Novels Now

You are browsing the archives of The Blue Notebook.

The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine

Pages: 210
First Published: Jul. 7, 2009
Genre: literary fiction
Rating: 4.5/5

First sentence:

I have a break now.

Reason for Reading: Honestly, I simply felt compelled to read this, even though it’s not my usual type of reading. I do however enjoy books written in diary format, books with an Indian viewpoint and books written from a child’s point of view.
Comments: This is a heart wrenching book to read. Set in modern India, the story of a nine-year-old girl who is sold by her loving father into prostitution (to pay off his debts) and her presented to us in the first person through her diaries. We are given her story from her present timeline at the age of fifteen as well as from her past as she tells how she came to be in her present circumstances, until past meets present and we only can go forward with her.

This book is going to be a hard read for some people. A child prostitute leads a brutal life and the author leaves no stone unturned nor holds back on any details. Yet, Batuk, the main character, is many things. She is a victim, she is a part of her world, she is a survivor, she is an innocent child, she can be devious, she can experience pure child-like joy and she experiences terror no child should ever have. She is a character that the reader feels both great outrage and compassion for and also admires for her own strength and spirit.

One thing that really struck me as I read was how amazingly real the voice of the fifteen-year-old girl is, while realizing that the book is written by a man. For a man to project this teen’s feminine multi-layered personality so beautifully is a sign of a brilliant author. I look forward to his next novel.

The only thing that disappoints me some is the ambiguous ending. The only thing that stops me from giving a 5* rating. We are left to sort things out for ourselves and decide what happened. It ends in such a way that one can assume that it ended a certain way but if your not happy with that there is plenty of ambiguity to perceive your own ending. I prefer my books to tell me how it ends.

There is a lot of graphic s*xual detail, though none of it is gratuitous. It is necessary for such a story to show what really goes on in this world. This is a book that will open your eyes to something that you may not wish to have opened to you but how can you *not* go on without knowing these truths about your world.

The Blue Notebook
By James A. Levine
Completed April 11, 2009

The Blue Notebook was one of the most eloquent but haunting books I have read in a long time. It’s the story of Batuk, a 15-year-old prostitute, whose father sold her into sexual slavery when she was nine. Living in a brothel in India, Batuk took up writing as a therapeutic way to deal with the abuse in her life.

The author, Dr. James Levine, is a highly renowned Mayo Clinic physician, who was inspired to write The Blue Notebook after a visit to India. There, he met a young prostitute on the streets who was writing in a notebook, and Dr. Levine spent time talking to this young girl about her life. Thus, the character of Batuk was born.

Batuk left nothing to the imagination in this narrative. The reader learned every detail about her rapes, physical assaults and sexual encounters. Admittedly, it was hard to read about Batuk’s life because she endured such horrors, and the idea of it happening to a child make it harder to bear.

Despite the tragedies, Batuk’s sense of humor and wit made the other parts of the narrative very enjoyable. She was a delightful character. Stories of her childhood provided glimpses into Batuk’s life before she became a prostitute – when she was innocent and fearless. It, however, illuminated Batuk’s tragedies even more.

This book will make many readers uncomfortable, as it should, but it’s an important book because the horrors in Batuk’s life are happening now to girls and boys around the world. If you have the stomach for it, I would highly recommend The Blue Notebook. Additionally, proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit the International and National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children. Thanks to Dr. Levine for being so generous with his creativity and funding – you can tell this is a subject matter near and dear to him. And after reading The Blue Notebook, I believe it will become important to you too. ( )