Book Review: Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan

 

As I was trying to branch out of my fantasy fix I have been on lately, I decided to try Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan.  The first 30 pages were not what I expected – the story was not progressing fast enough for my instant-gratification self, and I thought about putting it back several times.  “Ten more pages,” I thought.  “I’ll put it back after ten more pages.”  Then, hot dog, it got GOOD.  This is the story of Rosalind, a British girl, who has spent her whole life in India.  She feels more connected to the people and sights and smells of India than to the Aunts she must write to in faraway London.  The first 30 pages explained her back story and the surroundings of India so people like me, who have never experienced a different culture, could understand later objections, strife, and general disagreements that will happen within the book.  However, it read like a textbook, and often times I felt like the information was forced into the narrative. 

Then, Rosie’s father comes home.  This is when the book became interesting to me.  Rosie’s father is a major in the British Army in charge of troops from India.  They have been fighting in the Middle East for two-plus years, so she and her mother have missed him terribly.  When he comes back, however, he feels that Rosie is too willful and wild – she has been running around with Indian friends and escaping into the bazaar as often as possible, and he wants to tame her.  When Rosie ventures into the slums of her town to right a wrong that has been done, her father is livid.  He gives her one last chance – which she immediately blows when she and a friend attend a rally where Gandhi is speaking.  Her punishment is severe, yet she is sure she would do it again to stand up for what is right.

Young adults who are interested in history and historical figures (British Rule over India, Gandhi, Queen Victoria, etc) will find this an interesting read.  I found that after I read the book, mulled it over a bit, and reflected on it, I rather liked it.  Some of the characters made me want to role my eyes they were so stereotypical (Rosie’s mother and Aunts), but others quite surprised me.  I am thinking, in particular, of Mrs. Blodget – she was a wonderful character full of that quality of life that I wish I had!

Overall, I felt the book had good and not-so-good qualities that meshed into an okay read.