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    The Blue Notebook: A Novel
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    The Blue Notebook: A Novel
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    The Blue Notebook: A Novel
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Blue Notebook: A Novel

    Written by James A. Levine

    Narrated by Meera Simhan

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Dear Reader:

    Every now and then, we come across a novel that moves us like no other, that seems like a miracle of the imagination, and that haunts us long after the book is closed. James Levine’s The Blue Notebook is that kind of book. It is the story of Batuk, an Indian girl who is taken to Mumbai from the countryside and sold into prostitution by her father; the blue notebook is her diary, in which she recalls her early childhood, records her life on the Common Street, and makes up beautiful and fantastic tales about a silver-eyed leopard and a poor boy who fells a giant with a single gold coin.

    How did Levine, a British-born doctor at the Mayo Clinic, manage to conjure the voice of a fifteen-year-old female Indian prostitute? It all began, he told me, when, as part of his medical research, he was interviewing homeless children on a street in Mumbai known as the Street of Cages, where child prostitutes work. A young woman writing in a notebook outside her cage caught Levine’s attention. The powerful image of a young prostitute engaged in the act of writing haunted him, and he himself began to write.

    The Blue Notebook brings us into the life of a young woman for whom stories are not just entertainment but a means of survival. Even as the novel humanizes and addresses the devastating global issue of child prostitution, it also delivers an inspiring message about the uplifting power of words and reading–a message that is so important to hold on to, especially in difficult times. Dr. Levine is donating all his U.S. proceeds from this book to help exploited children. Batuk’s story can make a difference.

    Sincerely,

    Celina Spiegel
    Publisher

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 7, 2009
    ISBN9780739382806
    Unavailable
    The Blue Notebook: A Novel
    Author

    James A. Levine

    James A. Levine is the co-director of the Mayo Clinic/Arizona State University Obesity Solutions Initiative and the inventor of the treadmill desk. He has published more than 100 scientific papers, worked on dozens of corporate programs, and served as an advisor for schools on how to make the classroom a more active place. He is the author of Get Up!  He was awarded the Invention of the Year Award by NASA, the Platinum Award at the World Fair, and Entrepreneur of the Year in the State of Minnesota. His work has been featured on Rock Center, 60 Minutes, BBC, and all major network US morning shows, as well as in The New York Times, and The Times of London.

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    Reviews for The Blue Notebook

    4/5

    247 ratings60 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The Blue Notebook is a powerful and very sad read that reminded me in many ways of Memoirs of a Geisha. It gives a personal voice to an issue of global importance and forces us to pay attention to something many would prefer to ignore. James Levine has given us a solid debut that hints at the promise of great things to come, and booklovers will be drawn into his story about the refuge available to us in words and the release we can find in writing. Read my full review at The Book Lady's Blog.
    • 5/5
      WOW! What an eye-opener. The story of Batuk is absolutely heart-wrenching and deplorable. My experience reading this book was filled with cringing and gasping moments - just sickened at the possibility of this being remotely realistic. After a little bit of research (it didn't take much), I unfortunately discovered that variations of Batuk's story are not uncommon. My stomach literally flips and my skin crawls at the images left in my mind.Interestingly enough, the story is told in a factual manner instead of from an emotional viewpoint. I was thankful for that. The facts alone were enough to trouble my heart. The dramatic, devastating events shocked me from the get-go, but without a doubt I was wide-eyed by page 4. The book is filled with explicit acts of violence and is hard to believe that it really happens. Even though, the subject is beyond tough, the author tells the story well, but leaves an ambiguous ending. Unfortunately, that did not leave me satisfied. Although, throughout the book - I was glued.I applaud James A. Levine for addressing such a brutal subject - one that has to come to the surface. Also, my heart is hopeful that more awareness will create more action. Thank you, James for donating all the US proceeds of this book to the International and National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children to help in that process. I respect your work.Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy
    • 3/5
      Not finished with this audio book yet. It's tough material -- about the life of an East Indian girl sold into prostitution in Bombay, told in the form of her journal. Some of the writing and observations are wonderful. My only criticism is that some sections were very matter of fact and others were deeply philosophical, with little transition between the two. I found that somewhat jarring. Perhaps it would be different in written form. It certainly gave me insight into a very different world from the one I live in.
    • 3/5
      A very vivid portrayal of sex, violence and abuse toward children. *Not for the faint of heart.*
      As another reviewer stated, I can't put my finger on why this book was just OK.
      I'm familiar with reading "man's inhumanity to man" subjects, yet this book which I guess I thought would reveal the resilience of human spirit, sadly, did not do this. Rather it proved to me that these children merely adapt to their sad circumstances. Which is after all what children do.

    • 3/5
      wasn't as good as i thought i would be. a little disturbing. just an ok read
    • 3/5
      This book was too hearbreaking. Especially because though it is fiction, I know that it is all too real.
    • 4/5
      Sometimes you find a book that you know tackles an important, scary, or terrible issue but it's hard to make yourself face reading it because you know it's going to rip your heart out and make you face the evil of the world. James Levine's The Blue Notebook is one of those books. Tackling the horrific topic of child prostitution and abuse in India, this novel is difficult to read, graphic, and unfortunately more real than not.Narrator Batuk is take from her small village to Mumbai and sold into prostitution by her father when she is just nine years old. She lives in a tiny "nest" on the street and she must solicit business from here, retreating behind a curtain to service her customers, or as she calls it "making sweet-cake," in order to ensure the continued happiness and wealth of her keepers, a large woman named Mamaki Briila and the more distant Master Gahil. Batuk details her story and experiences in a small blue notebook she keeps hidden and with a stub of a pencil inadvertantly dropped one day by Mamaki Briila. She tells of her early life at home as the apple of her father's eye and how unexpected it was for her, seemingly secure in her father's love, to be so callously sold into prostitution. She talks about her unspoiled beauty and the sale of her virginity to the highest bidder. She writes of her experiences in various underground places designed to make her compliant, sexually skilled, and appreciative of the tiny nest she calls her own when the novel opens. She captures her fellow sex workers, especially her best friend Puneet, a beautiful boy who is eventually castrated to preserve his youthful beauty. And she writes of learning to be exceptional at her job as a way to minimize how much she must do: the better she performs sexual acts, the sooner the men who visit her will be satisfied, pay, and leave.There is a detached resignation to the writing here with Batuk telling her tale matter of factly and from a remove, even as she lives with the horror daily. And while the distance might be necessary so as not to overwhelm the reader, it also serves to minimize the emotional impact of the story, making the tale less visceral and less immediate. Batuk's life is in fact horrific and given that she was sold by her own father at such a young age, she has had less than no input into her own fate and prospects. She is completely owned by others and will be deemed disposable once she can no longer attract paying clients. Her voice here is not particularly true to her experience. The mix of maturity and naivete works but her eloquence and educated language are completely unbelievable no matter how smart she is given her upbringing and exposure thus far in her life. There are many graphic acts of violence and sex detailed and reading them is not for the faint of heart, especially as the depravity escalates. In the end, while this novel shines a light on the exploitation and abuse of innocents, it offers no hope for the future of those trapped in a hell not of their own making.
    • 5/5
      A 15-year-old Indian girl tells of her life locked up in a room. She explains how she ended up there, about her daily life and of what "bake a cake" really means.Incredibly well written fiction novel! It is impossible to read this book without being moved!
    • 4/5
      The story of Batuk, a young girl of 15 who is sold into slavery and spends her life in a cage in Mumbai is both hard to read, and hard to put down. Her only escape is through writing in her diary, a blue notebook. Levine, the author is a doctor at Mayo clinic, who toured the slums of Mumbai and witnessed first-hand child prostitution and saw one young girl-the inspiration for this story-writing in a notebook. Heart-wrenching, and moving. Hard to believe that such atrocities do exist.
    • 4/5
      Found this book disturbing. A little too graphic. Relies heavily on the sex. i was interested in the history aspects and the description of her life in her village and in the commom streets of india. The reality of child prostitution is certainly not glossed over. it was hard to read.
    • 5/5
      One of the few novels out there that tackles the subject of contemporary slavery/ human trafficking, there's no doubt that this is a difficult book to read. Levine's poetic prose and carefully drawn characters, though, make the work so engaging and gripping that it is nearly impossible to put aside, even at the most graphic moments. The author's instincts for how much detail and humor to provide were right on key, and I have to say that as difficult as it was to pick this book back up after each time I put it down, I enjoyed the full book as much as a book like this can be enjoyed. The narrator's voice carries the book, and makes this one to pass forward. If Levine writes anymore novels, I'll be picking them up--his prose is masterful and poetic, and this book is, for what it is, perfect.
    • 5/5
      Heartbreaking and sometimes hard to read, but amazing, insightful, and eye-opening.
    • 4/5
      What a story! So lyrically written, but such an intense subject. I know that there are many places on this earth where life is not held in great esteem. It always amazes me, for my experience has been so different. Life is such a precious gift. And indeed Batuk, despite the grit and really wretched circumstances of her existence, recognized the beauty, even in the slums and squalor of Mumbai. This is not an easy book to read, by any means, but it is a beautiful one.
    • 5/5
      This is a tragic and disturbing novel but somehow manages to be poetic and beautiful at the same time. It is not for the faint of heart...Levine captures the voice of Batuk, the young Indian girl sold in prostitution, perfectly. Batuk uses her imagination, stolen pencil and her elegant way with words to survive the brutal life thrust upon her.
    • 3/5
      Very hard to read. Made me sad and frustrated.
    • 3/5
      So disturbing and horrifying !!!!
    • 3/5
      I read this book in just a few days which is quite fast for me! I was quite captured by the story, and the main character Batuk. While I enjoyed the read, I am not sure it would rank highly on my favourite book, or most memorable book list. The story was sad. The plight of orphan children in Mumbai was well detailed in the movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' so certainly wasn't a revelation. I am not certain I understand the structure of the book - the blue note book section vs the second section. I am not certain the format had much impact on the reader. Overall, a quick read on a somewhat not so new topic.
    • 4/5
      A few days ago, I watched a televsion show about women in India. This show went behind the scenes at a woman's prison and showed viewers that Indian women love their children so much that they take their children to jail with them. They raise their children behind bars until the child reaches the age of six. I thought to myself, "that sounds like a bad idea." One of the women that was raising her child behind bars said it was safer for her child in prison than on the streets of India. I doubted that. Then I read this book. This book shows us the darker side of India. An India in which parents don't love their kids, but sell their nine year old daughters to prostitution houses. At the orphanages, losing a limb to be a more convincing beggar, being raped, or being murdered and thrown in the local garbage dump is a daily occurence. Following the life of a young prostitute named Batuk, this dark world is revealed. It was very well written. It makes you think. It is also very miserable. Except for one memory of a hospital, it seems everybody in Batuk's life is an evil villain. Not one kind character or kind word seems to surface. I felt some of this was overdone.. namely the grotesque bus driver and the doctor in the hotel. It would have hit the five star mark if not EVERYONE in the book was cruel and evil. Come on, there is always one kind smile to be found even among some of the worst of human civilization. Good book tho and all the proceeds in the USA are donated to help missing or exploited kids so I do recommend it.
    • 4/5
      Levine's first novel is told from the perspective of Batuk, a fifteen-year-old prostitute in Mumbai. Unlike most girls in her position, Batuk has learned to read and write, and finds solace and enjoyment in keeping a diary. Throughout the novel, she chronicles memories of the family who gave her away, the brutality she faces from her employers and clients, as well some of the happier moments she shares with her friends, namely Puneet. Puneet is a young male prostitute who receives more clients than his female counterparts, and possibly even crueler treatment.The story can become graphic as Batuk offers details about her job and the violence she faces from those who exercise their power over her through beatings and rape. The author, James A. Levine, is a medical doctor who was inspired to write the novel after interviewing homeless children in Mumbai, including a prostitute he saw writing in a notebook, as part of his work for the Mayo Clinic. Nevertheless, Batuk seems believable, at least in so far as Levine captures the voice of a young, imaginative and intelligent girl who is suddenly forced into a harsh, adult world. When one of Batuk's clients asks why she writes, she responds, "I like to see my thoughts because otherwise they are invisible." It's a powerful statement, knowing that Batuk's thoughts are irrelevant to most people in her life, and that her journal is her only refuge. There is the sense, however, that Levine hopes to give a voice to the many real children who share Batuk's fate. (And all of his US royalties from the book are donated to the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children.)
    • 3/5
      The Blue Notebook by James Levine is told in the point of view of Batuk, a young girl who has been sold into prostitution by her father. From then on, she works through several places, including the streets of Mumbai, then being bought from place to place where her final place ends up being in some sort of hotel. It's a hard read. Although being only two hundred pages, it is an account in extreme graphic detail of Batuk's life after being sold by her father. She does not skimp away the grisly details that happens to her and how she is meant to please her clients. The only light hearted moments I get are when she shares a laugh with her friend Puneet and how they make fun of the "Hippopotamus". I thought they were so cute together but, even that little bit of happiness fades as Batuk is passed on to another place to do her work.My heart went out for Batuk. You see her innocence shatter and how she narrates the entire story you don't hear much emotion, it's almost as you can hear a flat voice through the diary entries. It's a bleak and depressing read but it probably is a very realistic account of what happens out there to child prostitutes anywhere in the world. There are only a few things I didn't agree with in this book. I'm not for flowery poetry writing and mini stories and there's a few parts of that in this story. I mostly skipped it by as I didn't have much patience for that. I don't really understand how you can be that literate when you've only learned to read and write at a missionary hospital but that's just my opinion. Second, the ending was very vague. However, if you really think about it, no one in this world really cares where a prostitute ends up, therefore the ending shouldn't matter. It's very shocking, but it's sadly true however, I would have liked to know where Batuk ended up. Also note, due to the graphic nature and content this is not for the squeamish. It didn't bother me much, but there were parts where I cringed.Overall a very sad and in depth look into the life of a child slave. It'll make you feel for the millions of child slaves and helpless women out there suffering where they have no control over their lives and sadly, no where to turn to.
    • 4/5
      Story of a girl sold into prostitution in India by her father - I liked the story told from her point of view and especially the way it made her literacy relevant to her station in life and how she survived. However, the prostitution details were too repetitive by the end of the book. The ending was predictible but still I felt it incomplete. Still it was a good read!
    • 4/5
      I received this book as an ARC through Early Reviewers, and as I began reding it, I wondered why I had put it on my list as it's not something I would normally choose to read. However, I am glad I did. It's not one of those books I think you can say that you *love*, as it's just incredibly realistic, including details that made my stomach churn, and it's quite heartbreaking to know that thousands of young women and girls live this kind of reality every day. The things that Batuk experiences no girl should have to go through, especially by force, and especially repeatedly over many years. What makes a family sell a girl into prostitution/slavery? Surely money alone can't be the only answer here. How do people live with themselves, doing this to children, whether as the "John" or the pimp, or any of the other numerous people involved in the prostitution of young girls and boys? It's a tough read, but ultimately an important one.
    • 2/5
      I just didn't love this book. I should have... I have read several of this sort and been very interested and drawn in by the characters... but this book just didn't grab me. I appreciated the child's point of view... it added an interesting angle, but I just couldn't connect to Batuk. It took me a while to get through this book,l as I was not very motivated to pick it up due to a lack of interest in the characters.
    • 5/5
      Reason for Reading: Honestly, I simply felt compelled to read this, even though it's not my usual type of reading. I do however enjoy books written in diary format, books with an Indian viewpoint and books written from a child's point of view. Comments: This is a heart wrenching book to read. Set in modern India, the story of a nine-year-old girl who is sold by her loving father into prostitution (to pay off his debts) and her presented to us in the first person through her diaries. We are given her story from her present timeline at the age of fifteen as well as from her past as she tells how she came to be in her present circumstances, until past meets present and we only can go forward with her.This book is going to be a hard read for some people. A child prostitute leads a brutal life and the author leaves no stone unturned nor holds back on any details. Yet, Batuk, the main character, is many things. She is a victim, she is a part of her world, she is a survivor, she is an innocent child, she can be devious, she can experience pure child-like joy and she experiences terror no child should ever have. She is a character that the reader feels both great outrage and compassion for and also admires for her own strength and spirit.One thing that really struck me as I read was how amazingly real the voice of the fifteen-year-old girl is, while realizing that the book is written by a man. For a man to project this teen's feminine multi-layered personality so beautifully is a sign of a brilliant author. I look forward to his next novel.The only thing that disappoints me some is the ambiguous ending. The only thing that stops me from giving a 5* rating. We are left to sort things out for ourselves and decide what happened. It ends in such a way that one can assume that it ended a certain way but if your not happy with that there is plenty of ambiguity to perceive your own ending. I prefer my books to tell me how it ends.There is a lot of graphic s*xual detail, though none of it is gratuitous. It is necessary for such a story to show what really goes on in this world. This is a book that will open your eyes to something that you may not wish to have opened to you but how can you *not* go on without knowing these truths about your world.
    • 4/5
      What more can I add to all of the raving reviews given to this book??I agree with all of the review here and elsewhere. It is about the awful crime of child prostitution and child sexual abuse. The author has done great service in writing Batuk's story. He is even donating all of the US royalties to help combat this problem.SPOILER AHEADHowever, the author should have stopped at the half-way point. Just about half way thru the book there is a line "here ends the blue notebook". That should have been the end. He had made his point. But he then proceeds with what can only be characterized as lurid, gratuitous violence that results in the brutal death of 4 characters who, though greedy and evil to varying degrees, have little to do with Batuk, our protagonist. The "Perp" does not seem to be her, but one of two other characters who only appear at the end of the book.
    • 2/5
      The Short of It:An unsettling story about a nine-year-old girl that is sold into prostitution by her own family. Deeply disturbing at times and extremely graphic. This one is hard to stomach.My Thoughts:What struck me about this novel was not the shocking content (surprisingly). What struck me, is that the story was so beautifully written. The content is dark and gritty yet the prose is so alluring that it pulled me through the story even when I didn't want to read anymore. For this, I would recommend the book.However, I did have some issues with where the story went. I won't give anything away, but I felt that the story took an unrealistic turn. I believed the street scenes and her time in "the nest." This felt genuine to me and I wanted to know more about the other boys and girls who lived with her, especially Puneet. I was also intrigued with the Orphanage and the characters within it, but I felt that her time there was short and then the novel seemed to shift abruptly for me.I know that there is a hardening that takes place when a child is forced into prostitution. They either grow a tough shell, or they cave and fall apart. Batuk does not cave. She learns to play the game but towards the end of the novel I tired of her. I think I was sickened by her playing the game. Her manipulation at times was necessary for survival but it presented a different side to her, one that I didn't care for.A good example of what I am trying to convey is that Puneet had the same life. He had the same horrible things happen to him, yet he never lost his child-like demeanor. I suppose in a real life situation, a child would do whatever they needed to do in order to adapt, but it bothered me.One important item to mention is that Levine is donating the U.S. proceeds of this novel to the International and National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children.This book was kindly sent to me by Alyce over at At Home With Books.
    • 5/5
      This is a deeply sad book, and an engrossing book too. The story of a child prostitute in Mumbai, Bartuk was sold into slavery by her father, and taken from her family's countryside home to Mumbai's red light district. On the 'Common Street' that becomes Bartuk's home, the children are kept in cages barely large enough for movement. They are given barely enough food to sustain life. Most horrifically, they are expected to have sex with a dozen or so men every night. It is difficult to overstate the horrors of the Common Street, and Bartuk escapes the horrors of her life by writing in her diary, a blue notebook she must keep hidden. It would be easy to become engrossed in this book merely because of the shock value. Certainly the conditions are horrific, moreso because Bartuk and her friends are composite characters based on children Levine met during travels in Mumbai. But there is more literary merit to this novel than just shock, and Levine has produced a compelling protagonist and engaging plot. Bartuk's writing and quick mind sometimes disguise her youth, but the reader is constantly reminded of her age by the series of euphamisms she has developed to refer to anatomy and sexual activity. The reader is intimately aware of the precariousness of Bartuk's situation, and one in which the reader is given no definitive ending. This seems appropriate, as Bartuk's life is so precarious, so too is her fate. This novel is not just a work of literature, it is also a call to action. Bartuk is only one of many, and the author makes clear his intention to donate proceeds to children's charities. Levine has crafted a moving and unforgettable character; her story is one that will not easily be forgotten.
    • 4/5
      The Blue Notebook is the story of Batuk, an Indian girl who is sold into slavery at the age of nine. I found the graphic nature of this book so disturbing that I had difficulty reading it. I made myself finish it. The writing itself was done well, so I have to be fair in rating this book. It was the content that I didn't care for. I'm also taking into account that the author's intentions is to raise awareness of actual atrocities being inflicted on young girls in India and that message does need to be shared so that this kind of thing will be stopped. So I rated this book three and 1/2 stars.
    • 5/5
      This is the life story of a young Indian girl who was sold into prostitution at the age of 9, told in her own words. This girl's reality is slowly unfurled to the reader since initially she uses euphemisms overlaid with fantasies and dreams to describe both her daily life and the loss and betrayal of her family. However the soft-focus doesn't last for long and it soon becomes readily apparent just how desperate this girl's situation really is. The Blue Notebook is a thoroughly compelling read.
    • 4/5
      The Blue Notebook centres around Batuk, a 15 year old prostitute in Mumbai. Given up by her impoverished familty, her virginity is sold to the highest bidder and she is then turned over to work out of a small cell on Common Street. Having been hospitalised as a child in a missionary hospital, Batuk knows how to read and write. She begins to write her thoughts and observations in a blue exercise book with a pencil stub obtained from one of her patrons.Batuk's imagination and acceptance of her world is simply remarkable. Every horrible graphic detail is recorded without emotion. Instead it is her memories of her father, family and childhood that elicit emotion from Batuk and protect her from the degrading and horrible world in which she lives.James Levine is a respected doctor at the prestigious Mayo Clinic, but he draws from his personal research to write this harrowing and disturbing book. How does a middle-aged american male put himself into the mind of a poor, teenaged Indian prostitute? According to the promotional material accompanying the book "interviewing homeless kids on a famous street of prostitution in Mumbai known as the Street of Cages. A young woman writing in a notebook outside of her cage caught his attention, and he interviewed her at length. The powerful image of a young prostitute engaged in the act of writing haunted him"I think that the character of Batuk is designed to be somewhat emotionless - it is the actions and atrocities that she suffers that will stick in your mind long after you read the book. The awful acts that humans are capable of inflicting upon someone they consider beneath them are nothing new, but still shock. The author is donating all proceeds from the U.S. sales of this book to International and National Centres for Missing and Exploited Children - highly appropriate. On an aside note, I highly liked the shade of blue used in the cover artwork - but was disappointed to see the book listed with a yellow cover on Amazon.co.uk.