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65th out of 77 books
—
26 voters
Island's End
From the acclaimed author of Climbing the Stairs comes a fascinating story set on a remote island untouched by time. Uido is ecstatic about becoming her tribe's spiritual leader, but her new position brings her older brother's jealousy and her best friend's mistrust. And looming above these troubles are the recent visits of strangers from the mainland who have little regar...more
Hardcover, 240 pages
Published
August 4th 2011
by Putnam Juvenile
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In 1994, Padma Venkatraman spent time on the Andaman Islands off the coast of India, where native tribes live as they have for thousands of years, refusing contact with modern civilization. She lived among the peoples of the Onge tribe. The Onge, like other tribes on the islands are very small in number, and it is believed that one of the tribes is now extinct. In 2004, when the tsunami caused so much damage in that part of the world, many of these tribes used their ancient knowledge and ability...more
This is the story of Uido, a young girl who lives with her tribe, the En-ge, on a remote island. Uido has been chosen as the next oko-jumu, or spiritual leader, of her tribe. Lah-ame, the current oko-jumu, takes Uido away to train her in visiting the Otherworld, listening to the voices of the spirits, starting fire (because the oko-jumu is the only person in the tribe who can start fire), gathering medicinal plants and animals, etc. Uido returns to her tribe a stronger woman, both physically and...more
2.5.
This wasn't remarkable for me. I think it'll be mostly forgettable down the line.
Uido lives on a remote island with her tribe which is very unlike modern society, and a lot of what they believe in are spiritual guides. She sees a lot of visions at night, and when she admits to this to their spiritual leader Lah-ame, he chooses to make her the tribe's next guide. When she passes her final test in his teachings, she's told to be careful not to exert her power yet.
Of course she does it, and th...more
This wasn't remarkable for me. I think it'll be mostly forgettable down the line.
Uido lives on a remote island with her tribe which is very unlike modern society, and a lot of what they believe in are spiritual guides. She sees a lot of visions at night, and when she admits to this to their spiritual leader Lah-ame, he chooses to make her the tribe's next guide. When she passes her final test in his teachings, she's told to be careful not to exert her power yet.
Of course she does it, and th...more
I normally love stories like this, and feel a little guilty for not liking "Island's End" more. It's a good, worthwhile tale with an admirable narrator. But somehow I felt a bit distant from it.
Part of it, of course, is that Venkatraman employs my least favorite voice in telling her story, namely, first-person present-tense. This pov can be compelling, but it's honestly very difficult to pull off. When the author doesn't pull it off, it is immediately distancing. That's why I wish it were less p...more
Part of it, of course, is that Venkatraman employs my least favorite voice in telling her story, namely, first-person present-tense. This pov can be compelling, but it's honestly very difficult to pull off. When the author doesn't pull it off, it is immediately distancing. That's why I wish it were less p...more
"Island's End" was a surprisingly good read. The book looks middle schoolish in size, cover, etc. However, the main character is fifteen years old and the material covered (the nature of the way in which we live, contemporary versus traditional ways, greed, spirituality versus what science can explain) certainly requires a mature reader. One of my book clubs is currently looking at twelve contenders for the major 2011 book awards - four potential Caldecott contenders, four potential Newbery cont...more
Uido has a vision of the strangers before they appear: magic men with boats that fly and strange sticks that cause fire. But Uido knows that these magic men could destroy the life she holds dear, the ways of the En-ge, people who have inhabited these islands for thousands of years. As an apprentice to the oko-jumu, spiritual leader of her tribe, she will have to figure out a way to protect her people, even as their magic entices more and more.
There's a good deal of adventure and I enjoyed learn...more
There's a good deal of adventure and I enjoyed learn...more
While I was in the process of reading Island's End, I wasn't really that thrilled by it. The plot moved so fast, I wished the author had added more details about the events that occur to help further flesh out both the characters and the overall feel of the culture. I didn't find the story particularly exciting, though it was interesting enough to keep from being boring. Some of the messages Venkatraman tries to get across, while good, came across as very blatant at times when more subtlety woul...more
This book is probably geared for the younger YA set, 7th - 9th grade, although the ages of the characters are never explicitly revealed in western terminology. At first, I was hesitant about this book since its written about and island culture from someone who is not of that culture. I feared that it would be an exoticized look at island life and a bemoaning of the loss of the old ways without really understanding them. I think, though, that by basing the book off of a tribe and using influences...more
This book is challenging to categorize. It has the feel of realistic fiction, yet the reality of Uido's world includes spirits (though this is no fantasy). Uido has always seen the spirits of her people in her dreams, though she has not let many know this. She is sent a warning about strangers coming to her island home. When they do arrive, some of the members of her tribe are seduced by the strangers gifts, matches for example, but Uido feels unsure. Lah-ame, the tribe's elder/shaman, declares...more
So many things to like about this book. It's about a contemporary hunter-gatherer society, and is based on actual tribes who live on islands off the coast of India. (The author is not an anthropologist, and did not set out to write an anthropological book, but she did spend a year living in somewhat close proximity to one of these tribes.)
Uido is chosen to be her tribes next oko-jumo, a leader and healer who communes with the gods. But various dangers confront the tribe, from the modern world a...more
Uido is chosen to be her tribes next oko-jumo, a leader and healer who communes with the gods. But various dangers confront the tribe, from the modern world a...more
The first half of this book dragged a bit, but about half-way through it got really interesting. It's a fiction book, based loosely on tribes in India who shun modern life. (In real life there are reservations set up for the tribes and although some of them do adopt modern ways, there are several who still live the way their people have always lived.) Uido has just been selected as the first female spiritual leader for her tribe. (Kind of the tribe's healer.) Her little brother gets sick and non...more
A tribe in India has preserved their ancient ways for centuries. The threat of modernism, however, pulls at their spiritual roots. Uido, a girl who dreams of the other world, is destined to become their new leader.
When a tsunami threatens the divided tribe, Uido must find it in herself to gain their trust and lead them away from danger.
Padma Venkatraman wrote this story after speaking with a tribe on an island who survived the December 2004 tsunami. It explores the precarious balance between t...more
When a tsunami threatens the divided tribe, Uido must find it in herself to gain their trust and lead them away from danger.
Padma Venkatraman wrote this story after speaking with a tribe on an island who survived the December 2004 tsunami. It explores the precarious balance between t...more
Pretty good book about an isolated island culture near India. The story centers on a female character, Udio, who is destine to become the tribe's spiritual leader. She is young and female which makes many of the tribe - including her own brother - reluctant to follow her guidance. The story follows Udio's struggles to become a good leader for her people in the face of the temptations of the "magic" from the modern world.
Padma Venkatraman was inspired to write this story after meeting natives who...more
Padma Venkatraman was inspired to write this story after meeting natives who...more
Quiet, but incredibly thought provoking. Books about tribal cultures have a habit of being exquisitely boring, focusing on daily life when, really, how many pages can you write about wandering around gathering nuts and hunting armadillos? But this books has a lot more going for it than just a long, gory look at pre-modern life.
First, this takes place on a contemporary tribal island, so there's an amazing juxtaposition between life on the island and life on the mainland. And rather than idealizin...more
First, this takes place on a contemporary tribal island, so there's an amazing juxtaposition between life on the island and life on the mainland. And rather than idealizin...more
This is fascinating YA fiction about a girl coming of age in a tribe of modern-day hunter-gatherers who live on a remote island in the Indian Ocean (the Andaman Islands, way off the coast of India). There is a lot going on in this story: spiritual development, the encroachment of modern cultures, sibling rivalry, and young love and sexual awakening (the latter handled pretty discreetly, so I'd say fine for 12+, or a bit younger if you don't mind your kid reading about teenagers in a relationship...more
I was beginning to think there weren't any categories that this book would neatly fit in to and really, it kind of doesn't. It is very different from other YA lit in that it sheds awareness about indigenous people, specifically off the coast of India who live in tribes that are closed from modern human contact. It is a stretch to think anyone can really write about what it's like, but Venkatraman does a fine job trying-- she also explains that she spent some time on one of these islands so she d...more
A remote island in the Bay of Bengal is the setting for this novel by the author of Climbing the Stairs. Uido is a teen who can communicate with spirits. Just before strangers arrive at their island, Uido dreams of it. The tribe has conflicted feelings about the strangers, some are drawn to the technology of their fast boats and matches, while others see the end of their ways if the new ways are adopted. During this confusing time, Uido studies to become her tribe’s spiritual leader. There is da...more
Island's End expanded my sense of the world and the collision between the culture that predominates and the culture that has remained more true to itself, the En-ge. Based upon actual her travels to the Andaman Islands, Padma Venkatraman has created a coming of age story set half a world away from mine in a culture that has not evolved into materialism of the present. When the two worlds meet there is the lure of magic (cars)and the potential loss of purity of the spiritual lives of the En-ge.
We don't often see novels, or for that matter, read stories in the newspaper about indigenous people, isolated from the progress of the contemporary world, living the way they have for the past thousand years, and yet there are examples of these people, seemingly untouched by modern society. How do those cultures survive, especially once they are exposed to modern technologies. Are the old ways and culture doomed? This is the question explore in Island's End. Fascinating!!
I would say, give this book a try. The writing was average at best, but I enjoyed learning about this culture, which is so removed from our modern American way. And it is interesting to read about a people who still live the way they did thousands of years ago on the Andaman Islands of India. There is surely some wisdom we can gain from them, and the author actually spent time in the jungle with such a tribe, as well as studying anthropology research.
I didn't expect to like this book-always dubious about interpreting indigenous ways when a cultural outsider ...but somehow Padnma V. manages to pull off a book which is both believable and compelling enough for its target audience-strong central girl character, just enough romance and with many different issues that are relevant yet not overwhelming for kids to read. Would suggest this to older middle school at earliest or young YA.
This book is appropriate for upper middle grade, young YA. Uido is a strong female lead, both innocent and wise in the ways of old magic. Padma V wove accurate examples of shamanism and energy medicine into a compelling plot centering around the coming of age of a young girl and a clash of cultures between that girl's tribe and modern encroachers.
An enjoyable book that looks at the struggles that a culture faces when the temptation and awe of modern technology and life are within reach. The main character finds herself trying to discover her voice among her people in an attempt to keep their way of life alive. The price for holding steadfast onto tradition could be her friends, family, and the very tribe she's fighting for.
I loved this novel. A great book to read with your YA reader or talk about later. My 12-year-old loved it too. It's a beautiful story, well told about a quickly-vanishing tribe some distance off the coast of India. The author's personal experiences on such an island give her insights into the characters and their way of life.
This book is really boring because it is really slow at the beginning, but near the end it gets a little bit faster. This book is about a girl that lives in panama on an island because her parents died and she needs to survive by herself. On the island that is were she can survive because no one else is there.
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I was really torn about this book. On the one hand, I enjoyed reading about this culture (representative of other cultures in the Andaman Island chain), on the other I felt that the author's purpose was too clearly evident, that Western ideas/culture were encroaching on these tribes and were Bad Bad Bad. Now, I'm not saying that I don't agree with the idea of letting these "untouched" peoples live their lives without modern day intrusions, but I thought the message could have been conveyed a lit...more
Ages 10+ (death. no language)
Island of the Blue Dolphins + Nation, contemporized. A touch of primitivism, but a well-done melding of a young tribeswoman's growing understanding of the importance of maintaining her traditions while under the encroachment of the modern world.
Island of the Blue Dolphins + Nation, contemporized. A touch of primitivism, but a well-done melding of a young tribeswoman's growing understanding of the importance of maintaining her traditions while under the encroachment of the modern world.
I liked the way Padma gave a very thorough description of the tribal way of living. I had also read about this mysterious Andaman tribe and kudos to Padma for creating this touching tale by meshing together the ancient and the current.
didn't realize this was a 'young adult' novel until I'd brought it home, but I really enjoyed it. Combined shamanistic spirit travelling with endangered languages and cultures, 2 greeat topics.
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Padma Venkatraman was born in Chennai, India. When she was young she took a liking toward mathematics, science, and literature. Because she loved numbers, and words, she decided to move to the U.S. and study oceanography.
Padma has had various jobs in oceanography from being the head chief and living in Germany, to a post doctoral researcher at the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins...more
More about Padma Venkatraman...
Padma has had various jobs in oceanography from being the head chief and living in Germany, to a post doctoral researcher at the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins...more
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