The Flip-Side

In our book club we are reading Sold By Patricia McCormick. Lakshmi s a 13 year old girl,who lives in a small village in Nepal with her family. In what we've read so far I've noticed that Lakshmi's life and mine are very different.

Lakshmi's Family is very poor, her stepfather is a gambler who gambles away everything. He can't work because he has one arm. After the monsoon they have even less, they lost their crops and the roof is falling apart. Lakshmi wanted to go to the city to work like her friend Gita in the city as a maid. Ama (her mother) is a person I can’t really explain but I imagine her being a "small person" like she doesn't say much and she has like no control over everything.

 There was this one line that Ama said when her husband came back from his brother's village for a loan. She said "Even a man who gambles way what little we have on a fancy hat and a new coat, is better than no man at all." I think she's wrong! They have a baby! He can go gamble and get a new coat and hat but he can't work? Or try to do something?!

The 1^st way me and Lakshmi are different is that I don’t have to work to help my family survive. Before the monsoon Lakshmi offered to help her family and send her earning back home. Ama denied her offer he said Lakshmi must say in school no matter what her stepfather says. But either way she gets sent to the city when her father told her to -_-.  My dad works and so does my mom sometimes so it’s all good. I think it was very considerate of Lakshmi to plant her cucumbers to try to help her family. I love the line in the 1^st chapter when she says “when he looks, he sees cigarettes and rice beer, a new vest FOR HIMSELF. I see a tin roof.” You can see there is a really big difference between the stepfather and her.

The 2^nd way me and Lakshmi are different because in Nepal women are “considered less.” I was very mad and offended when the book said "A son will always be a son, they say. But a daughter is like a goat. Good as long as she gives you milk and butter. But not worth crying over when it's time to make stew.” … Like really? -_-  I don’t like him, he gets me mad. Women are just as “good” as men. Women do like A LOT. Like they like take care of the house, clean, cook, carry around a baby for 9 months and then take care of them. And he still thinks women are like goats. When it was time for Lakshmi to go to work her stepfather took her to be SOLD to Auntie.  He says no less than eight hundred because he knows “the price for a young girl” like Lakshmi. NO. Priceless is the right word, kay? AND THEN this guy buys a cartoon of cigarettes, bag of sweets chewing gum, a bottle of rice wine and a new hat. But then Lakshmi put a sweater and a treat only the headman’s wife can afford- a bottle of Coca-Cola for Ama and a coat for the baby. Awwww <3

And those are some of the ways me and Lakshmi are on the flip- side. ++++++

Comment guysss :)