'When I hit you: Or, A portrait of the writer as a young wife' by Meena Kandasamy. I have been reading a lot of female writers. Can't really remember the last male writer I read. This book is a memoir, like the previous books I have been reading. It is a testament to a harsh side of culture... A revelation of a woman's supposed 'place' and duty, to family and to men. A disgusting truth of the justice system and the ridiculous defence people have ready when it comes to violence in marriage. Books like this make me angry but a good anger, it leads to something better. Here's the thing, stories like this are dime a dozen but here the writer has something to say, a lesson she carried with her and learned from. She does not speak from a pious point of view, she acknowledges mistakes made and learns from it. That adaptive quality is what makes women so strong: adapt and kick ass. Those strong women read the room and adapt, they learn as the days grow. The furthest thing from rigid and yet strong as steel. They are able to face things that are wrong head on knowing that cowering, allowing a wrong to keep happening is as bad as owning the title of 'victim' happily. I'm not sure I know what I'm saying. Strong women exist but God knows, I barely know a handful of them. I doubt even I'm there yet. Anyway, it's a good book. #BooksOnAPlane #TheReadingThing
