Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir of Surviving India's Caste System

by Yashica Dutt

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Social Justice, Race, Asia, Feminism

264 pages, Paperback

Published April 8, 2025

Reviews

[Brandon Frazer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite my interest and curiosity in its topic, I, unfortunately, had a really hard time getting through this book. I picked it up not too long after having read Isabel Wilkerson’s “Caste” as a way to learn more about the caste system in India. I was gravitated toward this book’s misleading description as a memoir of Yashica Dutt’s life as a self-“outed” Dalit woman; some chapters do read more as a memoir (as advertised), however, the majority of the chapters in the book read as a research report. This research-style telling of the Dalit narrative could be interesting, however, this is not an introductory, nor even an intermediate look into India’s caste system. This text requires a wealth of knowledge about Indian geography and politics, which oftentimes shows up as a large number of unexplained and consistently used acronyms and figures. I do see a lot of potential for this book being used as a basis for continued research, however, I wouldn’t advise casually diving in for a self-study of this topic.

[Rosalind · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is such an informative book. Most of us here in the US don't know a lot about India. We've heard of Gandhi and Nehru, Indira Gandhi and may know there is a caste system as well as a tech economy. Dutt lets us know how much more there is to it. Along with her own personal story, one of family struggle and hiding her lower caste status, she examines the history of the movement for Dalit rights in various arenas. Each section is filled with detailed factual backup, whether in regard to education, work, civil rights, social interactions, feminist issues, etc. Of particular interest to me was the important role played by Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar. He is the father of the struggle for Dalit liberation and equal rights. He essentially wrote the Constitution for the newly independent state of India. He was Dalit, educated at Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He eventually rejected Hinduism to become a Buddhist, and was often at odds with Gandhi. Also of interest was the continued role of caste in the South Asian community here in the US, particular in Silicon Valley. The urge to protect caste privilege and the long struggle for equal rights for the lower castes matches the resistance to Black advances and demands for reform in the US..

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book. I disagree with a lot of the reviewers stating that Indian-specific terms weren't well-defined enough- although Ms. Dutt doesn't stop the narrative cold and explain every acronym and every term, she does provide enough information for an American reader to ascertain what certain vital elements are. That aside, the book is well-paced, balances some really wild personal anecdotes with the statistics and research to back them up and provide context, and provides a really robust look at the various ways that caste impacts people both in India and abroad in a way that's well-organized, flows nicely, and concludes strongly. My only critique is that Ms. Dutt restates certain ideas a few times too many and can hover on certain ideas for what feels like too long, clearly an artifact from a few chapters being written and added into the updated version after the fact, but other than that, I really enjoyed this book!

[Kathleen W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know a little about Caste in India and thought it would be good to learn more about how it affected people from India, even in other places. This book is loaded with all the ways it affected the author Yashica Dutt and her family and community. Women are treated very badly and the lower the cast the higher risk of violence. It is extremely difficult to earn enough to care for their families.

I give this book *** because it became very repetitive and the same info was given time after time. It might have been a better book if they hadn't done that.

[Anjula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up in the U.S., I was aware of caste, but didn't realize the true damage it has caused historically. Coming Out as Dalit was truly eye opening. The parallels of the Dalit experience with the African Americans are glaringly obvious. I will never understand the need to shove someone else down to "elevate" yourself.

Two gripes: others have mentioned the first as well, that book was only partly a memoir and more a lesson in Dalit history. The second is because I listened to the audiobook. The narrator had a lovely voice but butchered pretty much every non-English word.

[Stuti · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book has less to do with Yashica's life and a lot more to do with the context of Dalit history, particularly Dalit resistance in India. That too, with broad brushstrokes. Which might mean that her audience is perhaps the West. She rarely speaks to other Dalit women (or men). I would have really liked to have insights into her thoughts and feelings about her journey so far. And perhaps, her quotidian life.

[Andrea Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot, but this is not really intended for U.S. audiences, so it was a bit of a slog to get through sometimes, and I came away from it realizing there are some things I just won't ever understand. Fans of Caste will like this. If you work/live/play with people from India, this may be a good read for you.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know enough about this, but this personal memoir about what it is really like to grow up as Dalit in India is very detailed (at times, maybe too detailed for the casual reader) and incredibly fascinating.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such an important topic - I learned a great deal about caste prejudice and was especially interested to read how rampant it is here in the US, especially in the tech community. The book was heavy on research and light on memoir, which made it less digestible.

[Morgan Trinity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! This is both a memoir and an introduction to caste. Coming from someone who knew very little about caste prior, this book was super informative and accessible, highly recommend! I hope Dutt writes more books, as I think she does well in this longer form of writing.

[Jessica Zu · Rating 5 out of 5]

check out her statistics, even if you doubt her narratives ... heart broken suffering still ongoing and we are all implicated in it if we don't keep on fighting

[Manuel Colón · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure when/how this book came into my radar since it's a topic I'm not familiar with. But, appreciated learning something new.