I just finished reading The Village Bride of Beverly Hills by Kavita Daswani and I enjoyed it alot!
I liked the ending of the book because I got to read more about Priya and Sanjay's marraige and less about Priya's job, yet I did like to see the progress Priya made at her job. She made alot of new friends and eventually made her way to being a red carpet interview anchor. Unfortunately as soon as she got the job, her marraige started falling apart.
Have you ever met someone who is so happy that it makes you question your own happiness? Priya meets Karishma, an Indian woman, who eloped with an American man, Steve, and is very much in love. Priya befriends them and realizes that her home life is incomplete and highly demanding. "She was the kind of woman who, no matter how long I stayed in this country and how pretty my clothes were, I would never become. She was free, and I never would be" (196). Priya goes to counseling withj Steve, a psychotherapist, and tries to get Sanjay to come to a session. Sanjay thinks that it is stupid and claims that there is nothing wrong with their marraige.
Priya ends up asking for a divorce and goes back to her family's home in India. Some are happy to see her, others believe she is a burden. I think it would be awful to feel like you don't belong anywhere. Priya becomes a stronger person and when Sanjay comes back into her life (he does and he had gone to therapy with Steve for her), she is able to have much more say in their relationship. Sanjay bought them their own house so that they don't have to put up with his parents.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Q4 7A
I just finished reading The Village Bride of Beverly Hills by Kavita Daswani.
One large cultural difference between American culture and Indian culture that I noticed in the last part of the book was the way a wife was suppossed to behave. American women are more demanding and independent whereas Priya notes that Indian women are obedient and loyal to their in-laws, especially the women in arranged marraiges. Sanjay accuses Priya of becoming 'more American' when she begins to stand up for herself and when she brings him to a marraige counseling session to talk more about their feelings. When Priya tries to tell Sanjay that she is unhappy with their marraige, he doesn't get it because he thinks only of physical needs and not of emotional needs. "He had probably heard from his American friends that women wanted to have these 'talks'... he evidently believed that Indian men didn't need to have these conversations with their equally Indian wives" (p. 209). When Priya leaves Sanjay, some of her family members seem more upset with her getting divorced than they feel bad for her having been unhappy.
One large cultural difference between American culture and Indian culture that I noticed in the last part of the book was the way a wife was suppossed to behave. American women are more demanding and independent whereas Priya notes that Indian women are obedient and loyal to their in-laws, especially the women in arranged marraiges. Sanjay accuses Priya of becoming 'more American' when she begins to stand up for herself and when she brings him to a marraige counseling session to talk more about their feelings. When Priya tries to tell Sanjay that she is unhappy with their marraige, he doesn't get it because he thinks only of physical needs and not of emotional needs. "He had probably heard from his American friends that women wanted to have these 'talks'... he evidently believed that Indian men didn't need to have these conversations with their equally Indian wives" (p. 209). When Priya leaves Sanjay, some of her family members seem more upset with her getting divorced than they feel bad for her having been unhappy.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Q4 6B
I'm reading The Village Bride of Beverly Hills by Kavita Daswani.
The more I read of this book the more I think that it would make a really good movie. It would be a romantic comedy about moving to America and it would present a somewhat deep issue in a light way like the book does. Priya decided to take the promotion and now she reports directly to Crispin Bailey which makes Lynette Dove extremely mad. Priya is slowly making enemies in the workplace as she advances and they don't get to advance because they have been working much harder and longer than her. They also have a lot more schoolong and all of a sudden she shows up and moves up the corporate ladder ahead of them. Many are very jealous of her. Lynette has confronted Priya and told her that she must tell her what she is working on even though Mr. Bailey didn't say this to Priya. I feel like Lynette is going to purposely mess this up for Priya.
I have no idea what is going to happen. Normally I have a pretty good guess about how a book will end, but now I have no idea. The book is starting to focus more on Priya's career (which is very high fashion and high drama now) and is focusing less on her home life. As much as I love to hear how her career is going, I find her home life much more interesting because I can learn about cultural differences. I hope that Priya is able to sort out her life and that I get to learn more about her in-laws.
The more I read of this book the more I think that it would make a really good movie. It would be a romantic comedy about moving to America and it would present a somewhat deep issue in a light way like the book does. Priya decided to take the promotion and now she reports directly to Crispin Bailey which makes Lynette Dove extremely mad. Priya is slowly making enemies in the workplace as she advances and they don't get to advance because they have been working much harder and longer than her. They also have a lot more schoolong and all of a sudden she shows up and moves up the corporate ladder ahead of them. Many are very jealous of her. Lynette has confronted Priya and told her that she must tell her what she is working on even though Mr. Bailey didn't say this to Priya. I feel like Lynette is going to purposely mess this up for Priya.
I have no idea what is going to happen. Normally I have a pretty good guess about how a book will end, but now I have no idea. The book is starting to focus more on Priya's career (which is very high fashion and high drama now) and is focusing less on her home life. As much as I love to hear how her career is going, I find her home life much more interesting because I can learn about cultural differences. I hope that Priya is able to sort out her life and that I get to learn more about her in-laws.
Q4 6A
I'm reading The Village Bride of Beverly Hills by Kavita Daswani.
While I was reading this week I noticed how Indian women are more loyal and respectful to their families than American women. To be disrespectful to your in-laws would be one of the most horrific things you could do as an Indian bride. "In America, there is no shame in divorce. In India, there is no shame in living in marital misery" (p. 174). It's depressing how women in India find it better and less shameful to remain in a bad marraige. Priya is having issues trying to balance her family life and her new job as a reporter. She doesn't understand why so much is expected her at work. "I was now sitting squarely in the middle of some of the neediest people on the planet, who evidently expected me to be at their beck and call. And I wasn't even related to them" (135). I thought this was funy because it shows how loyal Priya is to her in-laws.
While I was reading this week I noticed how Indian women are more loyal and respectful to their families than American women. To be disrespectful to your in-laws would be one of the most horrific things you could do as an Indian bride. "In America, there is no shame in divorce. In India, there is no shame in living in marital misery" (p. 174). It's depressing how women in India find it better and less shameful to remain in a bad marraige. Priya is having issues trying to balance her family life and her new job as a reporter. She doesn't understand why so much is expected her at work. "I was now sitting squarely in the middle of some of the neediest people on the planet, who evidently expected me to be at their beck and call. And I wasn't even related to them" (135). I thought this was funy because it shows how loyal Priya is to her in-laws.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Q4 5B
I'm reading The Village Bride of Beverly Hills by Kavita Daswani.
Priya was just offered a promotion at her new job from her very high superior, Crispin Bailey. This is exciting because he had no idea who she was until Rex Hauser's publicist recognized Priya for having a lot of poise while handling their situation. Priya was flattered because she had never thought of herself as poised before. Priya doesn't know whether or not she will take the promotion and neither do I. I'd really like to keep reading, but I simply don't have time.
If Priya doesn't take the job, she won't have to hide her career from her family. She has already been hiding her new fashion sense from her family and it would be hard to add the extra stress of hiding a career. She will also have less to leave when she becomes pregnant and will have to tend to her "family duties".
On the other hand, Priya could take the promotion and do what she finds interesting, work as a reporter. She could meet all of the television stars that she thinks are so beautiful and fascinating. If she didn't take the job she would never get to know her full potential, something that I think would help her learn more about herself and grow more as a person.
Even though Priya would have to sneak around and lie to her family, I really hope that she takes the job. It would add stress to her life, but I think it is something that she owes to herself. If she doesn't take the job, she may regret it later on in life.
Q4 5A
I'm reading The Village Bride of Beverly Hills by Kavita Daswani but I haven't read a lot this week because of AP testing.
Some more cultural differences that I've read about include meals. Indian food usually uses a lot of spices and it is Priya's job to cook the meals. They always eat early, but thats probably just their family and not a cultural difference. Also, married Hindu women wear sindoor in their hair down their part. It is a powder I believe. Ashima in the namesake also wears it. Another difference is in the duties that are expected of a new bride from her in-laws. Priya's in-laws expect her to clean the house and cook for them and because she isn't pregnant, they asked her to get a simple job. If she were areporter, she believes that her family would become very upset. "My in-laws, their faces scowling and voices raised in irritation, flashed through my mind"(115). Priya's in-laws play as large of a role as Priya herself in deciding her career path.
Some more cultural differences that I've read about include meals. Indian food usually uses a lot of spices and it is Priya's job to cook the meals. They always eat early, but thats probably just their family and not a cultural difference. Also, married Hindu women wear sindoor in their hair down their part. It is a powder I believe. Ashima in the namesake also wears it. Another difference is in the duties that are expected of a new bride from her in-laws. Priya's in-laws expect her to clean the house and cook for them and because she isn't pregnant, they asked her to get a simple job. If she were areporter, she believes that her family would become very upset. "My in-laws, their faces scowling and voices raised in irritation, flashed through my mind"(115). Priya's in-laws play as large of a role as Priya herself in deciding her career path.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Q4 4B
I'm reading The Village Bride of Beverly Hills by Kavita Daswani and it's getting very exciting!!
I read a bit more of my choice book, the namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, and the books deal with the same issue and I am learning so much about life for Indian immigrants in America. Ashima and Ashoke have an arranged marraige much like Sanjay and Priya. Both Sanjay and Ashoke had been living in the United States before they went back to India to find a wife to bring back across the ocean. I feel bad for Priya and Ashima because they are homesick and miss their families a great deal. The main difference between the women however is that Priya has become Americanized and drives, wears Western clothing and has a job whereas Ashima does none of that and stays home all day and takes care of her children. It takes different people different amounts of time to adjust but I also think that the difference in the times/years may account for some of the difference. Priya moved to the United States in present day America and Ashima had immigrated in the 1960s, when there were less immigrants from Asia and many "hippies", as Ashima notes yet doesn't use the term 'hippie'. Both Ashima and Priya see the way that Americans treat them differently when they speak in an accent or wear traditional clothing. Ashima says that being an immigrant recieves the same kind of pity/ respect as women do when they are pregnant. Priya notes that people stare at her traditional Indian clothing for an extra few minutes.
I read a bit more of my choice book, the namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, and the books deal with the same issue and I am learning so much about life for Indian immigrants in America. Ashima and Ashoke have an arranged marraige much like Sanjay and Priya. Both Sanjay and Ashoke had been living in the United States before they went back to India to find a wife to bring back across the ocean. I feel bad for Priya and Ashima because they are homesick and miss their families a great deal. The main difference between the women however is that Priya has become Americanized and drives, wears Western clothing and has a job whereas Ashima does none of that and stays home all day and takes care of her children. It takes different people different amounts of time to adjust but I also think that the difference in the times/years may account for some of the difference. Priya moved to the United States in present day America and Ashima had immigrated in the 1960s, when there were less immigrants from Asia and many "hippies", as Ashima notes yet doesn't use the term 'hippie'. Both Ashima and Priya see the way that Americans treat them differently when they speak in an accent or wear traditional clothing. Ashima says that being an immigrant recieves the same kind of pity/ respect as women do when they are pregnant. Priya notes that people stare at her traditional Indian clothing for an extra few minutes.
Q4 4A
I'm reading The Village Bride of Beverly Hills by Kavita Daswani.
Priya's family has accepted her working as a receptionist yet they don't want her doing anything else within The Hollywood Insider. Against her family's wishes, Priya interviews a movie star to cover for her new friend, Shanisse. When he ends up getting drunk and spilling secrets that could damage his public image, he offers Priya money to not release the information from the interview. Being her humble self, she agrees to keep the information private, free of charge. One of Priya's motives for not exploiting the movie star is to keep good karma because she practices Hinduism. When she does something bad, bad karma will come back to her and in her next life (Hindus believe in reincarnation), Pria will be reborn as a cocroach and be even farther from reaching Brahman, the universal soul.
While Priya still clings to her religious beliefs in America, she has stopped dressing traditionally. To make sure that her in-laws don't know that she dresses in a Western style, Prya leaves the house in either traditional dress or her mother-in-law's old, modest, Western clothing and stops by the gym to change into her high fashion clothing for work. Priya has started to live a doub;e life, one where she stays with her traditional Indian roots, and antother where she appears extremely 'American'.
Priya's family has accepted her working as a receptionist yet they don't want her doing anything else within The Hollywood Insider. Against her family's wishes, Priya interviews a movie star to cover for her new friend, Shanisse. When he ends up getting drunk and spilling secrets that could damage his public image, he offers Priya money to not release the information from the interview. Being her humble self, she agrees to keep the information private, free of charge. One of Priya's motives for not exploiting the movie star is to keep good karma because she practices Hinduism. When she does something bad, bad karma will come back to her and in her next life (Hindus believe in reincarnation), Pria will be reborn as a cocroach and be even farther from reaching Brahman, the universal soul.
While Priya still clings to her religious beliefs in America, she has stopped dressing traditionally. To make sure that her in-laws don't know that she dresses in a Western style, Prya leaves the house in either traditional dress or her mother-in-law's old, modest, Western clothing and stops by the gym to change into her high fashion clothing for work. Priya has started to live a doub;e life, one where she stays with her traditional Indian roots, and antother where she appears extremely 'American'.
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