Climbing the Stairs by
Padma Venkatramen
G.P. Putnam’s sons, 2008
If you’re looking for a strong heroine, fifteen-year-old
Vidya meets the requirements. In British-occupied India during WW II, when Indian
women were expected to marry and raise children, Vidya’s beloved father, her
appa, promises her she can go to college. Her dreams for the future change in
an instant when Appa is severely injured during a demonstration for Indian
independence.
Vidya is forced to move from Bombay
with her mother, her father and college-age brother Kitta to their uncle’s home
in Madras.
Here, relegated to hours of chores by her ungracious aunt, Vidya strains
against the cultural rules and expectations regarding women. What will become
of her dream? Will she still be able to go to college?
Vidya discovers her grandfather’s library in an upstairs
room of her uncle’s home. But she has to defy tradition first.
The staircase stood
silent and empty. But it was forbidding. The barrier between the two floors of
the house was unbroken except at mealtimes, when the men descended into our
realm. Only men used the stairs. If anyone caught me walking up them, what
would Periamma do to me?
Vidya fights for her freedom as India fights for independence, and
the author weaves together themes of freedom, war and violence vs. non-violence
to create a wholly satisfying read.
Visit the book’s website for a wealth of background
information and discussion guides.
Awards
Julia Ward Howe Boston Authors Club 2009 Award (young
readers book of the year)
Bank
Street College
of Education Best Book of the Year
ALA/YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
Award-Winning Book Challenge Status: 8 /11
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