BOOK REVIEW (5 Min Read)

                                                                     

Author: Laxmi with Pooja Pande |  Book: Red Lipstick – The men in my life  |  Genre: Non-fiction (Biography of a Hijra)  |  Language: English  |  Pages: 220  |  Publisher: Penguin

 

                                                Blurb

“In Indian culture, especially in the Hindu tradition, hijras are considered upadevatas or sub-gods – they rank higher than mortals, men and women, saints and sadhus as well”. I am not sure if the above-mentioned line from this book is really true or not, but Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, (a fierce transgender, a self inducted hijra, a renowned social activist who has played a pivotal role in a landmark judgment upholding section 377 to be violative of Articles 21, 14 and 15 of the Indian constitution) has been brutally honest in undressing her life in front of the world. This book is prominently about the kind of men she encountered in her life and the impact they had on her mindset and personality. 

 

                                                Review

1.      Language:- The language is easy and bold at the same time. Be prepared to find terms or lines which might unsettle you, if you are a teenager, or, at times, even if you are an adult.

 

2.      Comprehension:- I would recommend this book only to an adult, because the theme of this book requires a certain degree of openness and understanding on the reader’s part but if you are a child or teenager who is inclined to understand more about the transgender community, you can pick it up.

 

3.      Pace:- It is an easy-paced read – neither racy nor slow.

 

4.      Connecting Power:- If you are not a tad sensitive about this community, you will find it difficult to connect to this book instantly. I found the most connecting chapters – The Love Monologue, The Destroyer in the latter half of the book.

 

5.      Impact:- When a book leaves a lasting impact on you, you finish the book, close the back cover and just sit there. Although touching upon a significant topic, this one didn’t make me ‘just sit’ at the end.

                           

                                                         X-Factor

1.    Have you ever wondered how troublesome and infuriating it can be if you are unsure about your gender identity?? How harrowing it can be for the family, friends and relatives of ‘transgenders’ who are considered misfits in society?? How does this world of transgenders operate?? How many divisions are there within this community itself?? What sort of power politics and everything goes on inside the community itself?? This book gives us a sneak peek into all these aspects.

2.   There is so much to learn from Laxmi as a person. Her determination, her honesty, her fearlessness, her vision, and most importantly her ability to work tirelessly for what she truly believes in.

 

                                                    Fynally

Sex is biology, gender is culture.

We have the cerebral and intellectual power to be able to distinguish the biological make-up of a person (genitals, chromosomes, secondary sexual features) from ones’s gender attributes (self-image, a psychological or emotional sense of sexual identity).

Are we really using our intellectual prowess to understand this distinction? Are transgenders really abnormal? Do we need to change our culture to embrace transgenders? 

Raju Tripathi, the protagonist, aka Laxmi, breaks all the barriers and reaches to an unprecedented height in a hope to bring a change in our outlook.

What could have been a powerfully stimulating book gets digressed in the confusing arrangement of chapters and an unattractive narrative. The prominent question - if gender identity should be dependent on medical requirements or everyone should have a right to be recognized in his/her chosen gender never really comes to the fore. It throws glimpses of wonder at you but fails to be a wonderful read.