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The Invisibles: A Tale of the Eunuchs of India
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 305.9066
EAN: 9780679415770
ISBN: 0679415777
Label: Pantheon
Manufacturer: Pantheon
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 293
Publication Date: November 05, 1996
Publisher: Pantheon
Release Date: November 05, 1996
Studio: Pantheon
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Editorial Review:
Zia Jaffrey, daughter of the well-known Indian food writer Madhur Jaffrey and heir to a hybrid Indian-American culture, found herself fascinated on a visit to India by a separate and extraordinary caste--the hijras, or eunuchs, castrati who dress as women and live together. Empathizing with their sense of otherness, she pursued the story of their semi-secret existence. The hijras have a long tradition in India, yet are regarded with great ambiguity. On the one hand they are invited to attend weddings and births and thought to bring good luck despite their crude behavior, bawdy jokes, and bad singing. On the other hand, there is much fearful speculation as to how they perpetuate their caste--some allege the abduction and castration of little boys. Jaffrey sensitively investigates these mysteries.
A spellbinding book--part travelogue, part history--about eunuchs in India today. They are both reviled and accepted, not officially acknowledged but a constant topic of conversation, believed to bring good luck to newlyweds and newborns but accused of prostitution and pederasty. (NIA)
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Interesting but hard to read
Ms. Jaffrey has chronicled her search for information about the hijras of India. Her English and grammar is tortured and takes some getting used to. If you've ever actually been to India, you'll be reminded of how you rarely really understand all that people are saying even though it seems to be English. As an American English speaker, reading this book, there were times when I had no idea what she meant.
There is also some information about the hijras, but it is repeated to the reader ... Read More
Rating:  - Beautiful book by a talented scholar
Some of these other reviews make me laugh. Would it be better had Jaffrey assumed the role of cultural anthropologist ala Serena Nanda and written an "anthropological" treatise on the role of hijras in Indian culture, their meaning, their context, blah blah blah? No. She presumes nothing and gets closer to the "other" than Nanda ever did. Nanda doesn't even scratch the surface, she just has the prestige associated with anthropologists who go there first, meet these people first, get the reality behind ... Read More
Rating:  - Left me wanting more ??
I think Zia did a lot of research but after reading the book I have to look back and ask "what did I really learn about the Eunuchs" ? The answer to that is unfortunately -- nothing. She missed a HUGE opportunity when visiting with a Doctor to find out a lot about the Eunuchs and failed miserably. Great subject matter and it takes an effort to fail with such a great and interesting subject. Save your money !!!!!!
Rating: - Interesting subject, Poor Book
I was very interested when I heard the subject of this book. The eunuchs of India is a subject that very little has been written about. This book promised to tell about this "invisible" group. Instead I kept reading the author's story of her dificulties in finding any infomation only to find the book end without almost any information being found. This was disapointing especially since the story was hard to follow and I only managed to follow it in hopes of finding an in depth look at this ... Read More
Rating: - Interesting subject matter saves (barely) amateurish book
Who knew eunuchs were alive and well in the world on the cusp of the 21st century? Fascinating subject matter. Too bad the writing and reporting here are slapdash and amateurish. In the hands of more skilled author, this could have been a one-of-a-kind classic. Sadly, this is just another example of the publishing world's shortage of skilled editors.
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