E-book
Rani Patel in full effect
Record details
- ISBN: 9781941026519
- ISBN: 1941026516
- ISBN: 9781941026502
- ISBN: 1941026508
- ISBN: 9781941026496
- ISBN: 1941026494
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Physical Description:
remote
1 online resource. - Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: El Paso, TX : Cinco Puntos Press, [2016]
Content descriptions
| Source of Description Note: | Print version record. |
Search for related items by subject
| Genre: | Electronic books. Fiction. Electronic books. |
Other Formats and Editions
Electronic resources
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2016 September #1
*Starred Review* As the only Indian girl in her entire Hawaiian town, 16-year-old Rani often feels like an outsider. She finds some comfort and empowerment in rap and slam poetry, and when she learns about an underground hip-hop crew in her town, it seems like she's finally found the perfect respite from her home life, which is marred by her parents' intensely traditional marriage, her father's brazen infidelity, andâworst of allâthe lingering trauma of the sexual abuse her father inflicted on Rani for years. That's a lot for her to handle, but when Mark, the older man who runs the hip-hop crew, starts taking a special interest in her, it seems like he's the perfect solution to her problems, despite her friends' warnings. Debut author Patel offers a unique perspective in Rani, whose punchy first-person narrativeâpeppered with early-90s hip-hop references; Hawaiian, Hawaiian Pidgin, and Gujarati phrases; and her own slick rhymes packed with an empowering feminist messageâcommendably and strikingly stands out in the YA landscape. While Rani's recovery from her trauma is unrealistically speedy and conclusiveâsomething Patel, a psychiatrist, freely admits in her author's noteâmost teens won't skip a beat, since Rani's voice, oscillating from righteous anger to thrilling pride, swooning crushes, and heartbreaking insecurity, will resonate with many, even those with little to no familiarity with Rani's background. Vivid, bold, and passionate. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews. - BookPage Reviews : BookPage Reviews 2016 October
Rap like a girlBookPage Teen Top Pick, October 2016
Sixteen-year-old Rani Patel is part of the only Indian familyâGujarati, to be preciseâon the Hawaiian island of Moloka'i. And that family is falling apart. When Rani discovers her father's affair, he is unrepentant. After years of unquestioning obedience, Rani's mother finally finds the strength to kick him out. Feeling abandoned by her father and invisible to her mother, Rani deals with it all through the music that has always saved her: rap. Rani's deep love of hip-hop culture empowers her to write lyrics and slam poems full of swagger, female empowerment and social awareness. But while her alter ego, MC Sutra, exudes confidence, Rani has yet to confront the horrific truth of her relationship with her father. As she hones her skills as an MC and a flirtatious relationship with an older man becomes something more, Rani's past continues to intrude on her present.
Rani's environment leaps off the page in vivid and satisfying detail, from the winding roads and small shops of Moloka'i to the intricacies of '90s hip-hop fashion. The lyrics she writes are particularly convincingâgood enough to show that her talent is serious, but just unpolished enough to be written by a teenager. Author Sonia Patel is a psychiatrist, and her determination to portray Rani's response to trauma truthfully is unrelenting. Rani's past affects her choices again and again, despite her undeniable intelligence and drive.Â
As young readers root for Rani, they will gain a deeper understanding of abuse and addiction through this powerful and gripping novel.Â
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This article was originally published in the October 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
Copyright 2016 BookPage Reviews. - Horn Book Guide Reviews : Horn Book Guide Reviews 2017 Spring
Gujarati Indian teen Rani likes hip-hop music and writes her own rhymes. A victim of incest and sexual abuse, she finds solace in the music scene of 1991 Moloka'i, Hawaii. Patel, a psychiatrist, offers a memorable protagonist and a deft lesson in unlearning unhealthy notions of love. An author's note discusses the effects of sexual abuse on mental health. Reading list, websites. Glos. Copyright 2017 Horn Book Guide Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2016 July #2
Rani Patel, daughter of Gujarati immigrants, feels isolated for more than one reason on the Hawaiian island of Molokai in 1991.Readers first meet Rani as she shaves her head following her discovery of her father's affair with a "barely out-of-adolescence homewrecker." That this is the traditional gesture of a widow takes on ever greater significance as the story progresses. Her mother distant, her crush on the handsome, (mostly) Native Hawaiian Pono unrequited, Rani's only comfort is in hip-hop and the rhymes she lays downâuntil Mark, a hot, older haole who works at a nearby resort and patronizes her family's convenience store, shows some interest in her slam poems and in her. When, as MC Sutra, Rani's invited to audition for hip-hop club 4eva Flowin', she finds communityâand complication. Rani relates her tale in an energetic, often wry present-tense account that effortlessly enfolds unitalicized Hawaiian and Gujarati as well as Hawaiian pidgin and hip-hop slang; import if not exact meaning should be clear to readers, and a glossary fills in the gaps. Rap's political side is, like Rani, "in full effect," as she takes on some of the traditions that have critically injured her family in electric slam poems. Author Patel is a psychiatrist, and a concluding note explains that although Rani's recovery from incest is unrealistically speedy, it can stand as a model for victims. A powerfully particular, 100 percent genuine character commands this gutsy debut. (Historical fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus 2016 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved. - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2016 October
Gr 10 UpâOn Molokai in the early 1990s, Rani Patel lives the life of the ultimate outsider. A quiet class council member of Indian descent whose relationship with her parents is deeply dysfunctional, she takes comfort only in hip-hop and rap. Her unrequited crushes on two local guys lead her into the underground rap scene, where she tests her skills as MC Sutra, but as she begins to forge an identity, her family and romantic relationships threaten to pull her under. Rani is a flawed character whose poor choices make her somewhat unlikable but also reflect a realistic reaction to her troubled family pastâher mother ignores her, and her father sees her as a wife replacement (the book contains instances of incest). The teen seeks love and acceptance wherever she can find it, and through rap she is able to express her struggles and discover a community that embraces her unreservedly. The dialogue, which incorporates a bit of Hawaiian pidgin, Gujarati, and hip-hop slang, can require the use of the included glossary but enhances the understanding of Rani's place at the convergence of multiple cultures. Her story will appeal to readers who prefer gritty, darker fiction without a pat, happy ending, and characters who don't always overcome their challenges but must face them repeatedly. VERDICT A strong, unique choice for YA collections.âMarian McLeod, Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, CT. Copyright 2016 School Library Journal. - Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews : VOYA Reviews 2016 October
Rani Patel finds strength in her rhymes, in her flow, in her rap, which she really needs since her father has left and her mother will not even speak to her. The guys around Hawaii do not see her as more than a friend. In her senior year of high school, she is really lonely and missing the attentions of her father now that he has moved on to a girlfriend only a little older than Rani. When Mark, a thirty-one-year-old who regularly visits her workplace, becomes more than friendly, she is thrilled to have male attention againâso thrilled that she ignores the warnings of her friends and the familiar signs of abuse. Her relationships are going bad, but Rani has always dealt with her heartache by writing rap lyrics, so throughout these difficult times, Rani's talent flourishes, earning her a spot in an underground rap group in Moloka'i. This is a story of a young woman trying to define herself outside of a family molded by repeated emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. Rani uses rap to tell her story and often mentions the late â80s hip-hop that is pulling her through her best and worst times. Ultimately, she tells a story of a misguided cultural patriarchy, the difficulty of recognizing and leaving abuse behind, and the importance of finding support and healing with those who need it too.âElisabeth W. Rauch 4Q 4P J S Copyright 2011 Voya Reviews.
