a wonderful heroine -- realistic and admirable. The amazing thing to me is that this story takes place in modern times. At first I thought I was reading a story from long ago but then a computer was mentioned. How horrifying that this goes on in our world today. We highly recommend this book.

I work in a children's book store and have read many children's books. This book is by far one of my favorites for this age level. The story is moving and Whelan really has a talent for making her charaters come alive with her wonderful description and dialogue. I was impressed and moved by this book -- what can I say, I'm a sucker for these type of endings. I strongly reccomend this book!

Having recently seen the popular movie, Bend It Like Beckham, my interest in the wedding ceremonies in India has increased. The book, Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan, is a great accompaniment to find more information. This book is beautifully written with a touch of Hindu history and language but not so much that it overwhelms the reader. Whelan even gives a Hindu glossary in the back of the book so that the reader can understand the unique language.

The main character, Koly, grows up in a wonderful home with loving parents. In the tradition of the culture, Koly is given away in marriage with a dowry. Little did she know that her future husband is very sick and the only reason she is chosen is for her dowry. When her husband dies, she must learn to live with a horrible mother-in-law and sick father-in-law. Her life depends on escaping the tyrannical household. The only hope she has is to sell her mother's silver earrings but even that plan falls short. The book captures her life after her husband dies and her long search for happiness.

The book falls right in line with the theme of "Living in Fear/Finding Hope." Koly finds herself alone at one point in the book and is very fearful of what is to come. She has to find shelter and food in a strange city. She is used to the country life and, in the city, she encounters many things that scare her. Through a chance meeting of a rickshaw worker and a rich lady, she finds the hope and happiness she has always wanted.

I loved this book and you will too. I loved the details and there is a fairy tale ending (sort-of). I will read this book over and over again. I have not been interested in reading many books over and over again. If any of you have read this book and know of any other book like this one please e-mail me at HorseFan2k@hotmail.com. Thank You. Hope you like the book

Homeless Bird is about a thirteen year old, Indian girl named Koly, who experiences many terrifying situations. She is first forced to leave the only home she has ever known and marry a complete stranger. That is just the beginning. Koly later finds out that her new spouse is dying and the family married him off only to receive a dowry. As soon as her husband dies, Koly is left as an undesirable widow, with a bitter mother-in-law, Sass. Koly is terribly sad and is sick of being bossed around by Sass. She knows that if she returns to her parents' home, it will bring shame to her family. Stuck in a household of hate, Koly realizes that she will die miserable and unwanted. After years of loneliness and terror, she is abandoned by Sass in Vrindavan, a holy city. Koly finds that even though she is left in a strange city, it is the best thing that has ever happened to her. She soon finds happiness. I guess you'll have to read the book to find out what takes her from misery to joy. The author creates a vivid image of the perils and successes of her protagonist, allowing you to cry and laugh with this young, heroic character. The book is hard to put down once you are captured by the stories intensity. Anyone who enjoys stories where courage, hope and perseverance lead to a happy ending will absolutely enjoy this book and love getting to know Koly.

Koly, a 13 year old Indian girl with a gift for embroidery, is forced into an arranged marriage by her parents. When she arrives at her new husband's house to live, however, she learns that he is a sick boy, and that his parents chose her as his bride only in order to use the dowry money to transport their son to the healing waters of a sacred river. When he dies and she is left with her in-laws, Koly begins to yearn for her own life, and only because of her stepmother's cruely is she able to escape tradition and pursue her own dreams. As a high school librarian, I may struggle to find readers for this story, which is rather simple and lacking in the tension and subplotting that often makes for rich, mature reading. However, the theme of escaping and following one's own dreams may appeal to some students, and as always, relationships in other cultures often interest young adult readers.

Kolly gets married at 16. It isn't long before her husband Hari dies. Her only friend in her new family is Chandra. But soon she too is married. Her Sass (mother-in- law) is mean to her. Her Sassur (father-in-law) teaches her how to read. When Sassur dies Sass takes Kolly to live with her brother but abandons her at the railway station. Kolly teaches a boy named Raji how to read as a thanks for showing her the widow house where she starts to live in. Soon Kolly has a job embroidering saris and falls in love.
Kolly has black hair and eyes. She is a widow. She makes beautiful quilts and saris and is very good at embroidery. She always wanted to read and go to school but couldn't. Chandra was very nice to Kolly. Kolly was homesick for her parents a lot but Chandra always made her laugh.
This book takes place in India. A lot of the book takes place in a courtyard. It has mango trees and a well. The widow house where Kolly lives is small but nice. She shares a room with a few widows.
I liked this book because the problems never destroyed Kolly's life. The problems always seemed to make it better. The characters seemed real. Kolly took the worst situation and put it into a quilt. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Homeless Bird is a lovely story about a young girl, Koly, whose idealist world of comfort and love is ended when she is sent off to marry a young man who soon dies and leaves her as a 13 year-old widow. While it would appear as though Koly's only hopes for happiness lay in the hands of her new family--Sass, Sassur, and sister-in-law Chandra--we soon realize (as Koly does) that true happiness must come from within...The language of this novel is stunning, complete with descriptive passages that will leave you feeling as though Koly is your great, personal friend. You will cheer for this character! This is an excellent novel of empowerment for young girls--ages 9 to 15.