Review of Passage from India
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Precious_Nzeakor
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Review of Passage from India
[Following is a volunteer review of "Passage from India" by Harold Mondol.]
A relationship between an American and an Indian was generally considered socially unacceptable in the 1930s. However, it was during this time that Harold Ananta Kumar Mondol was brought into the world, a product of a marriage between an American missionary named Carolyn Osborne and a Bengali Methodist pastor named Shot Kumar Mondol.
Harold starts by introducing his mother, Carolyn, and the circumstances surrounding her arrival in India as an American missionary. He also goes ahead to give details about his father, whose different marriages had ended in the past due to tragic circumstances, and how the two ended up getting married and giving birth to him. Following the initial introductions, Harold's life journey unfolds before us. What is to be expected from the life of a man with interesting birth circumstances?
Passage from India by Harold Ananta Kumar Mondol is an easy read that takes us through the life of Harold and what it means to be of mixed culture and raised in a religious home. We see the influence Indian culture has had on him up until he leaves for a boarding school dominated by British students. There, we learn about some culture shocks that he experiences and how he deals with them. As we go through the book, we journey with him as he discovers new experiences, matures into a man, falls in love, begins a career, and does so many other things that come with adult life. Would the story of his life be one of regrets, joy, or both?
One major thing I loved about this book was the inclusion of images in different parts of the book. It helped give a mental view of things that were being described and helped with the general enjoyability of the book. I also love the simple vocabulary that was used throughout the book. There was never a need to drop the book to look up the meaning of a word. I also loved the chronological arrangement of events that the author employed, as this helped get rid of any confusion concerning when a thing happened or was happening. Also, I found very few errors, which suggests that the book was professionally edited.
However, I found some details or parts quite repetitive; for example, the parts where Harold talks about his career life and difficulties with his role as a father got tiring to see. Also, the part where he taught people videography and his student, who later went on to become a successful videographer, was repeated more than once in the book. Also, some parts felt quite unnecessary or overly described, like the part about the landscapes that Harold saw or visited while studying as a young boy. The details felt a little bit too much and unnecessary, considering that the pictures had already done some justice to the description of those locations.
In conclusion, I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars because most of the issues I found with the book can be considered subjective. The simple vocabulary made it easy to read, and the pictures added a visual flare to this book. Thus, I would recommend it to anyone looking for something light and easy to keep them busy. Enjoy!
******
Passage from India
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A relationship between an American and an Indian was generally considered socially unacceptable in the 1930s. However, it was during this time that Harold Ananta Kumar Mondol was brought into the world, a product of a marriage between an American missionary named Carolyn Osborne and a Bengali Methodist pastor named Shot Kumar Mondol.
Harold starts by introducing his mother, Carolyn, and the circumstances surrounding her arrival in India as an American missionary. He also goes ahead to give details about his father, whose different marriages had ended in the past due to tragic circumstances, and how the two ended up getting married and giving birth to him. Following the initial introductions, Harold's life journey unfolds before us. What is to be expected from the life of a man with interesting birth circumstances?
Passage from India by Harold Ananta Kumar Mondol is an easy read that takes us through the life of Harold and what it means to be of mixed culture and raised in a religious home. We see the influence Indian culture has had on him up until he leaves for a boarding school dominated by British students. There, we learn about some culture shocks that he experiences and how he deals with them. As we go through the book, we journey with him as he discovers new experiences, matures into a man, falls in love, begins a career, and does so many other things that come with adult life. Would the story of his life be one of regrets, joy, or both?
One major thing I loved about this book was the inclusion of images in different parts of the book. It helped give a mental view of things that were being described and helped with the general enjoyability of the book. I also love the simple vocabulary that was used throughout the book. There was never a need to drop the book to look up the meaning of a word. I also loved the chronological arrangement of events that the author employed, as this helped get rid of any confusion concerning when a thing happened or was happening. Also, I found very few errors, which suggests that the book was professionally edited.
However, I found some details or parts quite repetitive; for example, the parts where Harold talks about his career life and difficulties with his role as a father got tiring to see. Also, the part where he taught people videography and his student, who later went on to become a successful videographer, was repeated more than once in the book. Also, some parts felt quite unnecessary or overly described, like the part about the landscapes that Harold saw or visited while studying as a young boy. The details felt a little bit too much and unnecessary, considering that the pictures had already done some justice to the description of those locations.
In conclusion, I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars because most of the issues I found with the book can be considered subjective. The simple vocabulary made it easy to read, and the pictures added a visual flare to this book. Thus, I would recommend it to anyone looking for something light and easy to keep them busy. Enjoy!
******
Passage from India
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Two Olive Martini by Lance T Weil
