Shanti Fights for Her Rights by Marcia E. Barss

Shanti Fights for Her Rights is a young adult novel by Marcia E. Barss. Shanti is a 14-year-old girl who lives in a village in eastern India. When I was 14, I was glued to the latest fashion magazines, practicing with make-up, and busy picking out what classes I was going to take in High School. What I wasn’t doing was trying to convince my Dad not to marry me off to a man with three children who needed someone to look after them. I wasn’t getting up before dawn so that I could go to the washroom in a field so no one could see me. I wasn’t trying to convince my father to let me stay in school instead of staying home to look after my baby sister so that my Mom could go work in the rice fields, and I was definitely not making dung patties to later burn to heat supper. What an eye-opener. At 14, I, and I’m sure my friends, didn’t know how good we had it.

Despite the fact that this book is a work of fiction, it is fact-based and there is a list of organizations in the back of the book for more information on combating the illegal practice of child marriages, and on girls’ rights. I found this book to be very emotional. I was quite interested in the Balika Sangha or ‘girls’ groups that are being organized in some of the villages in India to bring girls together to discuss, learn, and support one another in areas such as child marriages, teen pregnancies, and other girls’ rights.

Marcia E. Barss lived in India for most of her childhood. She attended Kodaikanal International School in South India and spent vacations with her parents who worked in Andhra Pradesh. After graduation from Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada, her home for many years was in London, Ontario, where she worked as an early childhood educator and raised her family. The call of the sea brought her back to Nova Scotia, and she now lives in Dartmouth.

Marcia writes middle-grade novels and her first two books, Far From Home and A Privateer’s Promise (FriesenPress) launched in 2021 and 2022. Shanti Fights for Her Rights (OC Publishing), was released in February 2023.

Publisher ‏: ‎ OC Publishing (Feb 21, 2023)
Language ‏: ‎ English
Paperback 5″ x 8″ ‏|‎ 186 pages
ISBN: ‎ 978-1-9898-3332-2

Sue Slade

Sue Slade has a Bachelor of Child Study from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax. After working with children and adults with special needs, she now has her midlife dream job of working with books. Sue manages an independent, locally owned bookstore, Dartmouth Book Exchange. Through her charismatic sharing centred around books and community, Sue has created an engaging cornerstone for authors, customers, and book lovers of all ages. Sue is an avid reader and her reviews cross over many genres.