ONE JUSTICE IS NOT ENOUGH||TheNerdCorner

I come from a country where after every five minutes, a woman is gang raped.

I come from a country where every minute, there is a strong sense of insecurity that remains embedded in our minds.

My heart feels so heavy as I write this because I’m afraid that women will never be respected.

I’m fourteen years old and I have already experienced the brutal stares of desperation from various men, I’ve teared up thousand times when the government didn’t take proper action and let go of the culprits of a rape case and I’ve already been touched by men in the places where they shouldn’t touch anybody without their consent.

I’ve always spoken out about it. I’ve never been silent.

But I feel helpless as I write this, because I know all the posts on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, spreading awareness about the rape incidents will disappear eventually.

I feel helpless because I know that this awareness is only momentary.

I feel helpless because I know that the government will take years to make a decision and that too will not be enough of a punishment for the rapists.

I feel helpless to be a woman in this country.

I feel helpless because being a woman in this country comes with collective challenges.

I don’t want to be a Bharat Mata, if girls around my age are getting raped in every nook and corner.

I am not your daughter if you always make me feel insecure about my surroundings, body and your mindset.

In the fourteen years of my life, I’ve never seen women not having insecurities about hanging out at night even if it’s for her work or a party.

I’ve never been so disappointed.

When I heard that a seven year old girl was raped in a temple by the priest and a policeman, I was crestfallen.

I thought that this country will get better but when I saw the government making statues and cleaning a river; I had lost hope.

Nobody wants to be this country’s daughter. I don’t and I’m certain that nobody else feels the same either.

What can the people do?

They will post about this same story and everybody will come out for a Candle March maybe?

Will that effect the government or even the rapist?

No.

Because the truth is, there will be a case filed, the media house will come up with a name just like they did for Jyoti Singh and after several years, the rapist will be set free.

We don’t know whether Jyoti Singh was a fearless person or not. You tagged her to be one.

Does it make you feel ashamed to even say her name now?

It does for most of the people. But you wouldn’t say the same for the rapists.

There are places where people still hold the belief that a woman is responsible for rape. There are girls and boys who are taught in their schools that rape happens because women “come out” on the roads and wear skirts, jeans and tops that attracts a man. People still belief that it’s not rape because the victim is the wife and the rapist is the husband. People have got to learn the basics things like human rights, consent and the fact that nobody can make decisions for somebody about their body.

It is the time again, when mothers would teach her daughters to not wear clothes that would “show off” her skin because that will attract a man and that’s her fault right? A mother will teach her daughter to not hang out late at night and set a curfew. But shouldn’t this be the time when mothers and fathers teach their sons to not touch a woman without her consent? Shouldn’t this be the time when men are taught to treat a woman like a human and not like his sister, daughter, wife or mother? Shouldn’t this be the time when Sex Education actually becomes a subject in each and every school?

I know not all men are like that. I’ve met some amazing men in my life who have a lot of respect for women. But what’s the point if nothing could be done? Can you stop this?

None of us can.

If the government can’t take it’s time off from cleaning the river and promoting it’s own party in a “non-political” interview just before elections then at least, Pepper Spray should be provided in each and every public area.

If you can’t do anything, please let us do something.

Instead of making so many statements and talking about your disappointment, women should carry pepper spray and knife (because you have to protect yourself), if a man gives you desperate stares and all that, kick at his balls and do that with brute force.

Stop expecting that this country will change. The people of this country are hopeless. Only you can save yourself now.

And once we all start doing that then this rate will decrease. We have to engross that fear in the minds of those perverts. And that is how we can change it.

I am well aware that this article will be lost too, nobody will pay any heed, people will say some things like “men will be men” and whatnot. Women will be restricted from wearing certain clothes again, they will be told to cover their body because in India, if a woman is getting sexually harassed then it’s her fault right?

I know that times have changed. But they’ve become more dangerous. I’ve seen the changes. When I was four years old, my mom taught me to not take a candy from a stranger because that person might abduct me and demand for money but nowadays, mothers taught their four year old daughters to not take a candy from a stranger because that person might sexually harass her and leave her body burned and impossible to detect.

I know that my words will not reach everyone and maybe this will not affect anyone as well. But I want people to take action.

I’m a fourteen year old girl living in this country and I feel unprotected, insecure, helpless and powerless and I can’t stand it anymore.

If we can’t convince the government to pass a law regarding the killing of rapists then we’ve failed as humans.

We have to be the change.

Because one justice is not enough.

BOOK REVIEW||A Thousand Splendid Suns||TheNerdCorner

One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs,
Or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.

Listen

You need to read this book

You understand me? You NEED to.

You know when somethings are just beautiful and there’s no other way to describe it?

When all the big words fail to explain the sensation you feel right at that moment, when you love something despite knowing all their flaws, problems and issues?

This is that book.

Flawed but beautiful.

And this beauty cannot be scripted, it is only felt.

The story is about the two protagonists; Mariam and Laila.

Set in Afghanistan from 1960s through the 2000s, we get to know a lot about the environment, the mindset, the people, culture and of course the Soviet Afghan War.

Now, there are things that will disturb you okay? There are plenty.

I mean you’ll read Khaled’s cantankerous uncouth character Rasheed whose demeanour is enough to leave you mildly depressed and staggered (I mean, why need mean girls when you have him? Only he’s a million times more cruel) So don’t say that I didn’t warn you.

Rasheed was so disturbing that my brain couldn’t grasp the amount of time he spent only to torment Mariam’s life, pass judgements and make her life choices.

There are some issues that your 21st Century mindset wouldn’t be able to comprehend or handle but you shouldn’t forget that this story is based back in the 1900s.

Learn this now and learn it well. Like a compass facing north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that, Mariam.

-Nana

There are four parts in the story.

The first part is about Mariam’s life, the injustice that happened in her life still aches my heart.

Imagine someone else making decisions for you in your life, would you like to live that way?

Imagine getting forcefully married to somebody who is almost twenty five years older than you, abusive and dominating, would you like to live that way? But Mariam was forced to. In her life, she wasn’t the one who made decisions. At first it was her mother then her father and then her brooding evil husband. The only decision that she ever made in her life is perhaps the best part in the story (I so badly want tell you the reason but I can’t)

In the next part, we get to know about Laila’s upbringing.

Laila, beautiful and loving, is the only daughter to her parents. She has two brothers who join the military in the Soviet Afghan War.

What I really loved about Laila’s proverb was her relationship with her father whom she called Babi.

And of course, how can I ever forget Tariq? Everything about him is so very charming. I love him so much.

He’s somebody who said this and completely totally made me fall in love with him

I will follow you to the ends of the world

Now don’t blame a reader for falling in love with a fictional character ☺

Now keeping all my fan girly-ness aside, let’s get back to the story.

There’s a chain of events in the second part. We get to know about Laila’s early lifestyle and how it drastically changes when she gets married.

In the third part, we get to know more about the war. It is explained with more details, more reference and I know that you’ll love it. You’ll also get to know more about the Soviet Afghan War and how people left their home to survive the catastrophe.

In the fourth part, we get to see the older versions of all the characters and how the story ends. What happens in Laila’s life and what happens in Mariam’s life and the others.

I so badly want to narrate the whole story (and I meant it, I’m literally giggling out of excitement right now) but it would spoil the fun. Because throughout the book, I had different reactions (and this time it’s not only because I’m such a dramatic wreck). I would LOVE to explain but it will ruin all the suspense. So read the book okay?

There is one thing that I think could’ve been more precisely explained and it is death.Because that’s what we (at least I) think should be more explained in a historic fiction. Sometimes it felt a little bit rushed. But if that’s only me then that’s fine as well.

The best thing about this book?

It is the pain, the hate, the love, the suffering and everything that is in it. The mysteries that unravel, the questions that are answered after such a long time, the love that is felt and given and the smiling faces with hope in their eyes after all the suffering and remorse.

I’m blessed that I got the chance to read this book. I hope that I get more recommendations!

Now WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Grab the book from the library or bookstore and read it!

BOOK REVIEW||Blackbird||TheNerdCorner

Have you ever been in a reading slump?

Trust me, it’s tough

I wasn’t able to read any book for almost two months, no matter how hard I tried.

I found myself losing interest in almost every genre.

I wasn’t even able to read my favourite book The False Prince by Jennifer A Nielsen and those who know me, knows that I LOVE that book.

But then, I found this book’s PDF file stacked in the documents in my phone and I was like why not try this one?

I found myself vaguely interested in this book from the first line and then my attention slowly increased and then I was addicted.

I guess you can’t blame a reader for that 🤗

It surprised me how this contemporary made my slump go away when a fantasy could not.

But then at the same time:

Of course, of course.

Being named after a fruit, Apple Yengko is so much more than just an ordinary fictional character. She is someone who is having a mid-life crisis to figure out who she is and how she wants to show herself to the world.

We all know middle school sucks and so does high school (now I know because I’m a freshman. Rest of the torture is yet to come!). It’s never about studies; it’s basically how you portray yourself to everyone else around you. Some things are just “assumed” by everyone else. Even if, in India this doesn’t happen that often but in other countries, it really becomes a bane for your existence.

The school is divided into various classes; the popular ones (these are the ones with whom everybody wants to be friends with), the freak ones (these are the ones who are always kind of out of the picture) , the jocks (these are the ones who seemingly don’t have much brains) and the list never ends. This distinction becomes so important by the students that you just have to fit into one of these classes otherwise you’re tagged as an outcast.

Analyn Yengko (mostly called Apple Yengko) is a Filipino who migrated to the USA at a very young age. The story begins when she gets invited by her friend Alyssa to her house. The boys start to call her Chinese and tell everyone that she eats dogs for dinner. Apple gets hurt by these false statements, she tells them that she doesn’t eat dogs and also that she isn’t Chinese

Then one of the boy gives this one racist statement that makes me more interested to read this book to know what happens

“Whatever. All Asians look the same”

Apple is an aspiring musician. She loves The Beatles, her favorite member is George Harrison and her favorite song is Blackbird.

She was never able to relate to her Filipino roots and she rarely spoke her native language.

She came to America when she was four years old; after her father died. Her mother said that they will have a better life in the USA.

But she never understood how

A famous songwriter needs a
guitar. It’s a necessity. George Harrison had one. Paul Simon, Norah Jones—
they all have guitars.

– Apple

But her mother didn’t even buy her the cheapest guitar even when she desperately wanted to, she always wanted her to get good grades because music will not take Apple anywhere.

But Apple never believed those words.

Every year, the boys in her school would make a list of the ugliest girls, called the Dog Log. Apple was anxious to know whether she was in it or not. Unfortunately she was in that list, in fact she was in the third number.

What I really love about this book is that it highlights the reality. The author talks about the savage sassy students who torment the lives of those students who are a little different.

There was the Dog Log list; where students were judged other student’s looks (mostly girls). They were teased by everyone else by their ranking and the fact that it was shown and regarded a wrong thing to do made this book really authentic.

Then there was the teenage drama (which most adults love to see) but this time it was quite intense. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the cliche “first love heartbreak” that we get to see in most middle/ high school story (and more often if you happen to be a Disney fan; we just always unconsciously wait for that drama to take place). It was about the popularity fame. Soon Apple’s friends leave her and become rude to her because she happens to be in the third number in the Dog Log. Her relationship with her mother was also faltering. Overall, her life at school and home was a mess.

Apple tries to become Analyn; a popular girl with whom everyone wants to be friends with, who has several friends and many boyfriends, who knows fashion and makeup but all of it was in vain because that Analyn will not be her.

Apple becomes lonely when everyone leaves her. Then she meets a new boy; Evan Temple. Apple and Evan become good friends; they both are different and they cannot fit in.

The friendship of Evan and Apple is super solid, it is something that I LOVED about this book.

Both of them are considered weirdos and both of them don’t care.

Evan and Apple then befriends Heleena (who happens to be the first person in the Dog Log ). Trust me, you’ll fall in love with this trio. You’ll giggle and chuckle with them when they break rules and live their own way.

Heleena is taunted with the name Bigleena and so much more. She’s always seen alone with no friends to hang out with. It makes Apple sad because back when Apple was friends with Alyssa, she used to laugh at Heleena.

But Apple and Heleena continue to stay the way they are despite all these issues.

So what are you waiting for?

Grab the book (or perhaps the PDF file if you can’t find it anywhere) because this book WILL NOT disappoint you and trust me, it will challenge you as a person.

Overall, it’s a very good book. You’ll love the story, you’ll love the characters; especially Apple and Evan and I highly recommend this to every reader.

Happy reading everyone!

BOOK REVIEW||Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief||TheNerdCorner

If you haven’t read Percy Jackson yet, I don’t understand you.

I first read Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief when I was ten years old. I remember my sister passing me her miniature phone, slightly nudging me to read the words written on the screen.

I also remember not being able to comprehend anything

Honestly, I wasn’t surprised.

Not even a slightest

As I shamelessly kept on reading the book from the beginning every year, I began to understand the twisted minds of the characters, the sardonic Mr.D, the typical middle grade jokes and the story narrated by our infamous protagonist, Percy Jackson. And every time, I was astonished by the ending (partly because I was plainly fascinated and partly because I’m such a dramatic wreck)

Percy Jackson is just like any ordinary kid. He plays the basketball, does skateboarding, have friends and possesses the mutual aversion for school.

Yeah, extremely normal.

However, his past isn’t a common one like us mortals.

Of course his mom, Sally Jackson is a mortal but it isn’t the same for his dad.

Percy soon finds himself in the midst of strangers in Camp Half Blood in Long Island, NY.

He later finds out that his father is the Greek Sea God and he is a demigod (naah, this ain’t a spoiler)

Zues is a mad God. Moreover, he loves to blame people for no reason whatsoever. And when his lightening bolt vanishes from his room, he instantly blames Percy

Zues in the corner be like: Aha Perseus Jackson! I got you!

(For those of you who utterly lack the knowledge of Greek Mythology, Zeus and Poseidon hate each other even if they’re brothers)

Percy gets blamed for stealing the lightening bolt faster than a five year old kid getting attracted by a chocolate bar in a candy store.

Percy sets off to a quest to save his mother and also to clear his name with his friends Annabeth and Grover.

In his quest, he goes to west and meets Snake head Medusa and other creepy demons.

The good things about this book?

1.It has an amazing starting

“Look, I didn’t want to be a half blood.
If you’re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth and try to lead a normal life. Being a half blood is dangerous. It’s scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways. If you’re a normal kid, reading this because its fiction. Great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.
But if you recognize yourself in these pages—if you feel something stirring inside—stop reading immediately. You might be one of us and once you know that, it’ll only be a matter of time before they sense it too and they’ll come for you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

And I didn’t open the book and wrote the lines. I have it memorised (*gives a slow clap to herself for ardent dedication )

You wouldn’t want to refuse a book with an opening like that.

Trust me, you wouldn’t.

2. Uncle Rick made flawed characters.

The characters are not good at everything, they try their best but they’re not always such perfectionists. They are not always glorified, neither they have exaggerating stories about themselves. That makes them real

3. Every character is given a bold voice and a strong background. The story doesn’t evolve just around Percy; it also untangles the mysteries of the other characters. As you continue to read the other books in the pantology, you’ll understand each character more better.

4. It is relatable and hilarious

Once you understand this book (which I assume you will because not everyone is dumb as I am) you’ll laugh at everything. Even when the characters are being dead serious. You’ll just laugh. That’s the power of Rick Riordan, he always manages to be hilarious and sarcastic.

There are maybe a thousand more reasons why people adore the Percy Jackson Series but the simple answer is this: I love Percy Jackson Series because I just do.

Every character is beautiful in their own way. They are flawed. They make mistakes. They heal. And that is the reason why it is so real and relatable.

It always highlights the real instances of life. Percy has ADHD and dyslexia, so you can already picture his situation in school.

We all know how tough school can be.

There’s competition for everything. Most of the time, kids bully each other to get their own way and if you’re blessed with unfortunate luck, you’ll get victimized for little things.

Everything is beautiful in this book.

At least for me.

It is the book that transported me to the fictional world and now I can’t help being different and more like the characters.

And if you still don’t bat an eye to the absolutely gorgeous edition, I’ll consider you more nuts than Zues