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_askthebookbug 's review for:
Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame
by Supriya Kelkar
// Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame by @supriya.kelkar
I can barely recall a middle grade or a YA historical fiction that's set around the pre-independence era. So when @scholasticindia offered to send across a copy, I was understandably very excited. Set in 1857, this inspiring tale is of a 12 year old girl named Meera. Living with traditional parents who strongly believe in child marriages and even Sati, Meera always understood that the world worked in the favour of men. Married and widowed as a child, Meera flees to escape Sati but ends up in another difficult situation. In order to save money for her own place someday, much to her dislike Meera begins to work for the British colonizers. It is here that she realises how there's a bigger battle in play. One that involves pushing out the colonizers from her native land.
Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame is a female centric book, in which young girls and women fight in their own ways against the British Raj. In the author's note at the end, Kelkar goes on to explain how certain characters are based on real people who risked their lives to contribute for the fight. Kelkar cleverly addresses the Sepoy Mutiny, people's outrage against using the cartridge and how rebels shook the British with their courage. It is applaudable how sensitively Kelkar has managed to touch upon all these significant topics so that the younger crowd doesn't feel too burdened by this unfortunate history. For years, Indians were made to work as slaves, paying taxes for things that rightfully belonged to us. Kelkar also makes a point of throwing some light on how British writers portrayed India in a rather wrongful manner mentioning time and again about how the country was poor and uncivilized. It is impressive how Kelkar has managed to intertwine the life of a young girl who fights for her rights with that of other women who fought for freedom from the invaders.
It is important for us to be aware of our own history, even more so to teach the little ones about what it took for us to gain independence. Gift this to your children so that a part of our history remains with them.
I can barely recall a middle grade or a YA historical fiction that's set around the pre-independence era. So when @scholasticindia offered to send across a copy, I was understandably very excited. Set in 1857, this inspiring tale is of a 12 year old girl named Meera. Living with traditional parents who strongly believe in child marriages and even Sati, Meera always understood that the world worked in the favour of men. Married and widowed as a child, Meera flees to escape Sati but ends up in another difficult situation. In order to save money for her own place someday, much to her dislike Meera begins to work for the British colonizers. It is here that she realises how there's a bigger battle in play. One that involves pushing out the colonizers from her native land.
Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame is a female centric book, in which young girls and women fight in their own ways against the British Raj. In the author's note at the end, Kelkar goes on to explain how certain characters are based on real people who risked their lives to contribute for the fight. Kelkar cleverly addresses the Sepoy Mutiny, people's outrage against using the cartridge and how rebels shook the British with their courage. It is applaudable how sensitively Kelkar has managed to touch upon all these significant topics so that the younger crowd doesn't feel too burdened by this unfortunate history. For years, Indians were made to work as slaves, paying taxes for things that rightfully belonged to us. Kelkar also makes a point of throwing some light on how British writers portrayed India in a rather wrongful manner mentioning time and again about how the country was poor and uncivilized. It is impressive how Kelkar has managed to intertwine the life of a young girl who fights for her rights with that of other women who fought for freedom from the invaders.
It is important for us to be aware of our own history, even more so to teach the little ones about what it took for us to gain independence. Gift this to your children so that a part of our history remains with them.