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Leaving Yuba City: Poems
Like Divakaruni's much-loved and bestselling short story collection Arranged Marriage, this collection of poetry deals with India and the Indian experience in America, from the adventures of going to a convent school in India run by Irish nuns (Growing up in Darjeeling) to the history of the earliest Indian immigrants in the U.S. (Yuba City Poems).Groups of interlinked poems divided into six sections are peopled by many of the same characters and explore varying themes. Here, Divakaruni is particularly interested in how different art forms can influence and inspire each other. One section, entitled Indian Miniatures, is based on and named after a series of paintings by Francesco Clemente. Another, called Moving Pictures, is based on Indian films, including Mira Nair's "Salaam Bombay" and Satyajit Ray's "Ghare Baire." Photographs by Raghubir Singh inspired the section entitled Rajasthani. The trials and tribulations of growing up and immigration are also considered here and, as with all of Divakaruni's writing, these poems deal with the experience of women and their struggle to find identities for themselves.
This collection is touched with the same magic and universal appeal that excited readers of "Arranged Marriage." In "Leaving Yuba City," Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni proves once again her remarkable literary talents.
This collection is touched with the same magic and universal appeal that excited readers of "Arranged Marriage." In "Leaving Yuba City," Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni proves once again her remarkable literary talents.
Hardcover
First published July 14, 1997
About the author
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
65 books7,184 followersChitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning author and poet. Her themes include the Indian experience, contemporary America, women, immigration, history, myth, and the joys and challenges of living in a multicultural world. Her work is widely known, as she has been published in over 50 magazines, including the Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and her writing has been included in over 50 anthologies. Her works have been translated into 29 languages, including Dutch, Hebrew, Hindi and Japanese. Divakaruni also writes for children and young adults.Her novels One Amazing Thing, Oleander Girl, Sister of My Heart and Palace of Illusions are currently in the process of being made into movies. http://www.chitradivakaruni.com/books.... Her newest novel is Before We Visit the Goddess (about 3 generations of women-- grandmother, mother and daughter-- who each examine the question "what does it mean to be a successful woman.") Simon & Schuster.
She was born in India and lived there until 1976, at which point she left Calcutta and came to the United States. She continued her education in the field of English by receiving a Master’s degree from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
To earn money for her education, she held many odd jobs, including babysitting, selling merchandise in an Indian boutique, slicing bread in a bakery, and washing instruments in a science lab. At Berkeley, she lived in the International House and worked in the dining hall. She briefly lived in Illinois and Ohio, but has spent much of her life in Northern California, which she often writes about. She now lives in Texas, which has found its way into her upcoming book, Before We Visit the Goddess.
Chitra currently teaches in the nationally ranked Creative Writing program at the Univ. of Houston. She serves on the Advisory board of Maitri in the San Francisco Bay Area and Daya in Houston. Both these are organizations that help South Asian or South Asian American women who find themselves in abusive or domestic violence situations. She is also closely involved with Pratham, an organization that helps educate children (especially those living in urban slums) in India.
She has judged several prestigious awards, such as the National Book Award and the PEN Faulkner Award.
Two of her books, The Mistress of Spices and Sister of My Heart, have been made into movies by filmmakers Gurinder Chadha and Paul Berges (an English film) and Suhasini Mani Ratnam (a Tamil TV serial) respectively. Her novels One Amazing Thing and Palace of Illusions have currently been optioned for movies. Her book Arranged Marriage has been made into a play and performed in the U.S. and (upcoming, May) in Canada. River of Light, an opera about an Indian woman in a bi-cultural marriage, for which she wrote the libretto, has been performed in Texas and California.
She lives in Houston with her husband Murthy. She has two sons, Anand and Abhay (whose names she has used in her children’s novels).
Chitra loves to connect with readers on her Facebook author page, www.facebook.com/chitradivakaruni, and on Twitter, @cdivakaruni.
For more information about her books, please visit http://www.chitradivakaruni.com/, where you can also sign up for her newsletter.
She was born in India and lived there until 1976, at which point she left Calcutta and came to the United States. She continued her education in the field of English by receiving a Master’s degree from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
To earn money for her education, she held many odd jobs, including babysitting, selling merchandise in an Indian boutique, slicing bread in a bakery, and washing instruments in a science lab. At Berkeley, she lived in the International House and worked in the dining hall. She briefly lived in Illinois and Ohio, but has spent much of her life in Northern California, which she often writes about. She now lives in Texas, which has found its way into her upcoming book, Before We Visit the Goddess.
Chitra currently teaches in the nationally ranked Creative Writing program at the Univ. of Houston. She serves on the Advisory board of Maitri in the San Francisco Bay Area and Daya in Houston. Both these are organizations that help South Asian or South Asian American women who find themselves in abusive or domestic violence situations. She is also closely involved with Pratham, an organization that helps educate children (especially those living in urban slums) in India.
She has judged several prestigious awards, such as the National Book Award and the PEN Faulkner Award.
Two of her books, The Mistress of Spices and Sister of My Heart, have been made into movies by filmmakers Gurinder Chadha and Paul Berges (an English film) and Suhasini Mani Ratnam (a Tamil TV serial) respectively. Her novels One Amazing Thing and Palace of Illusions have currently been optioned for movies. Her book Arranged Marriage has been made into a play and performed in the U.S. and (upcoming, May) in Canada. River of Light, an opera about an Indian woman in a bi-cultural marriage, for which she wrote the libretto, has been performed in Texas and California.
She lives in Houston with her husband Murthy. She has two sons, Anand and Abhay (whose names she has used in her children’s novels).
Chitra loves to connect with readers on her Facebook author page, www.facebook.com/chitradivakaruni, and on Twitter, @cdivakaruni.
For more information about her books, please visit http://www.chitradivakaruni.com/, where you can also sign up for her newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 18, 2023
I had a lot of trouble sleeping this week. Steve's death and my brother's birthday hit me harder than I would have expected. This book became my night companion. I read the poems over and over, like litanies. They achieve a special kind of balance: two parts deliberate mystery to two parts accessible miracle. They are narrative without being dominated by plot, imagist without telling me what to see. They are political and personal and private and public. Everything making its way toward balance. What a tremendous gift.
The thing I loved most about these poems were the final lines of pretty much every single one. They resolve and liberate and unbind, but not in any kind of didactic way. Instead, they go toward the spirit - of an image, a word, a cry of the body, a holler of grief, a surrender.
The thing I loved most about these poems were the final lines of pretty much every single one. They resolve and liberate and unbind, but not in any kind of didactic way. Instead, they go toward the spirit - of an image, a word, a cry of the body, a holler of grief, a surrender.
July 17, 2021
Divakaruni writes like dreams, the imagery dense and beautiful and contained within poetry that seamlessly flows into prose and back again.
September 18, 2025
I first fell in love with Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni when I read her book, Sister of My Heart. I loved the story, and I loved the author's magical use of language. This book of poetry tells of the Indian experience and of an Indian's assimilation into American culture, a culture not always welcoming to an immigrant. The language here is magical but I'm a lover of Divakaruni's prose more than her poetry, and so my favorites in this collection were the prose poems: "The Lost Love Words," "The Drive," "The Tourists," "Termini," and "Yuba City Wedding." These are the strengths of the collection, in my view.
I was lucky enough to attend a book reading by the author, so I'm happy to have a signed copy of this book.
I was lucky enough to attend a book reading by the author, so I'm happy to have a signed copy of this book.
October 6, 2019
What an odd year I’m having - this is my 3rd poetry book! I learned thru these poems that Yuba City - my mother’s home town (go Honkers) - was founded in 1910 by Sikh farmers. And that immigration laws made it impossible for the men to bring their spouses over for decades. Not all poems were about Yuba City.
July 13, 2025
Excellent collection of poetry containing these little themed chapters; loved these poems, powerful, incredible imagery.
April 12, 2016
As a collection, not quite cohesive. But some of the writing is astounding.
Divakaruni is best known for her fiction. This book collects (it seems) all of her poems, grouped under five titles, with interpolations.
The poems here are not formally innovative. She uses blank verse, and the difference between some of the poems and, say, a vignette, is hard to see. Which doesn't mean the writing isn't excellent. It is. In addition to blank verse, Divakaruni uses plain language (Hindi and English), which stands in contrast to the intense emotions of some of the poems, heightening their impact. She wants to to be understood, and the poems include footnotes for unfamiliar terms and to give context. Her enjambment, though, is (literally) revelatory, sparking extra meaning out of the poems.
The real division between the book, though, isn't in the categories used to group the poems, but int he poems themselves: there are two types, as I see it. The first reads as autobiographical--even if it is not--and historical, detailing the pains of an Indian woman growing up estranged from her own family--in one series, the father rapes the mother and daughter and leaves, and the mother kills herself, ashamed--and culture--another series is about an Indian girl, an orphan, going to Catholic school. She is cut off from the (potentially) nourishing roots of her own culture, and despised for her looks.
The displacement continues in another series of poems about an Indian woman's unhappy marriage, and the miscarriage that helps to drive a wedge between the husband and wife. At the end of the book, in a section that gives the collection its title, Divakaruni continues her investigation of dislocation, but switches it around, looking at Yuba City, in northern California, which was founded by Punjab farmers who had helped to build the transcontinental railroad. Laws made it illegal for them to own land or for women from India to immigrate, meaning many of the men were unmarried, and others went against custom and married Hispanic women.
The second set of poems are inspired by paintings and movies (none of which are included here). These deal with dislocation, too--but also force a kind of dislocation on the reader. While the narrative centers of her other poems feel lived and real, these are known to be based on fictional creations which most readers won't even have seen. It's odd and not at all affecting--just the opposite. They fit awkwardly with the other poems, even if some of the same themes recur, because they seem so distant, and so intellectualized.
Maybe others can take something from these. Either way, seek out the rest of the poems, because they are vital, well-crafted, and authentic.
Divakaruni is best known for her fiction. This book collects (it seems) all of her poems, grouped under five titles, with interpolations.
The poems here are not formally innovative. She uses blank verse, and the difference between some of the poems and, say, a vignette, is hard to see. Which doesn't mean the writing isn't excellent. It is. In addition to blank verse, Divakaruni uses plain language (Hindi and English), which stands in contrast to the intense emotions of some of the poems, heightening their impact. She wants to to be understood, and the poems include footnotes for unfamiliar terms and to give context. Her enjambment, though, is (literally) revelatory, sparking extra meaning out of the poems.
The real division between the book, though, isn't in the categories used to group the poems, but int he poems themselves: there are two types, as I see it. The first reads as autobiographical--even if it is not--and historical, detailing the pains of an Indian woman growing up estranged from her own family--in one series, the father rapes the mother and daughter and leaves, and the mother kills herself, ashamed--and culture--another series is about an Indian girl, an orphan, going to Catholic school. She is cut off from the (potentially) nourishing roots of her own culture, and despised for her looks.
The displacement continues in another series of poems about an Indian woman's unhappy marriage, and the miscarriage that helps to drive a wedge between the husband and wife. At the end of the book, in a section that gives the collection its title, Divakaruni continues her investigation of dislocation, but switches it around, looking at Yuba City, in northern California, which was founded by Punjab farmers who had helped to build the transcontinental railroad. Laws made it illegal for them to own land or for women from India to immigrate, meaning many of the men were unmarried, and others went against custom and married Hispanic women.
The second set of poems are inspired by paintings and movies (none of which are included here). These deal with dislocation, too--but also force a kind of dislocation on the reader. While the narrative centers of her other poems feel lived and real, these are known to be based on fictional creations which most readers won't even have seen. It's odd and not at all affecting--just the opposite. They fit awkwardly with the other poems, even if some of the same themes recur, because they seem so distant, and so intellectualized.
Maybe others can take something from these. Either way, seek out the rest of the poems, because they are vital, well-crafted, and authentic.
April 9, 2023
If not for KEIC's fabulous collection, I wouldn't have known that Divakaruni wrote poetry, and that too poetry that won her the Ginsberg prize.
Every line is visceral when she unravels her murky past, veiled in the innocence of her younger self. It's inviting, but macabre. It's fascinating to read between the lines and every reading ended up leading me to vividly distinct places.
In a fascinating series, Divakaruni uses miniature paintings as inspiration. Anything that breaks form has my heart and the translation of a work of art into an entirely different form of art bowled me over with its uniqueness and sheer mastery.
The standalone poems range across subjects, some are scathing social criticisms, some are poignant observations. What's common is the ability of each verse to envelope the reader in the tantalizing world that she creates. Having a soft corner for works that delve into darker themes, it was a delight to come across these.
I've always read individual poems and this is perhaps the first book of poetry that I picked up. I'm glad because it's meant to be read in it's entirety and reread because there isn't a single page that doesn't make you marvel at its profundity.
PS: Storm at Point Sur was my favourite poem
Every line is visceral when she unravels her murky past, veiled in the innocence of her younger self. It's inviting, but macabre. It's fascinating to read between the lines and every reading ended up leading me to vividly distinct places.
In a fascinating series, Divakaruni uses miniature paintings as inspiration. Anything that breaks form has my heart and the translation of a work of art into an entirely different form of art bowled me over with its uniqueness and sheer mastery.
The standalone poems range across subjects, some are scathing social criticisms, some are poignant observations. What's common is the ability of each verse to envelope the reader in the tantalizing world that she creates. Having a soft corner for works that delve into darker themes, it was a delight to come across these.
I've always read individual poems and this is perhaps the first book of poetry that I picked up. I'm glad because it's meant to be read in it's entirety and reread because there isn't a single page that doesn't make you marvel at its profundity.
PS: Storm at Point Sur was my favourite poem
January 9, 2012
Buku puisi ini terdiri dari 6 bagian besar di mana di setiap bagiannya secara garis besar menceritakan tentang keindahan India, kehidupan masyarakat India, kebudayaan India juga para imigran India.
Bagian mengenai film-film India juga menarik, saya jadi seperti menonton Film India lengkap dengan berbagai ciri khasnya.
Bagian mengenai kehidupan Imigran India sukses buat saya jadi merasa prihatin dengan kehidupan mereka saat di awal kedatangan ke Amerika.
Melalui buku puisi ini, Divakaruni tetap menunjukkan bagaimana kehidupan para perempuan India dan bagaimana mereka mencari jati diri mereka.
Bagian mengenai film-film India juga menarik, saya jadi seperti menonton Film India lengkap dengan berbagai ciri khasnya.
Bagian mengenai kehidupan Imigran India sukses buat saya jadi merasa prihatin dengan kehidupan mereka saat di awal kedatangan ke Amerika.
Melalui buku puisi ini, Divakaruni tetap menunjukkan bagaimana kehidupan para perempuan India dan bagaimana mereka mencari jati diri mereka.
April 20, 2009
I THINK IT'S ONE OF DIVAKARUNI'S STRONGEST WORKS
India-born Chitra Divakaruni is one of my favorites. She holds a Ph.D. in Literature from UC Berkeley and teaches at Foothill College on the San Francisco Peninsula. She's won both Allen Ginsberg and Pushcart Prizes for poetry. This is my favorite of her works, a book of award winning poetry about the experience of Indians coming to the United States. Beautiful, powerful work illuminating a population I knew little about.
India-born Chitra Divakaruni is one of my favorites. She holds a Ph.D. in Literature from UC Berkeley and teaches at Foothill College on the San Francisco Peninsula. She's won both Allen Ginsberg and Pushcart Prizes for poetry. This is my favorite of her works, a book of award winning poetry about the experience of Indians coming to the United States. Beautiful, powerful work illuminating a population I knew little about.
March 24, 2014
This is the first of her poetry I have read and I really really think she is a great literary talent--her poetry like her books (I've only read 3 so far) has well developed characters that stay with you long after you close the book. A few of my favorites in this collection that really sang out to me are "Cutting the Sun", "The Babies II", "Termini", and "Leaving Yuba city".
I hope to read everything Chitra Divakaruni has written.
Really I would rate this poetry collection 4.5 stars!
I hope to read everything Chitra Divakaruni has written.
Really I would rate this poetry collection 4.5 stars!
February 19, 2012
There were a few poems that I enjoyed, but I was mostly confused, because the point of view kept switching, and I never knew who she was talking about. I had gotten the book because had poems about Yuba City, which was odd, but there was very few of them, and they weren't particularly specific, they could have been about anything. So...it was ok.
August 2, 2007
oh god. i read these poems and was inundated: pounded red chilies, a mother's embrace, a nun's rancor, broken windows. the images stayed with me, carrying each other on their backs from poem to poem.
wishlist
September 15, 2011Hadeuh, cari di mana ni buku?
February 18, 2016
Absolutely beautiful. Each powerful poem is an engrossing tale.
September 15, 2016
Finally done with this after working on it for months and months. Very lovely; very angry. Will definitely be reading more of her work if possible.
December 30, 2016
as a previous reviewer stated, this is not the most cohesive work - but it still is rather beautiful
standouts for me: the nishi, the lost love words
standouts for me: the nishi, the lost love words
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews