Climbing+the+Stairs

In __Climbing the Stairs__, Vidya dreams of going to college. But in British India during World War II, that's kind of hard to do. Vidya's father is a freedom fighter, meaning he participates in nonviolent protest to help get India their freedom from Britain. When Vidya and her father are caught in one of those protests, the British arrive, and start beating people. Vidya's father goes and attempts to protect a woman getting beat. When he gets beat hard in the head, his brain becomes damaged, and he can't do anything. So, Vidya and her family-- her, her mother (amma), father (appa), and Kitta, her brother-- move in with thatha, appa's father. Vidya hates it, because her aunt (Periamma), and her cousin, Malati, hate her. Also, she has to go to a new school, where her teacher doesn't like her because she lied about her father, and she has no friends because her father is an idiot. Periamma forces Vidya to do all of the chores, which makes her feel unwelcome. Vidya is given a long list of chores to do, one of which is taking care of her baby cousin, Mangalam. While doing this, she decides to go upstairs, a place where women never go. She also eavesdrops on the radio when the men are listening. One evening, she goes on a walk with Kitta and appa. She tries to jolt his memory, but nothing worked. Soon, Periamma finds out about Vidya going up to the library every day. She asks thatha if she can use it. Thatha says yes, and a boy defends her, saying that he doesn't see why she can't read in the library. When she meets this boy, she finds that his name is Raman, and that he believes that women should be treated equally to men. Vidya decides that, when she rides the bus, she will get off one stop earlier, so she can save some money for herself. Vidya thinks that she is starting to fall for him. Then, Malati gets married, so Vidya and her mother are forced to help with the wedding. Vidya gets in a fight with Kitta because she thinks it's her fault that appa is an idiot. Then the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, bringing America into the war. The family has to find shelter during the air-raid drills since the Japanese and the Nazis are pushing further into Asia. Kitta announces that he wants to enlist in the British Indian Army against the Axis. Vidya decides to take her money that she has saved, and go see Kitta, because he never said goodbye. Soon after, Periamma and Sarasa chithi start talking about who Vidya should marry. Then Raman says //he// wants to marry Vidya. Vidya makes Raman promise to let her finish college, because Raman actually wants her to have an education.

While reading this book I learned that women in India are treated so much differently than men. Women rarely get an education past grade school, their parents choose who they are going to marry, they have to stay in an outhouse for three days during their period, and they are handed their food on a plate like a dog. I learned that the swastika originated in India. I learned that men sleep on the upper floor of a house, and that, if there is more than one, couples take turns sleeping together in a special room. Women never come upstairs where the men are. I learned that some cultures can be very unfair towards women. -Katie  I learned that there are a lot of people in India who are very poor and live on the streets. It is also disrespectful to return to your home after being married if you are a woman. -Alyssa

I thought that this book was really good. I didn't like it that Periamma and Malati and the other women were so mean to Vidya and her family. I really liked Raman, because he was so nice to Vidya and liked her for who she was. I thought that Vidya was very brave to do things against Periamma's will. I liked Vidya's aunt, Chinni chithi, because she was so sympathetic towards Vidya when Periamma was being mean. Overall, I loved it.-Katie  This book had a lot of action and it didn't describe a lot. I love the love story in this book. This book is really an easy read and it doesn't take too long to read. -Alyssa