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

More about the book

Tells the true story of an untouchable family who become teachers, and one, a poet and revolutionary. Gidla shares how 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 life--how he became a famous poet, student, labor organizer, and founder of a left-wing guerrilla movement. She charts her mother's battles with caste and women's oppression. Gidla takes us into a complicated, close-knit family as they desperately strive for a decent life and a more just society. --From publisher description