Like A Girl by Aparna Jain

Like A Girl by Aparna Jain
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The book wishes to transform the implication of "Like a Girl". Many use the term as a derogatory term. The book presents the stories of a list of women who have struggled and met with success despite being a girl. The author wishes that the term "Like a Girl" starts connoting a more positive vibe than the negative vibe it generates.

It is good to read about the many women from Laxmibai to Saina Nehwal to P. V. Sindhu who have succeeded in life. It does give some hope.

Looking at it practically it does not look like the connotation will change so quickly. The need of the hour is to ensure that the males accept the women as equals and that every parent and teacher teaches the male child to treat every other female with the same respect as they do the other males. While the male superiority has to wane and this has to happen as quickly as possible, it is important to ensure that the scaled do not tilt the other way and a female superiority doesn't crop up its head.

It is worthwhile noting that Nelson Mandela who was primarily responsible for ensuring the end of apartheid in South Africa kept stressing on this fact and he practiced it himself. He ensured that the feeling of revenge did not raise its ugly head after apartheid was lifted.

A good book to read with a prayer that we start seen more such success for the female gender and that the phrase "like a girl" and "like a boy" disappear and instead the phrase "like a human" becomes more common place.

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