Partition of British India

Children's Literature

Offering insights about the influence of conflict-laden political boundaries on history and international affairs, the publisher's "Arbitrary Borders" series examines selected political boundaries in world history. This title focuses on the 1947 partition of British India and the creation of two newly independent states of India and Pakistan. Prefatory material addresses the purpose of these books and the role of such knowledge in an increasingly divided world. An opening chapter details the circumstances under which Kashmir acceded to India, leading to events whose repercussions are still being felt in the world today. Having set the stage for the conflict over the boundary, the book takes the reader back through an overview of Indian history, from ancient times, through the British period and the Independence movement. The complex unfolding of events in the 1940s is revealed, with the rising influence of the Congress Party and the emerging voice of Jinnah and the Muslim League. For the most part the author holds back on commentary. In a few places he seems to waver, attributing prevarication to Nehru and Gandhi at one point, and occasionally casting the British in a more benign light than the political maneuvering of the period would appear to warrant. Gandhi's name is mostly spelled correctly although the commonly erroneous "Ghandi" seems to have escaped copy-editing in a few places. Still the value of this book lies in its introducing a high school audience to a geography and history with which they might otherwise have little acquaintance. Other titles in the series are The Green Line: The Division of Palestine, and The U. S.-Mexico Border: The Treaty of GuadalupeHidalgo. 2006, Chelsea House, Ages 14 up.
—Uma Krishnaswami