English Lessons and Other Stories

Pauline Carey is the author of Magic and What’s in a Name?

A central theme in these stories about the family life of East Indians
is the conflict between traditional and Western values. The stories
chronicle the ongoing struggles of women who patiently seek to become
more independent of their men. We read of a 14-year-old boy in India who
is taught to use a gun so that he can shoot his little sister if she is
in danger from Muslims; of a Sikh family who refuse to let their
daughter return to her education in the States because they find a Koran
in her luggage; of a society where girls are not valued and wives
relinquish their pay-cheques to their husbands; of young women who find
the strength to step out into the world alone. Although gentle in tone,
these stories capture the ferocity at the heart of Indian life.