The Blue Notebook: A Novel

James A. Levine

Jul 2009 · Sold by Random House

About this ebook

BONUS: This edition contains a The Blue Notebook discussion guide and an excerpt from James A. Levine's Bingo's Run.

An unforgettable, deeply affecting debut novel, The Blue Notebook tells the story of Batuk, a precocious fifteen-year-old girl from rural India who is sold into sexual slavery by her father. As she navigates the grim realities of Mumbai’s Common Street, Batuk manages to put pen to paper, recording her private thoughts and writing fantastic tales that help her transcend her daily existence. Beautifully crafted, surprisingly hopeful, and filled with both tragedy and humor, The Blue Notebook shows how even in the most difficult situations, people use storytelling to make sense of and give meaning to their lives.

Ratings and reviews

I sit her horrorfied at "mans inhumanity towards others. This really happens in the present. Her short life of horror was only saved by her fantasies and her writing. We are not evolved as a spiecies. Not in mylifetime, but in the near future, I pray that this, and all cruelty towards each other will be ended. We r all connected

A page turner ! The impeccable strength of Batuk leaps out the page and tugs at your heart. The dreams and hopes she has throughout her violent, degrading days by thousands of barbaric men makes you reconsider your own hardships and how irrelevant first world problems are, compared to what half a million children endure everyday. This has made me get involved and help anyway i can to save these enslaved children living in cages with no escape, sold to the brothels. Shame on India to allow this to happen to their children.

This was the best book ever!!!! It took me on an emotional roller coaster and I also feel as though I had a personal connection with the character batuk

About the author

James A. Levine, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, is a world-renowned scientist, doctor, and researcher. He lives in Oronoco, Minnesota.