Leaving Yuba City: Poems

Like Divakaruni's much-loved and bestselling short story collection Arranged Marriage, this collection of poetry deals with India and the Indian experience in America, from the adventures of going to a convent school in India run by Irish nuns (Growing up in Darjeeling) to the history of the earliest Indian immigrants in the U.S. (Yuba City Poems).

Groups of interlinked poems divided into six sections are peopled by many of the same characters and explore varying themes. Here, Divakaruni is particularly interested in how different art forms can influence and inspire each other. One section, entitled Indian Miniatures, is based on and named after a series of paintings by Francesco Clemente. Another, called Moving Pictures, is based on Indian films, including Mira Nair's "Salaam Bombay" and Satyajit Ray's "Ghare Baire." Photographs by Raghubir Singh inspired the section entitled Rajasthani. The trials and tribulations of growing up and immigration are also considered here and, as with all of Divakaruni's writing, these poems deal with the experience of women and their struggle to find identities for themselves.

This collection is touched with the same magic and universal appeal that excited readers of Arranged Marriage. In Leaving Yuba City, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni proves once again her remarkable literary talents.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Anchor Books
Published: 07/14/1997
ISBN: 9780385488549
Pages: 128
Weight: 0.30lbs
Size: 8.36h x 5.68w x 0.36d

Review Citations: Library Journal 07/01/1997 pg. 102
Publishers Weekly 08/25/1997 pg. 68
Booklist 08/01/1997 pg. 1871
Library Journal 10/01/1997 pg. 86
Library Journal 04/01/1998 pg. 98
Library Journal 07/01/1997
Library Journal 10/01/1997