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108th out of 281 books
—
319 voters
May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons: A Journey Among the Women of India
"The most stimulating and thought-provoking book on India in a long time..Bumiller has made India new and immediate again."
THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
In a chronicle rich in diversity, detail, and empathy, Elisabeth Bumiller illuminates the many women's lives she shared--from wealthy sophisticates in New Delhi, to villagers in the dusty northern plains, to movie stars in...more
THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
In a chronicle rich in diversity, detail, and empathy, Elisabeth Bumiller illuminates the many women's lives she shared--from wealthy sophisticates in New Delhi, to villagers in the dusty northern plains, to movie stars in...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
April 30th 1991
by Ballantine Books
(first published 1990)
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There is a typical Indian reaction to a woman accomplishing something remarkable. "Yeh kis mitti ki bani hai?" (What soil is this women made of?). I was forced to ask myself the same trite question when I finished reading Ms. Bumiller's incredible account. It is incredible for not just being a work of great patience and physical hardship accomplished in an India 25 years ago, a much excruciating place than what it is now. It is incredible for its empathetic and humane narrative. It is one of the...more
[Note: I wrote this review for SAWNET (South Asian Women's Network) in 2001 or so.]
I remember reading "May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons" by Elisabeth Bumiller when it was first published more than 10 years ago and thinking that it was a refreshing look at Indian women and that it did NOT stereotype Indians in the way that other western writers did before. In fact I was very impressed with the fact that she met with and described women from all strata of society from village women to Ela B...more
I remember reading "May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons" by Elisabeth Bumiller when it was first published more than 10 years ago and thinking that it was a refreshing look at Indian women and that it did NOT stereotype Indians in the way that other western writers did before. In fact I was very impressed with the fact that she met with and described women from all strata of society from village women to Ela B...more
This was an extremely interesting book about the lives of women from various classes in India, from the poor villagers to upper-middle-class women. It gave me a bit more perspective on the lives of my MIL and SsIL. However, the book was written based on the author's experiences living in India in the 1980s, and I think things have changed so much since then, at least for the middle class. It would be interesting if the author did a follow-up.
May you be the Mother of a Hundred Sons is a documentary about the women of India. E Bumiller is a journal who follows her husband to the heart of India to see how women from different social-economic backgrounds live and work. The undereducated maid is contrasted with the police chief, the prime minister with village house wife, the artist with the mid-wife and poor young mother with the billionaire movie star. Taboo subjects such as wife burnings, sati, infanticides, feticides, are dowries are...more
*Content warning: this review does not contain spoilers, but it does mention some of the tougher topics in this book. Read at your own risk.*
Loved this book. It is probably one of the most even-handed and respectful books on the topic of the many and horrible situations of the women in India. I have many friends who are first or second-generation Indian immigrants, and because of my interest in British history, at some point I stumbled sideways into a fascination with Indian history, tradition a...more
Loved this book. It is probably one of the most even-handed and respectful books on the topic of the many and horrible situations of the women in India. I have many friends who are first or second-generation Indian immigrants, and because of my interest in British history, at some point I stumbled sideways into a fascination with Indian history, tradition a...more
'In a chronicle rich in diversity, detail, and empathy, Elisabeth Bumiller illuminates the many women's lives she shared--from wealthy sophisticates in New Delhi, to villagers in the dusty northern plains, to movie stars in Bombay, intellectuals in Calcutta, and health workers in the south--and the contradictions she encountered, during her three and a half years in India as a reporter for THE WASHINGTON POST. In their fascinating, and often tragic stories, Bumiller found a strength even in powe...more
Learned so much. Would love the author to go back and write about any changes in India that have happened since she left. Absolutely worth reading.
I discovered and bought this book in a cozy, little bookstore in Goa while travelling in India a few years ago. Once I began reading, I could not stop. Bumiller captures the complex dynamic of what it is like to be an Indian woman as a wife, a mother, or a member of your caste. You will probably learn more than you would like to know particularly when the knowing about a group of women is a painful one, an odyssey of hardship, discrimination and lack of opportunity. But in the end, and if you ar...more
Could have been a much better book in the event that a professional journalist didn't write it. It's a well-researched book, but you never get a sense of how the western author actually merges with the Indian culture -- she seems to be a reporter on the outside. Still a great read (in terms of being informative) however, and it goes quickly. The 9th chapter on the poet/the director/the painter really give a sense of what I'd want out of the book, as I really felt as though I saw India. While I c...more
This book was published in 1991 and was researched in 1987-89. It is slightly over 20 years and yet it remains relevant today. I think the biggest change has been in technology..cell phones and mini loans and those are recent vehicles which will eventually release woman from the servitude.The recent media coverage of rape in India is perhaps good as wife beating and drunkenness has been cloaked in secrecy in this patriarchal and misogynistic society.The caste system continues to dominate this co...more
updated below. June 09.
an interesting book about women in india by the woman who later became (starting sep 10, 2001) the white house correspondent for the new york times. she should have stuck to writing books about india, because she was fairly good at that and in her incarnation as a national affairs correspondent in washington she was a total failure.
as she said of her role in the press conference leading up to the war: "I think we were very deferential because ... it's live, it's very inte...more
an interesting book about women in india by the woman who later became (starting sep 10, 2001) the white house correspondent for the new york times. she should have stuck to writing books about india, because she was fairly good at that and in her incarnation as a national affairs correspondent in washington she was a total failure.
as she said of her role in the press conference leading up to the war: "I think we were very deferential because ... it's live, it's very inte...more
Great topics to discuss and research, am traveling India right now in March 2013 and many issues are still the same... but the writing style resembled a bit of a research paper and less of an actual book reading. but many topics were really interesting and i do recommend the book as reading while traveling India!
Does anyone know if there is an updated version of the book, or a similar book given its written in 1988 or 1989 and some issues i hope have improved!
Does anyone know if there is an updated version of the book, or a similar book given its written in 1988 or 1989 and some issues i hope have improved!
This book was inspiring, infuriating and severely heartbreaking. It has helped me understand such an important part of India and also a deeper part of my own country as well. Women's rights is a mission I fight for constantly. I can only hope that everyone reads this book. It is an eyeopening view into a woman's world in India, but understood in any country.
I felt so many similarities between Elisabeth Bumiller and myself and would love to meet her.
I felt so many similarities between Elisabeth Bumiller and myself and would love to meet her.
Bumiller, who now writes for the New York Times, spent three years in India in the 80's working for The Washington Post. This book is a compilation of her study of the lives of Indian women - research and hundreds of interviews. Topics range from Sati (a woman killing herself by throwing herself on her husband's funeral pyre) to actresses of Bollywood. Her writing is engaging and reflective. I learned about India while reading this book and reflected on the lives of women in general.
A quote fro...more
A quote fro...more
even though it covers well worn topics like arranged marriages, dowries, bride burnings, female infanticide, still a fascinating look from a western woman's perspective in India. not a light or easy read, but well worth it
I feel enlightened. Now i know more about harsh treatment/cruelities the females have gone through.
Female infanticide, sati system, age old traditions, why women should be educated if we trully wish to see the nation progress, population control.
I was excited when I read familiar names who are still alive. Shabana azmi, kiran bedi, sheila dixit.
Etcetera.
Female infanticide, sati system, age old traditions, why women should be educated if we trully wish to see the nation progress, population control.
I was excited when I read familiar names who are still alive. Shabana azmi, kiran bedi, sheila dixit.
Etcetera.
While I was in India, the women are who I wanted to speak with the most. But most are uneducated and only the men were able to speak English. This book has given me insight into the lives of the women.
A little dated, but learned about the beginnings of some incredible organizations helping women and initiating the micro-finance movement;
The author seemed a bit out of her element and interjected many unnecessary and somewhat naive personal opinions throughout - not what you would expect from a reporter - have since learned she was a social reporter before her time in India so this may explain some of her distorted perspective.
This book was a gift from Pete from his last trip this summer. I wi...more
The author seemed a bit out of her element and interjected many unnecessary and somewhat naive personal opinions throughout - not what you would expect from a reporter - have since learned she was a social reporter before her time in India so this may explain some of her distorted perspective.
This book was a gift from Pete from his last trip this summer. I wi...more
I read this book long time ago. This book might be slightly dated today. However, it is one of the most unbiased books I have ever read on life in India. Interesting.
Jul 22, 2009
micaela marsden
added it
A collection of tales of women in modern day India, what they must endure... plus, as an added bonus!! a couple of uplifting stories of women working to make change.
I was disappointed in this book--much of the information appears outdated. The analysis is basic. Still, it is an introduction and worth a read for that.
An excellent exploration of the lives of different women in India--a housewife, a police woman, a mother in the fields...
I read this many years ago. It was very good, very educational, and very sad.
a careful note of Indian women complex ... exalted yet denigrated all at once
An interesting look at the author's experiences living in India.
A look at another culture. We should do it more often.
Excellent book. Will bring tears to your eyes.
some excellent insights into the lives of women
A good read if you want to learn more about the challenges facing Indian women, the history of the women's movement in the country and the diversity of situations that women find themselves in today. Covers a vast expanse of topics, although especially after reading Bombay: Maximum City, the interviews and contacts that Bumiller relies on for much of her content seem pretty superficial. She generally does a good job of recognizing these limitations, though.
I didn't mind this book (it was at least good for keeping me entertained on the elliptical), but I guess overall it felt too narrow, too personal, too specific to the author's experiences. But it is over 20 years old at this point, and so much has changed since then--in India, in literature, in journalism styles, in the world--so I think maybe the main problem with it is that it's dated. Anyway, I didn't mind it, but I wouldn't really recommend it.
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great idea Karen for her to w...more
Nov 23, 2008 08:58am