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Chargement... On the Outside Looking Indian: How My Second Childhood Changed My Lifepar Rupinder Gill
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"There's a phenomenon in Amish culture called Rumspringa, where Amish adolescents are permitted to break free from their modest and traditional lifestyles to indulge in normally taboo activities. They dress how they want, go out if and when they please, smoke, drink and generally party like it's 1899. At the end they decide if they will return and join the Amish church. "I am 30 years old. I wore my hair in two braids every day until I was 12. I dressed more conservatively than most Amish, barely left my house until I was 18 and spent the last 12 years studying and working hard on my career like a good little Indian girl. The time has come; you are witness to the dawning of my Indian Rumspringa, a Ram-Singha if you will. But instead of smoking and drinking Bud Lights in a park while yelling 'Down with barn raising!' I plan to indulge in a different manner -- by pursuing everything I wish had been a part of my youth. Things I always felt were part of most North Americans' adolescent experience. I will learn to swim, go to summer camp, see Disneyworld, take dance lessons, have sleepovers and finally get the pet I longed for my whole life. "This is the story of the ultimate New Year's resolution, more akin to a new life resolution. Will it all be fun? Will my friends and family support my walk down memory-less lane? Will it all matter in the end? I don't know yet but much like my young Rumspringaed-out counterpart, I will decide whether or not there is any going back." Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)971.00491History and Geography North America Canada CanadaClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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As the only Indian family in a primarily white community, Rupinder relates stories of the dreaded shopping for school clothes at the discount store in the mall, attempting to trade food with her schoolmates during lunch, being compelled to wear full Indian suits during the school's ethnic celebration (at which all the other students were "third-generation Canadian white, and thus dressed in their native dress of jeans and T-shirts"). She sets out to learn to swim, tap dance, and buy a dog all at once, and ends up overwhelmed with worry, spending hours trying on bathing suits, taking allergy tests to make sure that she is not allergic to dogs, and borrowing pets from friends. Finally, Rupinder's sister Gurpreet decides to get a dog -- a Norfolk terrier named Auggie, who soon becomes the pet of the entire Gill family, even their parents. As the weeks go by, Rupinder volunteers as a camp counselor, moves to New York City after quitting her job, and takes a trip to India with her mother.
I enjoyed reading Rupinder's narrative; her stories are well-told and evoke memories of my own Chinese American upbringing. However, the flow of the chapters is a little choppy; there are three parts to the book, but the first part is about 150 pages, while the third part is only 30. The final chapters of the book seem rushed, while the conclusion felt like it left the reader hanging -- the author speaks of an upcoming trip in the next year, but also determines that she has been "unabashedly selfish" for the past twelve months. For all the time spent describing her enjoyment in spending time with friends, family and new experiences, the book seemed to close on a confusing note. ( )