Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India
SKU: 24471413373

Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India

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Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern IndiaA Wall Street Journal Top 10 Nonfiction Book of 2017 A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2017 A Shelf Awareness Best Book of 2017 "Ants Among Elephants is an arresting, affecting and ultimately enlightening memoir. It is quite possibly the most striking work of non fiction set in India since Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, and heralds the arrival of a formidable new writer." The Economist The stunning true story of an untouchable family

A Wall Street Journal Top 10 Nonfiction Book of 2017
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2017
A Shelf Awareness Best Book of 2017

"Ants Among Elephants is an arresting, affecting and ultimately enlightening memoir. It is quite possibly the most striking work of non-fiction set in India since Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, and heralds the arrival of a formidable new writer." --The Economist

The stunning true story of an untouchable family who become teachers, and one, a poet and revolutionary

Like one in six people in India, Sujatha Gidla was born an untouchable. While most untouchables are illiterate, her family was educated by Canadian missionaries in the 1930s, making it possible for Gidla to attend elite schools and move to America at the age of twenty-six. It was only then that she saw how extraordinary--and yet how typical--her family history truly was. Her mother, Manjula, and uncles Satyam and Carey were born in the last days of British colonial rule. They grew up in a world marked by poverty and injustice, but also full of possibility. In the slums where they lived, everyone had a political side, and rallies, agitations, and arrests were commonplace. The Independence movement promised freedom. Yet for untouchables and other poor and working people, little changed. Satyam, the eldest, switched allegiance to the Communist Party. Gidla recounts his incredible transformation from student and labor organizer to famous poet and founder of a left-wing guerrilla movement. And Gidla charts her mother's battles with caste and women's oppression. Page by page, Gidla takes us into a complicated, close-knit family as they desperately strive for a decent life and a more just society.

A moving portrait of love, hardship, and struggle, Ants Among Elephants is also that rare thing: a personal history of modern India told from the bottom up.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Published: 07/17/2018
ISBN: 9780374537821
Pages: 320
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 0.80d
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SKU: 24471413373

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Sylvie13
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 3
Cute
Format: Paperback
This was a cute Sapphic romcom set in eureka springs Arkansas. Molly and Robin are so cute together and I love all three characters. The diversity is done very well and I love the tidbits about the town lore and how an old inn could bring these two lovebirds back together after so many years apart.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2026
M
Mollie Ficarella
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 4
Cute way to pass the time
Format: Paperback
Thank you to Dial Press Trade Paperback and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I thought this was really cute and a fun way to pass the time. I am a fan of Food Network cooking shows so it was a way to see behind the scenes a bit for the reality behind reality TV. The inn itself sounded lovely and seeing Molly and Robin grow apart and then back together was what I wanted from the book. The ending did feel abrupt but for the most part, enjoyable. 3.5 stars.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2025
B
Bee#7
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
A roller coaster ride!
Format: Kindle
Such an emotional story but did really enjoy the town this story was based in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Such a peaceful beautiful town. Molly and Robin were married but split up and had lived apart for seven years. They owned the Hummingbird Inn and Molly came back there to stay for a while but realized Robin had moved back in there earlier. I loved the antics that these two played on one another and you could tell they really still loved one another but both had too much baggage. They were going to sell the Inn split the money and get the divorce but then feelings became involved. I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2025
J
Josie erdy
Birmingham, US
★★★★★ 4
Heartwarming queer love story
Format: Paperback
I LOVED this book. It’s the most refreshing, queer, lesbian, second chance, finding your way back home story. From almost throwing hands to falling back in love, it was a wonderful journey of reflection in both women and their growth as a couple. It reminds me so much of Columbus ohios gay community and just such a supportive and loving city. My ONE complaint would be that I felt the ending was rushed. It was just like “oh hey I still love you, cancel the sale, done”. I would’ve loved a little more of an ending or even an epilogue. I kinda felt… incomplete at the end which made me sad!
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Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2025
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Mary-Catherine
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 3
Bed and Breakup
Format: Kindle
Bed and Breakup is a dual POV forced-proximity second chance romance. Estranged wives Molly and Robin both return to the Bed and Breakfast they co-own after seven years apart, each needing to recharge creatively and figure out their next steps. Despite not wanting to cohabitate, they reluctantly agree to work together to refurbish the inn so they can sell it and finally break ties with each other for good. Working in close proximity stirs up memories, the good with the bad, leaving both confused about what next steps to take. This was an enjoyable and well written ARC and I will definitely look for more from this author. This book, though, just wasn’t the right fit for me. I really LOVE second-chance romance, but this book was missing two aspects that draw me to them: I didn’t feel like the reason for the initial breakup was all that forgivable and fully resolved, and usually in second-chance romance you have at least one character working towards the end goal of reconciliation established pretty early on. However, I did love the small town, the many side characters, and the passions Molly and Robin had (artistic and culinary). I would definitely recommend this book even though it wasn’t a perfect fit for me.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2025

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