Overview
Hey everyone!
Are you a South Asian woman? Or a woman of colour?
Have you every felt alone, or different, or just not the right sort of girl?
If the answer is yes, then The Right Sort of Girl by Anita Rani is just for you!
Today’s book review will cover the following topics:
Rating
One Line Summary
Where can I buy it?
Book Summary
Writing Style & Design
What I Learnt from this Book?
Who Should Read this Book
Quotes & Excerpts
Meet the Author
Where can I buy it?
Similar Books
Final Thoughts
Rating
One Line Summary
This book is for every South Asian girl / woman / boss lady out there!
Where can I buy it?
Book Summary
This is the book I wish I had read when I was growing up.
Anita Rani is an accomplished British television presenter who has skillfully mastered the art of navigating two cultures whilst growing up as a British-Indian in Yorkshire.
She was the girl who was too white at home and too brown at school. She grew up in a Punjabi family and spent most of her childhood at her parent’s factory. She struggled with trying to fit in and master the art that every young South Asian woman face…hair removal.
This is the book that doesn’t shy away from addressing ‘taboo’ issues in South Asian culture. Anita openly discusses self harm and feeling the pressure to settle down from the ‘Illuminaunty’ (a global network of older, brown women).
Anita breaks the mold and carves out a career in the British media (aka not a doctor or a lawyer or an engineer!). Most importantly, she shows us that bucking South Asian societal expectations are okay (and in fact, bloody terrific!)
Writing Style & Design
The Right Sort of Girl is an honestly, funny and comforting tale of a young British-Indian woman, who felt like she didn’t belong. She felt too white at home and too brown outside. It’s a struggle that many South Asian youth are faced with.
I love Anita’s raw and open honesty when it comes to sharing her life. She portrays memorable childhood events with funny and gripping prose. She doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, such as self-harm and societal pressures to ‘settle down’. These are all topics that many South Asian youth face, but which are rarely written down and distributed to a global audience.
Reading this book is empowering, inspirational and a must read!
What I Learnt from this Book:
- There are a LOT of shared experiences between children who have grown up juggling their Eastern and Western cultural identifies. I find this very comforting.
- The illuminaunty are everywhere and they will find you (and feed you).
- I’m proud to be brown! We get to experience two different cultures and carve out our own identity in amongst it all.
- There are a vast number of books out there which focus on South Asian culture and all the drama that comes along with it. Safe to say, I’ve found my new favourite genre (for now!) #bingereading
Who Should Read ‘The Right Sort of Girl’?
The Right Sort of Girl is a must read for South Asian women or women of colour or anyone that’s ever felt different or alone. Go on, just read it!
Some Stellar Quotes
Rani shares some universal facts:
“Punjabi mums do not use chopping boards, they cut everything in their hands.”
Some honest truths:
“The TV show, Married at First Sight, if remade for the Indian market, would be called Marriage.”
The downsides:
“If you were not born with a sense of entitlement, if Daddy isn’t the boss or your godfather isn’t the king of the world, if you have no cash in the bank, if you have any level of melanin in your skin, it’s going to be a lot tougher for you to get them breaks. “
And the upsides:
“What an absolute privilege it is to have been born into and to understand two worlds.”
And my personal favourite:
“The illuminaunty have been the reason for most Indian marriages for centuries. The illuminaunty is global. The illuminaunty knows everything about everybody. Knowing everybody’s business is their business.”
Meet the Author
Anita Rani is an accomplished British television presenter and is well known for her role on “Countryfile”.
She grew up with an interest in the arts and carved a career in the media. She even made it to the semi-final on Strictly Come Dancing.
Her book, The Right Sort of Girl, has already made it onto the Sunday Times Bestseller list.
This lady has talent!
Follow her at @itsanitarani on Instagram.
Where can you buy it?
Similar Books
Final Thoughts
I’m so glad I found this book! If you’ve ever felt alone, or different or just not the right sort of girl, this book is a must read!
From someone who’s definitely not the right sort of girl (and happy about it),
Doctor Nisha
Share this post!
PS: Some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links, from which I receive a small kickback.
