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sophronisba's review against another edition
3.0
I want to be clear -- I think Siddharth Dube has led an excellent, praiseworthy, exemplary life. I do not, alas, think his memoir is a particularly good book. The parts of the book about Dube's early life were visceral and compelling; the sections about his activism were dry, mechanically written, and perhaps a wee bit self-congratulatory.
eriknoteric's review
4.0
Siddharth Dube's "An Indefinite Sentence" gives readers an essential take on a life dedicated to fighting for queer people, trans people, and sex workers in India and beyond.
Dube grew up in upper caste Delhi and knew from the beginning he was different; a "girly boy" in a society that had been trained by its British colonizers to hate any and all forms of sexual difference. As he came to understand his own sexuality more deeply, while away in the US and then upon his return to India, Dube found a new passion: fighting for those communities suffering most from the AIDS crisis. Dube uses "An Indefinite Sentence" to both tell the story of his own queer life as an Indian in India and the US, but he also gives ample space to the voices of sex workers, trans Indians, and queer people as he meets them during his years advocating on their behalf. And most importantly: Dube doesn't hold anything back in bringing to task the Bush Administrations failed and conservative use of "AIDS" and "sex trafficking" to cause irreparable harm and deaths in the developing world.
Dube dedicated his life to using the position of privilege into which he had been born to advocate for those classes of people most reviled by even Gandhi. This book will reframe your worldview as you see the world from a perspective too rarely unveiled.
Dube grew up in upper caste Delhi and knew from the beginning he was different; a "girly boy" in a society that had been trained by its British colonizers to hate any and all forms of sexual difference. As he came to understand his own sexuality more deeply, while away in the US and then upon his return to India, Dube found a new passion: fighting for those communities suffering most from the AIDS crisis. Dube uses "An Indefinite Sentence" to both tell the story of his own queer life as an Indian in India and the US, but he also gives ample space to the voices of sex workers, trans Indians, and queer people as he meets them during his years advocating on their behalf. And most importantly: Dube doesn't hold anything back in bringing to task the Bush Administrations failed and conservative use of "AIDS" and "sex trafficking" to cause irreparable harm and deaths in the developing world.
Dube dedicated his life to using the position of privilege into which he had been born to advocate for those classes of people most reviled by even Gandhi. This book will reframe your worldview as you see the world from a perspective too rarely unveiled.
debshelf's review
3.0
3.5 stars
I learned a lot from this book. While I have a pretty solid knowledge base surrounding HIV/AIDS history and activism here in the states, I was woefully lacking in applicable knowledge as to how it has been addressed in other parts of the world. Dube's book was sometimes difficult for me because it contains a ton of information, and I would get overwhelmed with the many twists and turns. That being said, I learned a lot, and it also helped me reshape my thinking on the AIDS crisis (i.e. how it was attached to sex workers and how damaging its effects in those communities has been).
I learned a lot from this book. While I have a pretty solid knowledge base surrounding HIV/AIDS history and activism here in the states, I was woefully lacking in applicable knowledge as to how it has been addressed in other parts of the world. Dube's book was sometimes difficult for me because it contains a ton of information, and I would get overwhelmed with the many twists and turns. That being said, I learned a lot, and it also helped me reshape my thinking on the AIDS crisis (i.e. how it was attached to sex workers and how damaging its effects in those communities has been).
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