The Blue Notebook

Apr 06, 2010 Ehrrin rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: ladies-literary-reading-circle, completed-2010

Read Jess S's review of this, and it sounds like the saddest book ever, in a wonderful way.

...................

If I could give half-stars, I'd have gone with 3.5.

It was sad, and I appreciate the awareness that the author is trying to bring to this horrid practice, and think it's fantastic that by purchasing the book a contribution is made to the International and National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children. But, that said, I just didn't really feel connected to the story.

The depressing n...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 31, 2012 Mel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Unlike many of the reviewers here, I WAS able to put the book down after starting it and the hard part for me was picking it back up. It was a very difficult book for me to finish because everything that happens to Batuk is just so WRONG! I literally had to force myself to finish the book - I did so because I wanted to know that everything would turn out okay for her - I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish it. As the mother of a 9 and 13 year old, I was horrified, disgusted, d...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 15, 2013 Hobby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: asian-literature, children, cultural-drama, family, psycological, religious, philosophy, pinjam

Books ”THE BLUE DIARY OF MUMBAI”
Judul Asli : THE BLUE NOTEBOOK
Copyright © 2009 by James Andrew Levine, M.D., Ph.D.
Penerbit Salamadani
Alih Bahasa : Nuraini Mastura
Editor : Endah Wijayanti
Desain sampul : Tyo
Cetakan I : September 2012 ; 344 hlm
Rate : 4 of 5

“Namaku Batuk. Aku seorang gadis lima belas tahun yang tinggal di Jalan Umum di Mumbai. Aku sudah tinggal di sini selama 6 tahun dan aku diberkahi dengan kecantikan dan sebatang pensil.”

Saat memilih buku ini dari rak etalase di toko buku, bayanga...more
Books ”THE BLUE DIARY OF MUMBAI”
Judul Asli : THE BLUE NOTEBOOK
Copyright © 2009 by James Andrew Levine, M.D., Ph.D.
Penerbit Salamadani
Alih Bahasa : Nuraini Mastura
Editor : Endah Wijayanti
Desain sampul : Tyo
Cetakan I : September 2012 ; 344 hlm
Rate : 4 of 5

“Namaku Batuk. Aku seorang gadis lima belas tahun yang tinggal di Jalan Umum di Mumbai. Aku sudah tinggal di sini selama 6 tahun dan aku diberkahi dengan kecantikan dan sebatang pensil.”

Saat memilih buku ini dari rak etalase di toko buku, bayanganku tentang drama perjuangan anak gadis yang terseret dalam dunia pelacuran di wilayah India, menggugah keingin-tahuanku, apalagi sang penulis juga terkenal sebagai aktifis sosial dalam perjuangan hak-hak manusia di kawasan Asia, namun sembari membaca halaman demi halaman, sungguh sebuah kesan mendalam sekaligus mengerikan dan menyentuh, mewarnai sepanjang kisahnya dari awal hingga akhir.

Ditulis dengan sudut pandang orang pertama, kisah ini merupakan jurnal pribadi gadis bernama Batuk, yang berasal dari keluarga miskin di wilayah India. Dilahirkan dari pasangan suami-istri yang berjuang mencari nafkah namun tak mampu mengimbangi dan memenuhi kebutuhan keluarga yang semakin membesar, Batuk adalah salah gadis yang memiliki keistimewaan. Bukan saja ia memiliki paras yang cukup elok, ia juga memiliki kecerdasan serta kemauan keras demi memperoleh Impiannya di dalam dunia yang serba kekurangan dan penuh dengan kepahitan dan hal-hal negatif.

Pada usia 9 tahun, ia dibawa oleh sang ayah yang sangat menyayanginya, namun tak memiliki keberanian melawan sang istri yang pahit dan getir serta menyalahkan anak-anak gadis yang dilahirkannya sebagai beban, hingga Batuk pun dijual ke sindikat rumah bordil yang sangat terkenal di India. Pandangan masyarakat India terhadap kasta serta status wanita yang dianggap berada pada posisi terendah, membuat pilihan tersebut menjadi salah satu alternatif yang banyak dilakukan oleh keluarga miskin demi memperoleh sejumlah uang untuk menghidupi keluarganya. Gadis cilik ini menuturkan dengan gamblang, dengan bahasa serta kata-kata sesuai pemahamannya sebagai gadis cilik, tentang pengalaman-pengalaman serta berbagai peristiwa yang menyeretnya dalam dunia kelam pelacuran anak-anak yang banyak dicari oleh orang-orang yang memiliki kelainan seksual.

( more about this book, check on my review at here : )
http://asian-literature.blogspot.com/...
(less)

like · see review

Mar 22, 2013 Tea Jovanović rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: editor-of-serbian-edition

Džejms Levin, lekar s klinike Mejo, dobio je inspiraciju da napiše ovaj potresan i zastrašujući roman razgovarajući s decom beskućnicima u Mumbaiju, u okviru svog medicinskog istraživanja. U Ulici kaveza, gde su deca prostitutke bukvalno zatvorena u kaveze (a njihovi „nadzornici“ ih zlostavljaju i ubiru novac od njih), Levina je lecnuo prizor jedne devojčice koja je sedela ispred svog kaveza i pisala nešto u beležnicu.
Nezaboravan, upečatljiv roman Plava beležnica pripoveda priču o Batuk, petnaes...more

5 likes · like · see review

Dec 27, 2012 Christie rated it 3 of 5 stars

It’s easy to become complacent when you live in Canada. I live in a nice house; I have a car; I have a job; my children are healthy and go to school wearing the clothes they want, with full bellies. They sleep in warm beds. They are safe and loved. So when I read a novel like James Levine’s The Blue Notebook it sticks with me. Not because it’s beautifully written literature – which I have to say, it’s not – but because it tells a story so compelling and upsetting and alien to my everyday life, I...more It’s easy to become complacent when you live in Canada. I live in a nice house; I have a car; I have a job; my children are healthy and go to school wearing the clothes they want, with full bellies. They sleep in warm beds. They are safe and loved. So when I read a novel like James Levine’s The Blue Notebook it sticks with me. Not because it’s beautifully written literature – which I have to say, it’s not – but because it tells a story so compelling and upsetting and alien to my everyday life, I can’t quite wrap my head around it.

Batuk is just nine when her beloved father sells her to Master Gahil. I got the sense that he was strapped for cash and Batuk was his only asset. Thus begins her life of sexual slavery, a life she learns first at the hands of a variety of men in “the orphanage” and then under the watchful eye of Mamaki Briila. She is one of six children housed in “nests” on Common Street in Mumbai. Here she makes “sweet-cake” all day long.

It’s a ghastly life but Batuk is somehow able to separate herself from the act of sex by retreating into a world of stories. She is literate because she spent several weeks in a TB hospital as a child and a kind nurse taught her to read and write. She commits her story to the pages of a blue notebook and this is how the reader comes to know her story.

And so I look within myself and assemble myself in words. I take the words that are my thoughts and dreams and hide them behind the dark shadow of my kidney. I compress my need for love into words and hide that as a drop of blackness next to my liver (it will be safe there until I need it.)

James Levine is actually a professor of medicine and a respected scientist and researcher. He was compelled to write Batuk’s story after seeing a young girl on the Street of Cages in Mumbai. He says, “The image of the girl in the pink sari haunted me so that I was compelled to write The Blue Notebook, a work of fiction based on field-workers’ reports and observation of the conditions that such children survive.” There is an interesting article about Dr. Levine and the book here. (http://www.rediff.com/news/report/int...)

Batuk’s story is a dark one. There is really no reprieve for her or the reader but to be fair – why should we come out of this experience unscathed? The truth is horrific. According to Child and Women Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU) there are an estimated 10 million prostitutes in India. A February 2012 UN report indicated that India was the most dangerous place in the world to be born a girl. Not only are girls less desirable to their families, extreme poverty often leads them to a life of prostitution.(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/world...)

If you are interested in helping the children of India there are several charitable organizations, including HOPE.
(http://www.hopefoundation.ie/get-invo...)(less)

like · see review

Sep 26, 2012 Regina Lindsey rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Purportedly, there are half a million child prostitutes in India. Inspired by observations from Levine as well as experiencing India's dark side personally when he was kidnapped himself, Levine brings a fictionalized account of India's underage sex trade.

Batuk is sold into slavery at the age of nine by her parents. Six years later after securing a pencil (later a pen) and paper Batuk recollects on the events that brought her to Common Street, escapes the pain of her existence through story tell...more Purportedly, there are half a million child prostitutes in India. Inspired by observations from Levine as well as experiencing India's dark side personally when he was kidnapped himself, Levine brings a fictionalized account of India's underage sex trade.

Batuk is sold into slavery at the age of nine by her parents. Six years later after securing a pencil (later a pen) and paper Batuk recollects on the events that brought her to Common Street, escapes the pain of her existence through story telling, and records the events of her daily life. Levine paints a picture of young girl that retains her humor, has learned to survive through keen observation of human nature, and is amazingly resilient. In graphic detail the reader is taken into worst of human nature as abuse after abuse is inficted on Batuk and her contemporaries.

This is a real eye-opening book that sheds light on a subject most of us cannot even fathom. Reading this is akin to a bad train wreck. It is difficult to read but at the same time you can't put it down. I couldn't give it a five simply for some choices by Levine. This won't bother many people but it did distract me

**************************Possible Spoiler***************************
**********************************************************************************************************************************I just couldn't accept that within twelve weeks and many years earlier, Batuk was able to learn to read and write at a level that would have allowed her to write in the manner she does.

**********************End of Possible Spoiler**************************

One of the best aspects of this work is the author's afterward which goes into depth on the inspiration for the work. Of the more salient points:

"By 'fatalistic' I mean having the sense that one's existence is encapsulated in the moment it is experienced. The past becomes irrelevant, and the 'future' ceases to exist." (pg 211)

This is not a book for the faint-hearted or the squeemish. It will definitely make you uncomfortable. However, if you are someone who likes to understand current issues I highly recommend it. (less)

like · see review

Sep 01, 2012 Agnes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I knew when I started to read this book that the subject matter would be disturbing, yet I was not prepared for the horror of what I read. Being sold into prostitution by your own parents is already unthinkable, at such a young age it is totally abhorrent. Yes I was shocked to the core of my being.

But then there was the beauty of how the girl deals with the life she was given, with the card she was dealt. The author describes this with such sensitivity and insight, in a lyrical way, yes putting...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 11, 2012 Nicole Green rated it 1 of 5 stars

The minute I started to read this book, my entire apartment complex blacked out due to the snow. It was like a sign from above telling me that it would be a bad idea to read this book. They were right. This book, in my humble opinion, was horrible. Not only did I not find it "beautifully crafted, surprisingly hopeful, and filled with both tragedy and humor," I hated it with as much passion as a person can hate things.

I was forced into reading this book for my Fiction Writing class because it was...more

1 like · like · see review

May 11, 2012 Ineke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Het blauwe schriftje"is een bijzonder boek.

Batuk Ramasdeen, zij woonde in Dreepah-Jil, een dorpje in Madhya Pradesh, India. Ze leefde daar in bittere armoede maar had een gelukkige jeugd. Batuk is de verteller van het indringende verhaal over kinderprostitutie.

Batuk is een echt vaderskindje, maar toch zou haar vader haar in Mumbai brengen en haar verkopen voor de prostitutie. Batuk, 9 jaar, wordt afgeleverd bij meester Gahil en daar wordt ze klaargemaakt voor het "werk". Voor veel geld wordt ze...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 27, 2011 Ismail Elshareef rated it 5 of 5 stars

Batuk, the protagonist, was a real child prostitute living in Mumbai, India, and this book is her journal, translated into flawless and engrossing prose by Dr. Levine.

I found it very hard to finish this book, but thankfully, it's only 200 pages. I had to skim most of it for the vivid descriptions of child rape, sexual mutilation and unspeakable torture were just a bit much to visualize. At times, especially towards the end, I had to put the book down to catch my breath!

Reading this story will...more Batuk, the protagonist, was a real child prostitute living in Mumbai, India, and this book is her journal, translated into flawless and engrossing prose by Dr. Levine.

I found it very hard to finish this book, but thankfully, it's only 200 pages. I had to skim most of it for the vivid descriptions of child rape, sexual mutilation and unspeakable torture were just a bit much to visualize. At times, especially towards the end, I had to put the book down to catch my breath!

Reading this story will literally give you physical pain the next time you read or hear about child prostitution, molestation, abuse or human trafficking in India or anywhere in the world for that matter. Batuk's story is the story of all these children we hear about in the news. Reading this book will make their stories real to you, and not just sad, impersonal news items towards which we've become desensitized.

Batuk was enslaved at the tender age of eight (EIGHT!) when her father sold her to Mr. Ghali, who quickly sold her innocence to the highest bidder before sending her off to "The Orphanage" where her heart-wrenching story nosedived into visceral horror.

At "The Orphanage," Batuk is raped by the Yazaks (i.e. guardians; you believe it!) all the while witnessing other children go through harrowing accounts of unbelievable torture and even murder. She writes about a boy who was caught hiding twenty rupees from his Yazak:

"Justice was immediate and occurred in the open. Using his right hand, the Yazak lifted the child, age eleven or twelve, by his hair off the ground and with his left hand cut his throat with a Damascus blade. Before the second spurt of blood had shot from his neck, the Yazak had thrown the boy to the ground just as you might throw away a sweet wrapper."

It was also at "The Orphanage" that Batuk met Puneet--a frail young boy with delicate features and effiminate mannerisms--for the first time. Both were lucky enough to be given to Mamaki (a woman as vile physically as she is morally) to work in her brothel in Mumbai's red-light district. It's there where most of the story's heartbreak takes place.

Batuk and Puneet's relationship is yet another devastating account of lost innocence, damaged souls and shattered dreams. Depressing as it is, I was glad to know that these two had glimpses of happiness along the way.

The last thirty pages of the book were the most painful to read. In the end, I was distraught by the story and by the fact that this horror is still going on today, at this moment, in India and elsewhere. One thing I hope you get out of this book is a renewed zeal to do whatever you can to fight child exploitation and abuse of any form here at home and worldwide.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 16, 2011 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

This book is not for the light-hearted, and it's not a light read. It is, however, a deeply moving and disturbing story about children in the sex slavery trade in India. It is not meant to be an enjoyable read, but it is a book that brings awareness about the problem of children sex slavery throughout the world.
Batuk is only 9 years old when her family sells her into sex slavery. She is brough to Mumbai by her father and left in a brothel with a newfound "uncle." She refers to herself as a prost...more

like · see review

Feb 27, 2011 Cherylann rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club-choices, feminist-themes

I have been wanting to read this novel for about 18 months. However, I initially didn't read the novel because I had my doubts about whether an American male could write a female character - a character who is an Indian teen when the novel begins. (And yes, I also struggle with women who try to write male protagonists). I've picked up and put down this novel numerous times in the last year and a half. And so I was rather excited when it made my book club's list of books. While I found the parts...more

like · see review

Aug 07, 2010 Kathy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I wish I liked this book more. It's the story of a 9 year old girl sold into prostitution in the filthy slums of Mumbai by her parents. Batuk narrates her story and records her grim experiences in a blue notebook. This novel was inspired by the author's experiences interviewing homeless children in India, in particular one girl who wrote in a journal outside her "nest".

While the concept of the novel is noble, and indeed the proceeds of the book go directly to help exploited children, unfortunat...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 12, 2010 Nita rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This is a really, really, really, really violent little book about child prostitution in India. The main character is Batuk, a little girl with a really really really really stupid father. When she is nine, her father goes bankrupt and sells her into prostitution. She winds up on the common street in Mumbai as a whore where she manages to obtain the blue notebook that becomes her journal. In it she records her thoughts. She's really really really really really smart and really really really real...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 10, 2010 jess rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, fiction, audiobook-d

The Blue Notebook was written by a British-born doctor from the Mayo Clinic, Dr. James Levine. As part of his medical research, he interviewed homeless children in Mumbai. This book came from those interviews, the main character is inspired by one small girl sitting outside her cage writing in a notebook. I was very skeptical of an author who writes from a place of incredible amount of privilege in the voice of an extremely marginalized protagonist, but I suspended judgement until after I read i...more The Blue Notebook was written by a British-born doctor from the Mayo Clinic, Dr. James Levine. As part of his medical research, he interviewed homeless children in Mumbai. This book came from those interviews, the main character is inspired by one small girl sitting outside her cage writing in a notebook. I was very skeptical of an author who writes from a place of incredible amount of privilege in the voice of an extremely marginalized protagonist, but I suspended judgement until after I read it. Proceeds from the US sale of this book are donated to the International and National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children. This book contains fairly graphic accounts of the rape and abuse of children; be forewarned. This is definitely for more mature readers.

I audiobook'd this on my drive to work, and it had a profound experience on me every time I got in the car. It was hard to listen to when I was alone with the narrator and only traffic to distract me. The subject matter is upsetting, can I emphasize this enough? I was left with a profound sense of obligation to humanity to help solve this problem, but the book didn't have answers - only more questions and despair. There are organizations out there working to help these kids - my favorite is CRY (Child Rights and You) and they can be found at www.cry.org. They do really great work addressing the multiplicity of issues that affect children's rights in India.

So, this is Batuk's journal. She's a 15 year old girl in Mumbai, sold into a life of sex slavery on the Common Street by her father at the age of 9. She has survived TB, abandonment by her father, the brutal orphanages of Mumbai, and innumerable counts of rape and abuse. Her daily life is lived in a small cage, in a wall of other child prostitutes who also live in small cages, where up to 10 men each day "visit" her. The narrator's voice is sincere and her delivery is matter-of-fact. She is separated from her reality by her imaginative fantasy life, where she lives in a gilded room instead of a tiny dirty nest, where men are "bakers" who bake "sweetcakes" with her instead of paying customers who fuck a little girl. In her imagination, her friend, Puneet, is a prince on a throne, worshipped by a parade of his devotees all day; this is in sharp contrast to his reality as a castrated 14 year old boy who nearly dies after being raped by two police officers.

This book does carry a sort of uplifting sentiment. Batuk's optimism, perseverance, cheer and steadiness provide a welcome alternative to the sadness of life for exploited children, and there is a sense that the human spirit can transcend these most miserable circumstances. Her imagination and storytelling go against the adversity she faces. Several people have compared this book to Anne Frank's diary, which is not entirely accurate but gives you a sense of the intention of the message.

Batuk's vivid imagination allows her some distance from daily life. Her days are the mostly the same, making sweetcake with up to ten men a day and watching the comings and goings of the Common Street where she lives, until a Mumbai billionaire rents Batuk. Out of her cage, into a car, into a luxury hotel where she is scrubbed down, dressed up, made over, and handed over to the billionaire's son. The contrast between life on the street and life in the hotel is an alarming shift for Batuk - who has never ridden in an elevator or ordered room service. But this is no "Pretty Woman" story. There is no heart of gold or redemption here. Batuk's story is so horrifying and terribly sad, I couldn't even cry over this book. I was just paralyzed by sorrow and left alone with my grief.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Nov 03, 2009 Lydia Presley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: india, fiction

What a horrifying story. From the book jacket, the story of how this book was written is told. Levine, a doctor at the Mayo Clinic, was interviewing homeless children on a street in Mumbai where the child prostitutes work. A young woman was writing in a notebook outside of her cage. This captured his attention and, in turn, resulted in this book.

The imagery is horrifying - too much so, in my opinion. I understand that the author was trying to impress upon his readers the gravity and horror of th...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 19, 2009 Faith rated it 4 of 5 stars

If a book can tear your heart out, then The Blue Notebook by James Levine M.D. is the book to do it. How can such a heartbreaking story be so beautiful?

This is the story of Batuk, a fifteen year old girl sold into sexual slavery at age nine. Batuk writes in the blue notebook between customers and tells us of her life. Her writing also reveals her own imagination, resillisance, wisdom and naivety. Batuk is an astute observer of others and we get to see some of what her world is like. Knowing not...more If a book can tear your heart out, then The Blue Notebook by James Levine M.D. is the book to do it. How can such a heartbreaking story be so beautiful?

This is the story of Batuk, a fifteen year old girl sold into sexual slavery at age nine. Batuk writes in the blue notebook between customers and tells us of her life. Her writing also reveals her own imagination, resillisance, wisdom and naivety. Batuk is an astute observer of others and we get to see some of what her world is like. Knowing nothing else,

she places no judgement on it, as this reader was inclined to do. Batuk is not the prostitue with the heart of gold or the jaded street hooker as often depicted in American fiction. She is a complex human being, obviously knowing more about sex the the average girl her age, but in other ways sheltered from the world outside. She is jaded to a certain amount of violence and resigned to her profession, but at the same time she hopes for a better life.

Batuk is such a charming girl and has such an interesting view of things, you'll want to keep reading. There are parts of this story where it is possible to forget the horror of Batuk's life. She still has the naivety and innocence of any other girl her age. Levine does a wonderful job of making her speak in very real voice. A few of her musings seem a bit more educated than expected, however, it's not impossible that her limited learning and her experiences would lead her to those thoughts.

Levine doesn't let the reader forget the dismal life Batuk lives for very long. Unfortunately, her profession does not attract 'Prince Charming' types. Readers get to see some of the worst people. We also get to see how sometimes abuse it perpetuated by the abused. The Blue Notebook is a look at one of those things we'd rather not think about and an eye opener to anyone who believes that all prostitutes choose their profession.

This is not a book for anyone who is struggling with the after effects of abuse. For others, I heartily recommend The Blue Notebook. It's a book that will stay with you long after you've returned it to the shelf.

From the cover of my advance copy 'All the U.S. proceeds for this novel will be donated to the International and National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children ( http://www.icmec.org.) ' This is another good reason to buy the book.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Aug 17, 2009 Aarti rated it 5 of 5 stars

Upton Sinclair wrote a painfully graphic book about the horrors of Chicago's meat-packing district, The Jungle. He later famously said, "I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach."

Dr. Levine does much the same in his book, The Blue Notebook. This is one of the most difficult and painful books I have ever read. Batuk writes in a beautifully lyrical voice, and so it is all the more jarring when she turns from her happy and playful thoughts and dreams to the graphic det...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 04, 2009 Myckyee rated it 5 of 5 stars

There are some books that I just can’t wait to read. I’m excited about them and I know I’m going to love them just for their pure entertainment value. The Blue Notebook is not one of those books, though since it was hugely enlightening I am very glad I read it.

The story follows a 15 year-old prostitute in Mumbai who finds a pencil and begins writing the story of her life. Batuk manages to find a level of comfort through writing her thoughts and experiences as she goes about her work. Her life ch...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 04, 2009 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-books

This is definitely not a book for children. It covers some of the same ground as the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Batuk was 9 when her father sold her into prostitution in Mumbai. She is "nested" on the Common Street, where Mamaki Briila oversees the girls and one boy, Puneet, who is Batuk's good friend. The story begins as Batuk is 15. She keeps writings of her days, because she was taught to read and write in the hospital where she spent months recovering from TB, and because one of the men who...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 18, 2009 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

“You can never fully straighten bent metal; you can only make it less bent.”

Sometimes when I read a book that is particularly affecting, I refer to it as “life altering.” But when I refer to The Blue Notebook as life altering, it isn’t to remark of its genius rendition, sumptuous prose, or eerily strong characterization. Simply put; The Blue Notebook by James Levine so thoroughly disturbed me, it left me haunted. I think we all know that the sickening practice of child sex slavery occurs, and we...more “You can never fully straighten bent metal; you can only make it less bent.”

Sometimes when I read a book that is particularly affecting, I refer to it as “life altering.” But when I refer to The Blue Notebook as life altering, it isn’t to remark of its genius rendition, sumptuous prose, or eerily strong characterization. Simply put; The Blue Notebook by James Levine so thoroughly disturbed me, it left me haunted. I think we all know that the sickening practice of child sex slavery occurs, and we are justifiably disgusted. But only when confronted with the voice of a fifteen year old prostitute as she describes her tragic and hopeless world does one realize this is a global problem that we shouldn’t ignore.

Levine’s purpose is to raise awareness and funds to stop child exploitation. And his method is the tortuous bombardment of atrocities that are committed against his narrator and other children. Batuk was sold into slavery by her impoverished family at nine. She is quickly “taken” after which she ends up in a cage no larger than a toilet servicing around ten men a day. Her life is colored by sadism, rape, violence, starvation, and disease. She is betrayed in some form by everyone who can use her to some purpose to further their greed or perversion. Abused in everyway imaginable, Batuk considers herself blessed because she can read and write. And so Batuk journals, and uses every opportunity to scratch out her story and observations. “I am not sure why I write but in my mind I shudder that it may be so that one day I can look back and read how I have melted into my ink and become nothing.” These are her hopes to die, disappear, service only one man, or become deranged. It will suffice to say this is not an uplifting tale.

Levine is relentless with horrific details, and increasingly terrible situations in which he places Batuk. His only gift to the reader is that his story is relatively brief. The ending is ambiguous, after reading it several times; I’m still not sure what happened. Such a bizarre ending and menacing tone recalls Burnside’s The Glister. The Blue Notebook is an ugly story, but even if the writing was poor (instead it is excellent), I’d recommend this book. If you can manage to read it, do so, and if you can’t, buy it regardless. Levine’s passion is exceedingly obvious, so much so that he’s donating his proceeds to the International and National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children—the only bright spot his novel offers.
(less)

5 likes · like · see review

Oct 20, 2009 Ellen O'brien rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Blue Notebook is the story of a little girl in India who is sold into the lowest brothel in Mumbai by her father. Batuk is sweet, innocent and educated to read and write. Her father, a man with a weakness for women, falls into debt. To feed himself and be able to continue seeing women other than Batuk's mother, he sells her. In the brothel, Batuk weaves beautiful stories in which she imagines she is a princess living in a golden bower in order to cope with her life. She makes one close frien...more

like · see review

Jul 03, 2010 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

Pretty heartbreaking and graphic so don't approach this lightly.

Batuk's flights of fancy, ways of escape from the grim reality of her life, make this book special. They helped me feel as though I was getting to know her, the way I would sit with any kid and listen to them tell me the crazy things they talk about.

That said, I had a rough time with the extravagant grammar used throughout the book because though I think Batuk would have used that type of language if she knew it, I'm not convinced...more

like · see review

Mar 25, 2010 Louise Chambers rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: child sex slavery, india, human rights

Recommended to Louise by: Denver Public Library

Shelves: india, child-prostitution, epistolary-journal, modern-slavery

Let's be clear: this young woman is a sex-slave, not a prostitute. She will never see any of the money that she brings in for her captors. She was sold into this life by her father so that he could "save the farm".

If she lives to be old enough to be turned out of sex-slavery, she will still be used in the industry to "break" the new girls; we see her future in the old woman who prepares her to be broken by the highest bidder: her new "uncle".

If she were a prostitute, she might have some decision...more

like · see review

Jan 08, 2013 Lesley rated it 5 of 5 stars

I never, ever, thought I would read a novel about child prostitution in India. I know it exists as I've seen documentaries about it, but to actually read a book and give it 5 stars? The subject never crossed my mind. Yet this book rates 5 stars.

The ability to read and write, taught to her at age 7 by a nurse while hospitalized as a TB patient, enables Batuk to rise above her miserable life by penning her thoughts. But this is a novel and there are today an estimated half million child prostitut...more

like · see review

Jan 25, 2010 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

Levine's story of Batuk, a fifteen-year-old girl living in Mumbai as a prostitute, is a difficult story to sum up without the revealing all of the different aspects of this somewhat haunting story.

As Batuk navigates her existence, she finds different ways to cope with her world around her; the various escapes from reality and distractions she finds are the most compelling part of the book, because it is through these images that she is able to tell her story in a way that she is able to cope.

Th...more

like · see review

Nov 28, 2009 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: india

This was a bitter heart-wrenching modern day tale.... a young girl sold into prostitution in Mumbai by her poor parents, the heinous life she leads in her 'cage' as it is literally called and literally is, and how life and food and reasonable treatment are all contingent on how well and how often she 'makes sweet-cakes' with her customers. The author of the Kite Runner aptly reviewed this book by saying it is "a deeply moving story and a searing reminder of the resilience of the human spirit." A...more

1 like · like · see review

May 24, 2013 Kerry rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is my all time favourite book. Even though this is a work of fiction the subject matter is based on fact and is happening to millions of children in many places all over the world right now. There were times during the reading of this book that I sat and asked myself why I was continuing to read it because the content was very confronting (children being sold into the world of sex slavery and what happens to them) but I kept reading for 2 reasons; a) how nice it would be for me to be able t...more

like · see review

Aug 17, 2009 Andrew rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: no-one

I'm one of the few apparently who really didn't like this novel. I thought the plot overly contrived and shallow, too specific to the protagonist's view point (narration is first person, something I don't think works when you are trying for a novel which is hoping for a "people are resilient" feel, as espoused in the blurb). Yes, child prostitution is rife over there, class society is unfair, people are mean, power corrupts, and everyone gets by in the best way they can... I'm not learning anyth...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 11, 2009 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a fascinating story written in a journal format at times about a young girl sold into sexual slavery in India. We follow her tragic life from age nine to fifteen.

It is obviously fiction but is supposedly based on true accounts of child prostitution over there. I wasn't aware of some of the goings on over there until I read this. If things are really like the book describes, it makes me appreciate how safe things are here in the U.S. for children.

It would be pretty difficult to see a ni...more

1 like · like · see review

title link	preview: The Blue Notebook
avg rating	preview: The Blue Notebook Goodreads rating: 3.66 (1641 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6060623-the-blue-notebook?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320535321l/6060623.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6060623-the-blue-notebook?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine[/url]

The Blue Notebook

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (25)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by James A. Levine

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Blue Notebook

The Blue Notebook

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (25)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by James A. Levine

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Blue Notebook

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (25)