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mariahistryingtoread's review
4.0
In the United States children are not allowed to stay in jail with their mothers (at least to my knowledge, it’s possible that there are special cases or exceptions to the rule I’ve never heard of) so this is not a situation I have ever considered before. To live in poverty is a struggle in itself. To live in poverty while confined to a single building most of which you are not even allowed to explore is unfathomable.
The scariest part is that it's actually somehow worse for Kabir to be put out of jail because he has absolutely no means of taking care of himself. There are no systems in place to take care of kids like him. He has no discernible skills to get a job now or in the long run. And his knowledge of the world itself is so limited he can't be trusted to make proper judgment calls in regards to vetting peoples' intentions. He's also in the middle of an ethnic divide - he's half Hindu and half Muslim - that he doesn't fully understand since he's so far removed from the context. When people talk about the cycle of poverty, Kabir is a prime example.
As heavy as I'm making it out to be, Padma Venkatraman takes a hopeful, light approach overall. She is realistic in presenting the hardship and the injustice of the situation, but she also makes sure to encourage pushing forward. It's a hard place to be in, and it takes luck on top of your best efforts, however, the only way to truly lose is to give up. Kabir's refusal to ultimately leads to his happy ending. It's not the one he envisioned while in jail, but that doesn't inherently make it lesser, only different. Super stardom or endless riches are probably not in the cards for kids who are in the same boat as Kabir: that doesn't mean another vision of happiness cannot be achieved. Just because it's not what they can imagine in the moment doesn't mean it's not possible.
On the critical side, not much really happens. While the underlying systemic problems are well founded, the day to day is rather anticlimactic. The synopsis talks about how Kabir is trying to find a way to free his mother, but that plot thread is almost incidental. His contribution is exactly what I'd expect a kid of his age to be able to do, however, I'm not sure kids reading won’t be disappointed by the lack of 'action' compared to other books featuring kids righting wrongs. I was not bothered by this personally I'm simply noting it as a potential barrier for readers out there.
At the end of the day its few issues are not a big enough deterrent to stop me from recommending Born Behind Bars. It's a very solid kid contemporary, and if nothing else draws you in, it at least moves quickly.
The scariest part is that it's actually somehow worse for Kabir to be put out of jail because he has absolutely no means of taking care of himself. There are no systems in place to take care of kids like him. He has no discernible skills to get a job now or in the long run. And his knowledge of the world itself is so limited he can't be trusted to make proper judgment calls in regards to vetting peoples' intentions. He's also in the middle of an ethnic divide - he's half Hindu and half Muslim - that he doesn't fully understand since he's so far removed from the context. When people talk about the cycle of poverty, Kabir is a prime example.
As heavy as I'm making it out to be, Padma Venkatraman takes a hopeful, light approach overall. She is realistic in presenting the hardship and the injustice of the situation, but she also makes sure to encourage pushing forward. It's a hard place to be in, and it takes luck on top of your best efforts, however, the only way to truly lose is to give up. Kabir's refusal to ultimately leads to his happy ending. It's not the one he envisioned while in jail, but that doesn't inherently make it lesser, only different. Super stardom or endless riches are probably not in the cards for kids who are in the same boat as Kabir: that doesn't mean another vision of happiness cannot be achieved. Just because it's not what they can imagine in the moment doesn't mean it's not possible.
On the critical side, not much really happens. While the underlying systemic problems are well founded, the day to day is rather anticlimactic. The synopsis talks about how Kabir is trying to find a way to free his mother, but that plot thread is almost incidental. His contribution is exactly what I'd expect a kid of his age to be able to do, however, I'm not sure kids reading won’t be disappointed by the lack of 'action' compared to other books featuring kids righting wrongs. I was not bothered by this personally I'm simply noting it as a potential barrier for readers out there.
At the end of the day its few issues are not a big enough deterrent to stop me from recommending Born Behind Bars. It's a very solid kid contemporary, and if nothing else draws you in, it at least moves quickly.
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
3.25
I liked this fine, and while I often adore children's/YA books, this one felt very young for me. Perhaps I would have appreciated it more in my younger years. The MC is just nine years old, and the presentation is from that age view. 1st person/present tense - very conversational. In print (I had the hard copy picked up at a library sale for my LFL) and Kindle, no paragraph indentations, but spaces between sentences, making it seem longer than it is (in text - I went with the audio edition). Nice Table of Contents with topic headers for each chapter. Short chapters, 70 in all.
The blurb really tells the first half of the book ... almost makes reading it unnecessary. I just never fully got pulled in to the story, to really care about the characters. Maybe it was me. This is one that I probably would come to appreciate more through study and discussion and dissection ... but I just did a quick listen (audiobook, although as mentioned, I had the text copies on hand too) for "enjoyment" ... although a story like this often isn't something one enjoys, even with a fulfilling ending.
I always appreciate learning more about history or culture, and often it is easier in a fictional/story setting. This provided some background information on the situations in India, the caste system, the justice system, water issues. All good to know. I appreciated the author's notes at the end.
I couldn't help but think of some similarities between this and [book:Room|31685789] ... in that, we also get the story from the POV of a young boy kept captive (although that was more isolated, just he and his mother. Not "jail" but a different prison), and then coming into the wider world.
The author narrates the story, which generally I like ... and there was nothing wrong with her narration... but she is female, and the POV is 1st person, a little boy. I felt like I needed a boy's voice narrating (coming into this cold, not reviewing the blurb, I didn't even know Kabir was a boy until a few chapters in).
Middle grade - no content concerns (profanity, sex, violence).
The blurb really tells the first half of the book ... almost makes reading it unnecessary. I just never fully got pulled in to the story, to really care about the characters. Maybe it was me. This is one that I probably would come to appreciate more through study and discussion and dissection ... but I just did a quick listen (audiobook, although as mentioned, I had the text copies on hand too) for "enjoyment" ... although a story like this often isn't something one enjoys, even with a fulfilling ending.
I always appreciate learning more about history or culture, and often it is easier in a fictional/story setting. This provided some background information on the situations in India, the caste system, the justice system, water issues. All good to know. I appreciated the author's notes at the end.
I couldn't help but think of some similarities between this and [book:Room|31685789] ... in that, we also get the story from the POV of a young boy kept captive (although that was more isolated, just he and his mother. Not "jail" but a different prison), and then coming into the wider world.
The author narrates the story, which generally I like ... and there was nothing wrong with her narration... but she is female, and the POV is 1st person, a little boy. I felt like I needed a boy's voice narrating (coming into this cold, not reviewing the blurb, I didn't even know Kabir was a boy until a few chapters in).
Middle grade - no content concerns (profanity, sex, violence).
odurant8's review
5.0
A touching and ultimately uplifting story of a young boy born behind bars in India due to his mother’s wrongful incarceration. I listened to this book in one sitting because the narration was so compelling. Received a free copy of this from Listening Library in exchange for an honest review.
hrmason's review
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
laurachese's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
syntaxx's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed this middle grade novel about a half Hindu half Muslim boy who seeks to free his mother, who has been wrongfully imprisoned in an Indian jail. I really liked his friendship with Rani, a slightly older Roma girl. Jay the parrot was fun too, although I did find myself freeing over whether he would be OK at certain parts (spoiler alert he’s fine and makes it to the end unscathed.)
ashleyeila's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
heidisreads's review
4.0
Powerful and accessible.
A young boy, Kabir, was born in a jail in India and it’s all he knows until the day the warden releases him (without his mother) and he’s forced to face a world he knows little about. With the help of a new friend, he realizes he’s determined to find his place in the world - no matter where he came from.
A young boy, Kabir, was born in a jail in India and it’s all he knows until the day the warden releases him (without his mother) and he’s forced to face a world he knows little about. With the help of a new friend, he realizes he’s determined to find his place in the world - no matter where he came from.
shaundell's review
4.0
Kabir has been in jail since the day he was born. Living in Pakistan offers few freedoms to people and their children who have been convicted of a crime. After nine years, he is told he is leaving - out on the streets to fend for himself. He learns about his father and family and himself while doing the seemingly impossible.
veka's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The author wrote the characters in a way that made it so easy to love or hate them. The child voice of the narrator made you want to hope and cry with them. Beautiful story.