India's Bandit Queen: The True Story of Phoolan Devi

Rating:
Summary: A true story that will shock and amaze you
Review: "Bandit Queen" is a superb book. It is however not for the faint-hearted as it covers a multitude of horrors such as rape, mutilation, and murder. Phoolan Devi's story is not an uncommon one in India, but her reaction to her treatment by society and its Caste System is more extreme than most. She takes up arms, and becomes a bandit, representing her sex in a way never before acknowledged in India. This book does not try to justify what Phoolan Devi did during her time as an outlaw, rather it tells the story of young girl wronged. From a tender age this young girl and her family were abused, not only because of her Caste but also because of her sex. That a woman would dare to fight back was unthinkable to many people but Phoolan Devi was a woman with nothing to loose and everything to gain. This book chronicles her life and times, never sentimental, sometimes vicious, but always inspiring, this book is a testament to the human spirit and all that it can endure for the sake of justice and truth. Phoolan Devi did things she shouldn't have, but in a world where livestock is often valued over human life, she had no choice. This is an amazing book, well worth reading, and certainly well worth reprinting.

Rating:
Summary: Not the real thing
Review: "Bandit Queen" is a superb book. It is however not for the faint-hearted as it covers a multitude of horrors such as rape, mutilation, and murder. Phoolan Devi's story is not an uncommon one in India, but her reaction to her treatment by society and its Caste System is more extreme than most. She takes up arms, and becomes a bandit, representing her sex in a way never before acknowledged in India. This book does not try to justify what Phoolan Devi did during her time as an outlaw, rather it tells the story of young girl wronged. From a tender age this young girl and her family were abused, not only because of her Caste but also because of her sex. That a woman would dare to fight back was unthinkable to many people but Phoolan Devi was a woman with nothing to loose and everything to gain. This book chronicles her life and times, never sentimental, sometimes vicious, but always inspiring, this book is a testament to the human spirit and all that it can endure for the sake of justice and truth. Phoolan Devi did things she shouldn't have, but in a world where livestock is often valued over human life, she had no choice. This is an amazing book, well worth reading, and certainly well worth reprinting.

Rating:
Summary: Wife beaters, male chauvanists & rapists beware!
Review: I thought this book was going to glorify violence. Boy, was I wrong. I couldn't put this book down because of the unbelievably harsh existence Phoolan Devi had to endure before she decided to fight back against her oppressors. Being from a lower caste, as well as being a woman put her at a disadvantage. She was tortured and debased. She could only get salvation through violence because the powers-that-be were the abusers who were in cahoots with the police. As a bandit, she gave to the poor, and protected the weak; especially girls/women who were molested by men. She tortured and castrated those who dared to rape and humiliate women. This book is a statement to the enduring power of the spirit, and a testament to the dignity of the oppressed.

Rating:
Summary: Not the real thing
Review: Since voicelessness (in all guises) is a huge part of what Phoolan Devi has spent her life resisting, it's important that we hear her story FROM HER. There's an autobiography called "I, Phoolan Devi" that's available in England (etc.?)(still haven't seen it anywhere in the States). It was told by Devi, transcribed to text, and o.k.'d by Devi page-by-page.