SUMMARY Ama is Lakshmi’s mother. Gita is Lakshmi’s friend. Lakshmi’s family is a poor family in Africa. They can’t afford a good tin roof like all the other families do in their village. Lakshmi wants to help provide support for her family so badly by going to work for a rich family and doing a servants job. Unfortunately she can’t because she needs to finish her schooling like all the other kids do. We find out that her father has died a while back. To replace him Ama marries another guy. They are lucky to have him because mothers are disgraced with out a man in the house. Lakshmi’s step father though is very selfish and only thinks about him self. Life changes for Lakshmi when Gita leaves the village. Gita is like her only friend that lives near by. She was sent to a rich family to do work and supply her family with money. Lakshmi goes from playing hopping on one-leg game, brushing hair, and throwing mud to only doing chores now and hanging out with her goat. Tali is her goat. She follows and does what ever Lakshmi does, except for when Lakshmi goes to school than Tali has to stay home. One day Tali did follow Lakshmi to school. It wasn’t a big deal though and Lakshmi took her home at the end of the day. The people of the town and Lakshmi’s family worship the goddess of the swallow-tailed peak. We find out that Lakshmi’s step-father has a disability and can’t work even though he’s still considered of age and young. He has a withered arm and is considered useless. The reason his arm is withered is because when he was young he broke is arm and couldn’t afford medical attention. Sadly he can’t leave the town like most men do to go work in factories and make a substantial income to live on. Instead he goes up to the top of the hill with the elders of the village. There they play cards, talk politics, and drink tea. Some nights he even gambles and loses more money then he takes. At Lakshmi’s school they count the days on a calendar. At home however they count the days by women’s work and her woes. Like cold months, dry months, rainy months, and cool months. Lakshmi has a garden and names all her cucumbers she ahs in it. She treats them as if they are kids and rewards them for growing. The next day though she feels her body change. She lets Ama know of a first blood. Quickly Ama takes her to a shed and conceals her and tells her she needs to stay in the shed for a week before she is pure again. The next night Ama visits Lakshmi and gives her rules and instructions about becoming a woman. Like she has to do as her husband says. In the shed she stays with Tali as her only company. While in the shed Lakshmi day dreams and wishes of her future to come sooner. The dry season comes and blows dirt all over turning water in to mud. They go 50 days with out rain Lakshmi says when it’s the dry season it’s also the hottest. Ten more days pass and there’s no water in the river anymore. Lakshmi’s family is getting desperate and might need to sell some precious items to make it through. The next day Lakshmi waters her plants. She finds that some are missing. She doesn’t question but understands her step-father sold and gambled all the money away. The rain finally comes. It rains so much that it leaks through there weak roof. Though it’s sad it brings joy and laughter because the baby laughs and claps at the sound of the rain hitting the pots and pans set out. That night when Lakshmi’s step-father leaves Ama pulls out corn kernels and one of her husbands cigarettes. Lakshmi sees her self in Ama’s mischievous ways. They discuss what they will do but first their debts need paid. Themes nothing but rain for days. It rains so much that Lakshmi’s crops are washed away. Ama goes to sell animals and her husband goes to his brother to take a loan. A day later Ama returns and find out that she has sold her precious earrings.
Ama is Lakshmi’s mother. Gita is Lakshmi’s friend. Lakshmi’s family is a poor family in Africa. They can’t afford a good tin roof like all the other families do in their village. Lakshmi wants to help provide support for her family so badly by going to work for a rich family and doing a servants job. Unfortunately she can’t because she needs to finish her schooling like all the other kids do. We find out that her father has died a while back. To replace him Ama marries another guy. They are lucky to have him because mothers are disgraced with out a man in the house. Lakshmi’s step father though is very selfish and only thinks about him self. Life changes for Lakshmi when Gita leaves the village. Gita is like her only friend that lives near by. She was sent to a rich family to do work and supply her family with money. Lakshmi goes from playing hopping on one-leg game, brushing hair, and throwing mud to only doing chores now and hanging out with her goat. Tali is her goat. She follows and does what ever Lakshmi does, except for when Lakshmi goes to school than Tali has to stay home. One day Tali did follow Lakshmi to school. It wasn’t a big deal though and Lakshmi took her home at the end of the day. The people of the town and Lakshmi’s family worship the goddess of the swallow-tailed peak.
We find out that Lakshmi’s step-father has a disability and can’t work even though he’s still considered of age and young. He has a withered arm and is considered useless. The reason his arm is withered is because when he was young he broke is arm and couldn’t afford medical attention. Sadly he can’t leave the town like most men do to go work in factories and make a substantial income to live on. Instead he goes up to the top of the hill with the elders of the village. There they play cards, talk politics, and drink tea. Some nights he even gambles and loses more money then he takes.
At Lakshmi’s school they count the days on a calendar. At home however they count the days by women’s work and her woes. Like cold months, dry months, rainy months, and cool months. Lakshmi has a garden and names all her cucumbers she ahs in it. She treats them as if they are kids and rewards them for growing. The next day though she feels her body change. She lets Ama know of a first blood. Quickly Ama takes her to a shed and conceals her and tells her she needs to stay in the shed for a week before she is pure again. The next night Ama visits Lakshmi and gives her rules and instructions about becoming a woman. Like she has to do as her husband says. In the shed she stays with Tali as her only company.
While in the shed Lakshmi day dreams and wishes of her future to come sooner. The dry season comes and blows dirt all over turning water in to mud. They go 50 days with out rain Lakshmi says when it’s the dry season it’s also the hottest. Ten more days pass and there’s no water in the river anymore. Lakshmi’s family is getting desperate and might need to sell some precious items to make it through. The next day Lakshmi waters her plants. She finds that some are missing. She doesn’t question but understands her step-father sold and gambled all the money away. The rain finally comes. It rains so much that it leaks through there weak roof. Though it’s sad it brings joy and laughter because the baby laughs and claps at the sound of the rain hitting the pots and pans set out. That night when Lakshmi’s step-father leaves Ama pulls out corn kernels and one of her husbands cigarettes. Lakshmi sees her self in Ama’s mischievous ways. They discuss what they will do but first their debts need paid. Themes nothing but rain for days. It rains so much that Lakshmi’s crops are washed away. Ama goes to sell animals and her husband goes to his brother to take a loan. A day later Ama returns and find out that she has sold her precious earrings.