Monday, February 14, 2022

Author #188 : Shanthi Sekaran teaches us some about butterflies and segregation in The Samosa Rebellion


 Muki helps in the rebellion where the newer inhabitants are sent to camps for relocation if their families have not lived on the fictional island for more than three generations.  Muki's grandmother comes to live with the family from India and is one of the first to be put in a camp.  Notes are passed between rebellion members without identification so that they can protect one another from retaliation.  Butterflies are the protected people, crickets the enforcers, and moths the people that are to be relocated or killed.  This is a juvenile fiction book so there is fear and intimidation but not a lot of violence.  Shanthi Sekaran has written a dystopian type novel of segregation that might be good for older ages.  It did seem a bit dark for younger children but not as caught up in teen topics as a teen book. This would be a good match for tweens who are learning about segregation and the beginning thoughts of where the ideology of  genocide (demagoguery) can formulate and grow in the some arenas.  While not totally captivating, it was a good read with vivid descriptions.  Read more about the author at: https://www.shanthisekaran.com/

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