I KICK AND I FLY BY RUCHIRA GUPTA

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BOOK NAME:  I KICK AND I FLY

AUTHOR NAME: RUCHIRA GUPTA

GENRE:  CONTEMPORARY FICTION

PUBLISHER: ROCK THE BOAT - HARPERCOLLINS INDIA

BOOK BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.in/I-KICK-FLY-Ruchira-Gupta/dp/0861546946


BOOK COVER IMAGE




BOOK REVIEW

A 14-year-old Heera, living in the red light area on the outskirts of Bihar, has been trained all her life for her Bisi Bele, a tradition where Nat girls were married to a banyan tree after reaching a certain age. But Heera knows what comes after the bisi bele. It is a world of living hell that follows, where girls are sold into prostitution by the dance company that acquires them. She has seen women from her family suffer that fate all along and decides to fight back. Heera and her mother retaliate when Ravi Lala gives them a deadline to join the other women, and that is when she finds Rini, a martial arts teacher who teaches kung fu. Heera is captivated by the art and finds her calling in kung fu. She goes to train herself and achieve what was a distant dream for her community. 


This breathtaking novel is an inspiring account of the lives of women who fight back and pave the way for other women to follow. I loved the spirit of this book as a whole, where all the women, including Heera, were fighters waging a war against their predecided fates. This book introduced me to the principles and techniques of kung fu, and I am glad I got to understand it a bit. 


This book mainly focuses on the system of caste oppression and the trafficking of women and girls at risk. Irrespective of the scene where a couple of teens take down a group of traffickers to rescue their friend, which becomes a little extra, the book is so captivating and uplifting. But as the motto of the book goes, which is heavily inspired by the life of Bruce Lee, anything is possible if we believe in it. It's a story of the girl and community that needs to be told, and everyone must read this at least once.


MY REVIEW: 4/5

This is a part of Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge and Blogchatter’s half marathon 2023

#penbooksandscalpel


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