Book Review

What are the steps for writing a book review?

1. Introduce the book and discuss what it is about.
2. Choose a particular aspect of the book to discuss.
3. Evaluate the book.
4. Suggest any changes or improvements the author might make.
5. Conclude with your thoughts on the book.

You have recently read a book. Write a Book Review on the same with the help of the following points. 

Book Review Format

• Title of the book
• Subject/ Story/Information
• Language/Style/Presentation
• Benefits/Message

Book Review on Ek Hota Carver by Veena Gavankar 

    Recently I have read a book ‘Ek Hota Carver’ by Veena Gavankar. The book is in Marathi on the life of George Washington Carver. It is a biography of a great researcher of nineteenth century.  George was the son of Mary a negro slave. She was living with Mozes Carver’s family as he has bought her. One day Mary and her son were taken away by some dacoits to resell the slaves as were the practice in those days.  Mozes tried to get back them and he succeeded in getting back only Mary’s son in exchange of a horse. Mozes and his wife Suazanbai brought up this child as their child. He developed his interest in gardening. He was very weak and dumb child.

He was sent to Neose for schooling. It was a school for Negros. By doing some odd jobs, he completed his schooling. He developed interest in painting and music too. He was good at education and started to speak without staggering. He was neglected higher education at Highland University because he was black. He got admission in State Iowa College. 

 George got his MS degree in Agricultural and Bacterial Botany and became a professor of the same. Then he was invited in the school of Tuskegee . He accepted the invitation and joined the school. Here he joined hands with Dr. Washington Booker to serve his people. He did many researches there for the welfare of farmers nearby. George Carver invented peanut butter, paints and cotton product. He prepared laboratory instruments from the waste. He made researches in groundnut, sweet root, cotton. He discovered some eatables.

The book is very interesting. The narrator creates mental picture of that period before us. The language used here is simple and appropriate to the period. While reading the book we became the part of it. The author of this book Veena Gavankar has used her unique style giving details. The book introduces us with great researcher. It teaches us the hard work, sacrifice and gratitude.  

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Book Review: Dollar Bahu

Dollar Bahu is a novella written by a prolific writer Sudha Murthy. She was born in Shiggaon, Karnataka. She has written many books of different genres. Novels and short stories have become popular. Her books are mainly in English and Kannada and translated into  all the major Indian languages. An English Dollar Bahu is a translated version of Dollar Sose in Kannada.

Dollar Bahu is a wonderful book I have read. Vinuta, a calm and quiet girl, is a school teacher. She gets a marriage proposal from Girish, a bank manager who likes her. Gouramma, Girish’s mother, wants a grand wedding. Vinuta’s financial condition was not that good. Girish’s father Shamanna took the initiative and decided to  solemnise simple marriage. Girish marries Vinuta. Vinuta takes the responsibility of the household and workplace smoothly. She adjusts to her new family well. She doesn’t take her mother-in-law’s criticism to heart. But when her brother in law Chandru marries a rich girl. Jamuna, (Dollar Bahu), Vinuta has to listen to endless comparison between her and Chandru’s wife the ‘Dollar Bahu’. Chandru and his wife earns in dollars and sends some to the family. The comparison leads to fall in Vinuta’s health and peace of mind. Then Gouramma decides to visit her US-based son and daughter in law.  There she sees a different culture and free life in America. After spending almost a year in America she realises that no dollar can buy real love and family bonds as she gets in India.

The novella ‘Dollar Bahu’ makes us understand the lifestyle in India and America. One can not get the best of the two countries. To get one best, you have to sacrifice the other. While reading the novel we make a journey of Dharwad, Banglore, in India and Nashville, Newyork in America.  We meet several characters in the novella as real. Sudha Murthy’s  story telling style and language capture our attention till the end. Novel unfolds the attraction of America among the middle class in India. It also makes us aware about the crisis of breeding of Indian children in America.