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Londanstani
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Plot Summary of Londanstani
"This book is about contemporary London seen through the eyes of Jas who has joined the the elite company of "rudeboys" Hardjit, a bodybuilder, Ravi,a sexual braggart, and a Hindu nationalist, Amit.
    The four nineteen-year-olds, supposedly studying for their entrance exams into University, ride around in a Beamer, a souped -up car, and ogle "fit" girls. Their rough behavior contrasts with their respect for family traditions. They are cowed by their mothers' requests to pick up lavender oil at the drugstore and they don't dare revolt against family rituals like weddings and funerals.
    Jas is a latecomer to the group and tries hard to fit in. He hides his love of books and his habit of talking "poncey" like the BBC. He has to conceal his admiration for a Samira, a Muslim gir, off-limits to Hundus.
    The boys are involved in selling stolen "fones" to a dealer . Ravi is caught stealing their teacher's phone. Instead of calling the police, the schoolmaster introduces them to a role model, Sanjay, a local boy who has become a wealthy entrepreneur. He involves the four in a more sophisticated phone-laundering scheme.
   The boys dump Jas when he gets involved with Amit's older brother Arun whose modern Hindu fiancee displeases his mother. Jas advises Arun not to get caught up in "family-related shit" with disastrous results. Sanjay forces Jas who is cut off from his regular suppliers to rob his own father's phone warehouse or face assassination.
   Jas summarizes his escapades with a torrent of angry words to his father. "The full shit: the fights, the bhangra)hip) gigs, the fones, the bunking, Samira, Hardjit, Sanjay, Samira, Arun, The Porsche, Sanjay's flat...." Most of the novel is written in this patois that becomes easy to understand after the first few pages.
    The story is basically about the rudeboys'struggle to define themselves in a culture foreign to their upbringing and heritage. "

Betty-Jeanne Korson, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Londanstani
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - humorous
Time/era of story - present (2000-2010)
Kids growing up/acting up? Yes
Inside culture (main char) - Indian (Ghandi, not Sitting Bull)
Culture clash? - family young v. old guard
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Outside culture (society) - British
If story of urban/rural... - Big city life
Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes
Age group of kid(s) in story: - college
Wild kid(s)? - committing crimes
Loving/sexing? - girl chasing

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - student
Age: - 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Nationality - Indian Indian
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - a teen
Profession/status: - student
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a substantial amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - bulging muscles

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 (an average amount)
City? Yes
City: - London

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - licking - descript. of female anat. (the big B's) - descript. of female anat. (the big V)
Lot of foul language? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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The Unknown Errors Of Our Lives by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Atul's Quest by Nader Habibi
The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar


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Gautam Malkani Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Betty-Jeanne Korson  

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