Customer Reviews

The Invisibles: A Tale of the Eunuchs of India

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Some of these other reviews make me laugh. Would it be better had Jaffrey assumed the role of cultural anthropologist ala Serena Nanda and written an "anthropological" treatise on the role of hijras in Indian culture, their meaning, their context, blah blah blah? No. She presumes nothing and gets closer to the "other" than Nanda ever did. Nanda doesn't even scratch the surface, she just has the prestige associated with anthropologists who go there first, meet these people first, get the reality behind the actual life of some relative cultural oddity. Nanda's book is full of conjecture and Western psychology. She includes next to nothing about the long history of eunuchs in Muslim culture- hmm, wonder why hijras exist in the north of India and not so much in the south? She never even goes over the etymology of the term hijra. Jaffrey assumes nothing and writes an utterly honest, genuine book from the standpoint of human. Her book is incredibly informative, though lacking in some respects- more theoretical discussion of gender would have been interesting.

I don't mean to knock Nanda too much, but her book is lacking personality compared to Jaffrey's, and after twelve straight hours of research- much of it concerning the development and history of hijras in Muslim culture- I'm entitled to complain. Like it or not, Jaffrey embodies the new form of ethnography. I'm giving it five stars to make up for some other reviewers.

The Invisibles was an extremely enjoyable and educational look at a topic rarely even discussed in Indian society. "Hijras" are a common sight in most major cities of India and they occupy a place in society where they are both feared and detested. Ms. Jaffrey has a lively writing style that makes for a story that is both informative and enjoyable. However,the task of dealing with a topic on which there is very little prior research is daunting, and Ms. Jaffrey's story sometimes wanders into too many directions. What she provides is an excellent snapshot of some specific "hijra" groups, and an overview of a very complex social system within the larger complex social
system of India.

I was very interested when I heard the subject of this book. The eunuchs of India is a subject that very little has been written about. This book promised to tell about this "invisible" group. Instead I kept reading the author's story of her dificulties in finding any infomation only to find the book end without almost any information being found. This was disapointing especially since the story was hard to follow and I only managed to follow it in hopes of finding an in depth look at this fascinating group. I hope that one day another researcher will write the book that this author promises the reader and then never achieves. In the end this book would be better as an introduction for further studies than a book on its own.

I think Zia did a lot of research but after reading the book I have to look back and ask "what did I really learn about the Eunuchs" ? The answer to that is unfortunately -- nothing. She missed a HUGE opportunity when visiting with a Doctor to find out a lot about the Eunuchs and failed miserably. Great subject matter and it takes an effort to fail with such a great and interesting subject. Save your money !!!!!!

Ms. Jaffrey is at her best when on the subject of viewing India through the eyes of a 'semi-Indian'. The topic as discussed is a bit disjointed and hard to follow. I would like to see her write a travelogue in the manner of Theroux on her experiences in India as one who straddles the fence between western and eastern culture. She exhibits alot of promise, and though this effort is somewhat tedious I'm sure she'll have good things to come

Ms. Jaffrey has chronicled her search for information about the hijras of India. Her English and grammar is tortured and takes some getting used to. If you've ever actually been to India, you'll be reminded of how you rarely really understand all that people are saying even though it seems to be English. As an American English speaker, reading this book, there were times when I had no idea what she meant.

There is also some information about the hijras, but it is repeated to the reader as often as it was repeated to the writer in her search. Mostly what you get from this book is a good sense of what it's like to try to research something in India: the complexities, the subterfuges, the lying, the mix of fact and fiction.

Who knew eunuchs were alive and well in the world on the cusp of the 21st century? Fascinating subject matter. Too bad the writing and reporting here are slapdash and amateurish. In the hands of more skilled author, this could have been a one-of-a-kind classic. Sadly, this is just another example of the publishing world's shortage of skilled editors.