fidoe's review against another edition
3.0
Week 33 Book 44
So now you know By Vivek Tejuja
Rating 3/5
I had been wanting to read this book for a while, and I finally got a chance.
SNYK is a memoir of growing up gay in the 1980s-1990s India. When coming out was totally unheard of, when there was hostility towards anything 'abnormal', when LGBTQ people were invisible, when there was no internet to meet people or safe places to interact.
Vivek was born in early 1980s to a well to do Sindhi joint family in Mumbai, with a sea facing house in Worli, a set of loving parents and sister, lots of books, and a steady dose of Bollywood. But life was tough for young Vivek, who knew he wasn't 'normal', who desperately wanted to fit in, who wanted to be swept off his feet and experience the filmy 'love'. Only, it wasn't so easy.
The book chronicles his life and experiences, from the time he was but a young child, to adulthood. The kind of stereotypes and bullying he encountered, the hostility he faced from friends and family, and the loneliness and longing he felt.
While Tejuja is surely well read and has a flair for writing, the book could be edited better. Many threads were left open, and there were many repetitions. Still I am happy this book was written, for it can help people from the LGBTQ community to realise they aren't alone, and the cis gendered straight people to empathise with those who are 'different'.
So now you know By Vivek Tejuja
Rating 3/5
I had been wanting to read this book for a while, and I finally got a chance.
SNYK is a memoir of growing up gay in the 1980s-1990s India. When coming out was totally unheard of, when there was hostility towards anything 'abnormal', when LGBTQ people were invisible, when there was no internet to meet people or safe places to interact.
Vivek was born in early 1980s to a well to do Sindhi joint family in Mumbai, with a sea facing house in Worli, a set of loving parents and sister, lots of books, and a steady dose of Bollywood. But life was tough for young Vivek, who knew he wasn't 'normal', who desperately wanted to fit in, who wanted to be swept off his feet and experience the filmy 'love'. Only, it wasn't so easy.
The book chronicles his life and experiences, from the time he was but a young child, to adulthood. The kind of stereotypes and bullying he encountered, the hostility he faced from friends and family, and the loneliness and longing he felt.
While Tejuja is surely well read and has a flair for writing, the book could be edited better. Many threads were left open, and there were many repetitions. Still I am happy this book was written, for it can help people from the LGBTQ community to realise they aren't alone, and the cis gendered straight people to empathise with those who are 'different'.
menomica's review against another edition
you have to struggle with yourself and the world outside. If along the way, some things make it easy, I suggest you grab them with both hands.
This book isn’t bad!… I don’t think. I don’t know, I guess I was expecting something more broad. That, and the writing was giving very much uncle who’s trying to be funny but is not funny at all vibes.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
chickchickchicken's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
4.0
It's a well paced, nicely packed book. I really could get lost in to it. See the Bombay, I was too late to see. The tone is sombre, and the narrator is privileged and slightly unaware. Enjoyable and light read, overall.
ankita_g's review against another edition
4.0
I immensely enjoyed reading this book. It's short, crisp and as interesting as the cover. It told me a "story" I hadn't heard/read before. I think it would have been better if it was written in a chronological order; but that doesn't take away much from the reading experience.
raji_c's review against another edition
3.0
This is undoubtedly a brave, unapologetic, and honest account of growing up gay in India. After dealing with as much bullying and harassment as Vivek Tejuja did, to open himself up to more of such cruel behaviour and judgement from ignorant or insensitive people with such a candid account of his life and loves is an act of great courage. I respect and admire him for it. I don’t think I could have ever done anything like it.
However, I was a little underwhelmed by the writing. I have read and admired many of Tejuja’s book reviews and probably expected more from his book. Or it was Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We are Briefly Gorgeous that is at fault. Because that is a very tough act to follow.
I found the writing here a little repetitive. The narrative also rambles a bit and while I could make allowances for it initially, eventually it affected my engagement with the story. It is a memoir, however, and the author chose a particular style to reflect on his life. Unfortunately, it just didn’t resonate with me, although many of his reminiscences about Bombay and Bollywood struck a chord because they were a part of my life as well.
However, I was a little underwhelmed by the writing. I have read and admired many of Tejuja’s book reviews and probably expected more from his book. Or it was Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We are Briefly Gorgeous that is at fault. Because that is a very tough act to follow.
I found the writing here a little repetitive. The narrative also rambles a bit and while I could make allowances for it initially, eventually it affected my engagement with the story. It is a memoir, however, and the author chose a particular style to reflect on his life. Unfortunately, it just didn’t resonate with me, although many of his reminiscences about Bombay and Bollywood struck a chord because they were a part of my life as well.
harini's review against another edition
4.0
Vivek Tejuja is a very well-known book blogger and reviewer in the book community. He is an avid reader with a passion for written word and his book recommendations are gold. So, when I found out that he would be penning a memoir tracing his journey as a gay man living and growing up in a traditional joint-family in the Bombay in the 90s, I was very excited. And I glad to say that this book didn’t disappoint me.
So Now You Know: A Memoir of Growing Up Gay in India is a brave, raw and an honest book. Through this memoir, Vivek takes you on a journey down his memory lane. From his first crush on a boy at an age of 8 to his confusion regarding his sexuality to his various crushes and relationships with men to coming out to his Sindhi joint-family to his quest to find love, Vivek bares it all. With utmost honesty but never coming across as a martyr, Vivek talks about being bullied and ragged for who is he, isolation he felt when his friends and family distanced themselves from him when he told them his truth and many times he got his heart broken. He shows us that at the end of the day it doesn’t matter if you are straight, gay, lesbian, bi or trans, we all want the same thing – love and acceptance of who we are.
Along the way, Vivek asks some strong questions about of the society. Are we truly liberal if we can’t accept a person for who they are, especially when it comes to family and friends? Since when is a person’s entire existence and personality defined by their sexual preference? Such questions and many more make us question our own actions.
So Now You Know is a simple and a quick read. Vivek’s writing is very conversational and chatty. The entire book reads like a conversation you would have with a friend over a cup of coffee. This is both the book’s strength and also its weakness. While this tone of the book keeps it light and breezy, it also leaves you wanting more. You put the book down wishing that Vivek had delved deeper into his life. May he will do that in his next book?
All in all, So Now You Know is an important read that I would highly recommend to one and all.
So Now You Know: A Memoir of Growing Up Gay in India is a brave, raw and an honest book. Through this memoir, Vivek takes you on a journey down his memory lane. From his first crush on a boy at an age of 8 to his confusion regarding his sexuality to his various crushes and relationships with men to coming out to his Sindhi joint-family to his quest to find love, Vivek bares it all. With utmost honesty but never coming across as a martyr, Vivek talks about being bullied and ragged for who is he, isolation he felt when his friends and family distanced themselves from him when he told them his truth and many times he got his heart broken. He shows us that at the end of the day it doesn’t matter if you are straight, gay, lesbian, bi or trans, we all want the same thing – love and acceptance of who we are.
Along the way, Vivek asks some strong questions about of the society. Are we truly liberal if we can’t accept a person for who they are, especially when it comes to family and friends? Since when is a person’s entire existence and personality defined by their sexual preference? Such questions and many more make us question our own actions.
So Now You Know is a simple and a quick read. Vivek’s writing is very conversational and chatty. The entire book reads like a conversation you would have with a friend over a cup of coffee. This is both the book’s strength and also its weakness. While this tone of the book keeps it light and breezy, it also leaves you wanting more. You put the book down wishing that Vivek had delved deeper into his life. May he will do that in his next book?
All in all, So Now You Know is an important read that I would highly recommend to one and all.