As a small business owner, living in a small town I could definitely relate to Lakshmi. My reputation is everything and I have definitely had to bite my tongue a time or two. In what was did you relate to Lakshmi?
Created: 04/03/20
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I did find her relatable. While also a small business owner, it wasn't in that context, but rather dealing with the lack of respect from my ex-husband while we were married and I was putting him through law school. After we separated and divorced I never had the luxury of quitting a bad job because I was supporting our daughter and myself. I was determined to succeed and I did, eventually making more money in a corporate environment than he ever did as an attorney.
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Yes. She reminds me of contemporary career women who work hard and penny pinch oftentimes without the help of a partner. She’s saving money to send home to help family/taking in a family member, saving to purchase a home, and she’s having to deal with questionable business practices to maintain customer loyalty. Some things never change.
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I can easily relate to Lakshmi as I have had to carve out a life for myself, without the help and/or interference of others and that is a difficult, ever evolving way to live. Flexibility and control of emotional toll must be consistently taken into consideration and Lakshimi certainly demonstrates these as the story unfolds. For me, she is a kind, warm and very brave woman who faces each day squarely and walks through through and around the potholes in her road.
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While reading the book, I did not find myself thinking/relating to Lakshmi because I was immersed in her story, her situations and I understood why she made the decisions that she did.
But, as an afterthought, I could relate to Lakshmi as I grew up in a time when women, if they were too independent was considered a maverick and often times to was other women who were the most vocal if a women's behavior was outside of the what was considered the "norm" (acceptable behavior).
Join Date: 08/12/16
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I related to Lakshmi in that she was a woman and she was strong and stubborn, but I have not endured anything like she had endured. Being a white, middle class, educated woman in the US, I don't feel like I have ever really had the disadvantages that many women in other cultures have had. I personally have never been in an abusive relationship or felt discriminated against because of my gender. As bad as we think we have it sometimes, we have so many opportunities in this country that other people can only dream of.
Join Date: 01/25/20
Posts: 13
Yes. Lakshmi left her abusive husband. I did the same, albeit with four children in tow. She eventually set herself up as a henna artist. I had several iterations in eight years, taking advantage of opportunities as they came along, incorporating what I had learned in a previous experience into the next one, and so on. I took these skills with me on a diplomatic posting in Africa, using them to advance the cause of women, recognizing that without literacy they could not integrate themselves into their society, and had to rely on husband or others to be their go-betweens.
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