BOOK SUMMARY
Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl growing up in a small Nepali village. Growing up in this community, she has adapted to living her life in poverty. Lakshmi's stepfather has a crippled arm from breaking it as a child, this keeps him from working in a factory like the other men. He is ashamed of his disability, so he goes up the mountain every morning to gamble with the old men. Although he gambles away all of the family's money that they make on their rice paddy, Ama explains to her that she must respect and honor him because they are lucky to have a man at all. Men are valued much more than women in their culture, men are the ones who go out and work while the women stay home to tend the house, property and children.
After a monsoon ruins the family's rice paddy, Lashmi's stepfather tells her that she needs to go to work in the city. Lakshmi is very excited for this opportunity to help her family and send some extra money home, she knows that she can prove to be a hard worker. Lakshmi meets a strange woman in the tea shop that says she will take her to the city to find a job. She hands Lakshmi's stepfather 10,000 rupees and starts the journey. Soon Lakshmi finds that the city she dreams of is not the same as the place she is going. There are no roofs made of gold and there are homeless people scattered on the streets. When she finally arrives at her destination, she is not pleased to see all of the other girls in the house sleeping and watching the television. She soon comes to realize that she has not come to the city to be a housekeeper, but to be a prostitute in a brothel. Being raised in a village where modesty is required by every woman, she vows to get out this place as soon as she can. |
Author: Patricia McCormick
McCormick spent time in India and Nepal speaking to women that were in the sex trade and learning about their experience. She has written five critically acclaimed novels including I am Malala. |