Ordinary Magic

by Malcolm Bosse

Uprooted from his home in India by a tragedy, Ganesh begins a new life in the Midwest where his experiences with Hinduism, Yoga, and mantras are considered alien.

Genres: Young Adult

185 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Malcolm Joseph Bosse (May 6, 1926 – May 3, 2002) was an American author of both young adult and adult novels. His novels are often set in Asia, and have been praised for their cultural and historical information relating to the character's adventures. Bosse mostly wrote historical fiction novels after the publication of The Warlord, a historical fiction work set in 1920's China, which became a best-seller.
He also won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 1983.

Bosse was born in Detroit, Michigan and died in New York City. He was a graduate of Yale University and served in the U.S. Navy. Bosse was also an English teacher in City College of New York in Manhattan.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeffrey is called Ganesh by all those that know him well. He was born and raised in India of expatriate Americans but he was raised along typical Hindu lines.

When Jeffrey's parents both die. Jeffrey must return to the States and live with an aunt. His father's older sister. Totally unaware of American customs and idioms, Jeffrey's arrival is as much a shock to his midwestern neighbors as the winter weather is to Jeffrey.

When his aunt runs afoul of the state's highway development plan that threatens to destroy the family's home, Jeffrey discovers a lot about himself and the nature of friendship during a satyagraha a non-violent protest in which he, his aunt, and a group of new friends go up against the state's development plans.

This is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it as a means to learn about a culture that is becoming increasingly important in this ever more interdependent world.

There are a few reviewers that say they hesitate to recommend this book to teens because of the way that it embraces Hinduism. I suggest that you substitute Christianity in the above caution and ask yourselves how comfortable you'd be including that as a caveat in a review.

By all means check this out.

[Abra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book under what I think is its original title, Ganesh, and it is one of those books that add an entirely new dimension to your life. Or maybe, since I was already interested in the subcontinent (and had been since I was a child, making my mother's india print tapestry cloths into fake saris at age 8) it added texture, though not a new dimension. The central character is the son born in India of American followers of a Saddhu -- a guru with some practice of enlightenment. His mother dies when he's very young, and he grows up with his father in a small Indian village, until his father dies suddenly when he is around 12. He is forced to go to the United States and live with an aunt, and the depiction of his culture shock is very well drawn. Just as he is settling in and beginning to sink roots in Massachusetts, his aunt's home is threatened by the township's use of eminent domain, because they want to put in a highway or a fast-food franchise, something like that. And the boy, who has been known his whole life as Ganesh (the name of the Indian half-human, half-elephant god known as 'the remover of obstacles') decides to introduce the traditions he has grown up with: satyagraha -- a firm grip on the truth, the nonviolent resistance tactics used by Mahatma Gandhi in the Indian independence movement. I love this book.

[Abbey Cupcake · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok we had to read it in class the begining was confusing

[MaHfEr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good book. I was a lil concerned about it since it was written in the 80s and talked about India buuut the author was perfect! Super nice story. I’m excited to watch the movie with Ryan Reynolds. The only thing I didn’t like was the end on the protest thing. I just thought was too rush and idk… didn’t enjoy that much

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book at about age 12, and it blew my little mind. I hadn't read it since; honestly, I was afraid it wouldn't hold up, but I'm pleased that it didn't age too badly. I'll be giving it to my own almost-12 year-old to read next. ;)

[Peter Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable book eventually, but it was a bit slow at the beginning. Once we got to the basic crux of the story it picked up and became a wonderful read.

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deep Dream of the Rainforest is one of my all-time favorite YA books, so I had high hopes for this one. I wasn't disappointed - for the most part. Ordinary Magic is also about a young boy experiencing a culture vastly different from the one he grew up in. In Deep Dream, it's a English boy among the headhunters of New Guinea; in Ordinary Magic, a boy raised in India moves to the American Midwest. Bosse is truly a master at making the most exotic world-views comprehensible to kids.

But Ordinary Magic doesn't have the power of Deep Dream, partly, I think because the American kids aren't as real as the newcomer. Maybe Bosse's publisher told him the book could only be so-and-so many pages long, so he cut it off before he was really finished.

It's good, but not in the same league as Deep dream of the Rainforest,

[Garth Mailman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a challenge to read the book after you’ve seen the movie. The movie version reviewed earlier this year on a sister blog was a Canadian CBC Production set in Paris on the Grand in Ontario. The book similarly begins in and around Madras, India but takes Ganesh to America instead. Whereas a movie shows you a book tells you and the narrative adds nuances one may have missed. And one catches the details changed for simplicity or to save time and improve pacing in the movie setting.

The resolution, when it comes, happens quickly and leaves the reader hanging. Most people’s lives do not have happily ever after fairytale endings.

[LeAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kids accept Jeffery's yoga and meditation a bit more quicky that I think is realistic. There is only one teasing episode. The book promotes Hinduism, but does not show Christians as bigoted.

[***Lulu*** · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is ok. In my English class we are assigned to read this. It's not very interesting to read.

[Risa Fey · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was young, this was a 5-star for me. I can see why it was a childhood favorite for me.
I learned a lot about Indian culture.

[Gabsss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!! We were assigned it in my English class and I feel in LOVE with it!!!!!!!!