Historical Fiction

Choice Book: Child of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanji

Summary

Child of Dandelions focues on an Indian family living in Uganda during the early 1970s, when all foreign Indians were to be "weeded out." The protagonist is a 15 year-old girl named Sabine, whose best friend, Zena, is African.  As the  discrimination against Indians worsens, so does the relationship between Sabine and Zena. Through these two characters the novel examines questions of race and class. Sabine begins to realize that African Ugandans have felt oppressed by her people. Sabine's father is a wealthy land-owner, and the family must decide if they should leave their home in Uganda because of the danger and discrimination East Indians face.

 

Indian Dancers by Tesoro and Congo Girl by Heather Loneil

A Fine Billy Goat Tour by Dotto and Childhood Nostalgia by Kirsty2715. 

I Dream of Africa by SkyoftheSky and Tata India by AeroChow.

Love is Metaphysical, by RaceyTay and Feathery Plumes No. 27 by GollyBard.

Noted Themes and Questions

The novel looks at race, class, and human rights issues.  On a really basic level, it explores how friendships change when people change.

Reflection
Like Maus, Child of Dandelions examines an historical issue through a very personal and emotional lens. I think this novel is valuable because it looks at an event that is often overlooked in history and in the classroom. While English teachers can only teach so much historical fiction and can't possibly cover every major event, I think it's important to sometimes select little-known periods of world history. It might even prompt students to think more deeply about which historical events are more widely studied and why this is the case.
Student Reaction
I think students would find the novel engaging and interesting. There are some suspenseful parts, which moves the narrative along. I think that it would provoke interesting class discussions. I also think that some of the experiences the protagonist has are universal enough to draw in most teen readers.
Grade
8th and up. The language is simple, but I think the older, more mature student might get more out of the novel. This isn't to say that middle school students wouldn't be able to get a lot out of it.


*For interested parties, the other book choices this week were Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, My Mother the Cheerleader by Robert Sharenow, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  People in class really seemed to love The Book Thief.  It's about World War II, but from the perspective of death personified.