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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.
ritikamittal's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars! I did not like the writing so much. And was kind of way too much repetition. But yeah it provides me with points that should be taken into consideration for improving our behaviour towards people in general no matter who they are and what their sexual orientation is!
readingtheother's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
1.75
not a bad book, just... kinda mediocre writing. it felt like being held hostage by a talkative stranger at a party; they're telling you all about their life but there's nothing interesting added to it? like it's just an infodump.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content
mihrchand's review against another edition
3.0
It is a remarkable book in its genre. However, I found it to be slightly problematic in some regards:
-A lack of sensitivity and lowkey erasure of trans folks
-Circumstances which to me, seemed to violate consent
-A very privileged perspective that I feel the author was not cognizant of at times.
It is, at its heart, very much a story of a cis-male, savarna queer man. I appreciate it for it is, being the same myself. But we need more perspectives from the margins.
Fin.
-A lack of sensitivity and lowkey erasure of trans folks
-Circumstances which to me, seemed to violate consent
-A very privileged perspective that I feel the author was not cognizant of at times.
It is, at its heart, very much a story of a cis-male, savarna queer man. I appreciate it for it is, being the same myself. But we need more perspectives from the margins.
Fin.