NIRMALA: The Mud Blossom

Book Overview

2016 New Apple Summer E-Book Awards – Medalist Winner (General Fiction)
2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards – Finalist (Novella)
2015 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards – Honorable Mention (Fiction – Realistic)
2014 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award – Winner (Novella)

About the Book

This story is about Nirmala the Mud Blossom, who had the misfortune of being born female in Mumbai. Rejected and thrown into the dustbin when she was just two days old, the child was rescued and returned to her family by the NGOs.

Nirmala is ill-treated by her mother and subject to violence at her hands. She is allowed to continue her studies only because she can coach her younger brothers, as her parents are illiterate. Loving school and the access it gives her to books she relishes, she accepts each beating with forbearance.
Nirmala’s education ends with the twelfth-grade, so her parents can save enough money to send the boys to college. She is married off, and though her married life begins smoothly, it becomes yet another phase of hell. After giving birth to her first child, a girl, Nirmala is subjected to harassment and beatings, and forced into actions contrary to her beliefs and dreams. Her life is shattered.

What will happen to this little mud blossom? Will she fight back or succumb? How can she rid herself of harassment and rise above the stigma she endures?

Nirmala: The Mud Blossom graphically depicts the travails, discrimination, and abuse faced by female children in India from the cradle to the grave.

Reviews

“I highly recommend Nirmala: The Mud Blossom as a compelling read. No one with a heart can come away from it without being changed. You will feel the pain and the love behind every word and image, Pathan identifies herself so strongly with her creations. You will have to give of yourself and no doubt end up being a more empathetic person, more likely to help save the world, for it.”—Margaret Virany, author of The Book of Kells: Growing Up in an Ego Void
“A heartfelt story of great resilience in the face of overwhelming odds NIRMALA: The Mud Blossom is Fiza Pathan at her very best.”—Book Viral
“Overall, the feeling that the book should be longer is really a testament to how well Pathan is able to illustrate characters that truly come to life off the pages. The novel really shines because of the dramatic events and a few twists and turns that give an unexpected realistic quality to the book.”—IndieReader
“The heartache that will result from reading about Nirmala’s sad life is a bittersweet one; while it is heartbreaking to know that Nirmala’s plight is not fiction to everyone, one can only hope that there is a young girl much like Nirmala somewhere who will find relief in her story finally being told. Fiza Pathan’s honest and straightforward style of writing helps to bring illumination to this cold reality, and while one should not expect a happy ending amongst its pages, Nirmala: The Mud Blossom is a necessary and enlightening read. Nirmala’s story, and the many real stories like it, very much deserve to be heard.”—Authors Talk About It
“Nirmala: The Mud Blossom is painful to read, but it carries a stunning and an essential message. It’s most highly recommended.”—Readers’ Favorite
“Eye-opening, riveting, and not for the faint of heart, Nirmala: The Mud Blossom is very much a must read for all.”—The US Review of Books