Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatramen

When Kabir leaves jail at age nine, he enters a world unknown to him: the free world. A delicate and sensitive novel for middle grades.

Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatramen. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2021. 272 pages.

Reading Level: Middle grades, ages 8-10

Recommended For: Middle grades, ages 8-12 (note considerations below)

My voice sticks in my throat like the wrong key in a lock. I can’t get any words out.

~p. 56

Kabir learns, on his ninth birthday, that he’s now too old to stay in jail with his mother. Born behind bars, Kabir has never known any other home. How can he leave his Amma? She didn’t even commit the crime she was accused of. Kabir determines to find his father and help get his mother out of jail. But life on the streets for a low-caste boy in Chennai is not an easy one. Escaping a plot to sell him into slavery, he falls in with Rani, a young Romani girl (also low-caste). Together the two set off on their quest to restore Kabir’s mother and to find a home.

Venkatramen covers serious ground (child slavery, injustice in the prison system, caste prejudice, and more) but with a delicate, gentle touch that keeps her story within reach of young readers. Kabir tells his story in present tense, and his voice sounds genuine if a bit too “aware” for his given age. Rani is a delight, as spunky and independent as her pet parrot.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this novel is the interplay of religions: Kabir’s mother is a Hindu and his father is (was) a Muslim. From the beginning, Kabir and his Amma talk about God and the way they understand Him. {spoiler alert} Kabir’s paternal grandparents eventually take him in, and they are firmly Muslim. But they respect his joint Hindu-Muslim heritage, teaching him the Muslim prayers and allowing him to maintain some Hindu traditions. Although admirable, particularly given Kabir’s delicate situation, this also communicates to readers that one’s religion is just as equal as another’s. There is no one truth, one God who is the real (only) God. Worth a discussion with young readers, but most young readers will find the book interesting and not necessarily prescriptive of what they, themselves, should actually believe in terms of religious beliefs.

Considerations:

• Religion/Spirituality: As mentioned, both Hindu and Muslim beliefs are considered correct and acceptable for Kabir.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5

• Worldview/Moral Rating: 3.5 out of 5
• Literary/Artistic Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Read more about our ratings here.

Related Reading From Redeemed Reader

• A Review: The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatramen
• A Review: Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins (another book about a young boy in India)
• A Review: Red, White, and Whole by Rajanni LaRocca (a novel-in-verse about a young Indian woman in America)

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