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Walking With Elephants by Karen Bell is not a new release, but this reviewer found it the genuine story of every working mother.
Walking With Elephants
Initially, Walking With Elephants seemed a women-centric book to me, but as my journey progressed deeper into protagonist Suez Hall’s chaotic life, I was compelled to change my mind. This is an exceptionally good read for men and women equally – it helps us to truly understand the life of a modern woman juggling personal aspirations and professional life, the responsibilities of being a mother to kids, a wife and still smiling.
There is more to a women’s life then what is evident on the surface – the deeper self-searching side which usually is ignored or not explored. Karen Bell has beautifully explored these aspects of a woman’s personality, subtly, between the daily-life panorama of Suez Hall’s life.
I related completely with these lines from the book:
“What if along with this visibility, the role of mother was considered just as vital; just as important? What if motherhood was a valid experience to put on a resume? What if telecommuting made it possible to stay at home and be an executive? What if women could put their children in schools near their work? Nursed them in their offices? What if women were given a paid maternity leave of two-years so they cold imprint their moral character on their children and still keep their jobs? . . . . And countless other innovations that would be created from women’s needs and wants?”
The author adroitly asks some very deep questions. These are today’s global issues related to gender inequality. The issues of child care, cooking etc. are still considered to be a woman’s domain; what has changed is that now she is also equally responsible for providing financial support. Walking With Elephants (the name completely relates with the story and this you will realize after reading it!) revolves around these issues.
Suez Hall is a woman struggling to balance all aspects of her life. Elliott is the dependable male, gay coworker who has successfully reached the status of being a friend in Suez’s life. Marcia is her unmarried best friend – a soothing balm midst the disarray of her busy life.
The story has quite a few side characters too. Harry Binder is Suez’s boss, and a moderate villain like all regular, real-life bosses! The author’s description of this character makes him a cruel yet interesting character, although there was a point when I secretly felt sorry for him.
I was greatly amused by the author’s sense of humour and there were multiple occasions while reading this book where I was more than smiling. The discreetly woven philosophy is another aspect of this book that I truly liked. Walking With Elephants seemed like it was my story, written with deep insights similar to what I found inside myself.
I was not surprised that it was a top 5 finalist in the Kindle Book Review’s Best Indie Books of 2012 and was awarded the AIA Seal of Excellence in independent fiction by Awesome Indies. I would however advocate for a more mature writing style! The casual writing style, I think, an imprint from the author’s earlier professional roles, (she was previously writing light conversational pieces as a celebrity interviewer) makes the subject of the book sound less serious.
But for this drawback, Walking With Elephants is a great read with potential to become one of the best books on women’s lives.
A version of this review was published at the author’s blog.
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I am a poet, writer, book reviewer, book cover designer, active blogger addicted to writing-reading-researching! I have 10 years of corporate professional experience working with giants like Accenture, AT&T and HSBC. read more...
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A nature lover, Usha Rajagopalan set up a trust called the Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) in June 2010.
While there is a glint of adventure in her eyes and a chuckle in her voice, there is also an unshakeable determination to achieve her goals which, she says, she has had from her college days. That’s Usha Rajagopalan, well-known Bengaluru-based author.
But these days her writing has taken a backseat as lake conservation has become her passion. The 67-year-old spirited senior citizen has made it her life’s mission to save the Puttenahalli Puttakare lake near her home.
Usha Rajagopalan likes calling herself a “lakeika” – a lake activist and a writer (‘lekhika’ in Hindi). “I am a writer by choice and lake conservationist by chance,” she says with a smile. Creative writing has always been a passion and she has published several books.
How come a man working 9 to 5 "comes home tired" but a woman coming back home after work is expected to do the household chores, manage the children and other stuff too?
I came across this line recently in a Tanishq advertisement (ad) and it immediately caught my attention. The ad basically demonstrates a woman as “superwoman” as she does all the professional and personal work simultaneously, she manages the social circles along with the family, she manages everything with a smile. The actual twist comes at the end when the same superwoman says that before a superwoman, I am a human first; I get tired also, I fail also and at times I am helpless too.
I feel all working women will relate to the subject line. We women are expected to be superwomen, but we are normal humans. How come a man working 9 to 5 comes home tired but a woman coming back home after work is expected to do the household chores, manage the children and other stuff too?
There is a beautiful video shared by Jaya Kishori Ji, a motivational and spiritual speaker, wherein she says, “ki hum chahte hain hamari betiyan chaand par jayein par jaane se pehle 4 paranthe or 2 cup chai banakar jaaye (we wish for our daughters to go to moon, but before going we want them to cook 4 paranthas and 2 cups of chai),” why this is so? Why are the expectations so different?
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