Guns on My Red Earth

by Swati Sengupta

I will not let you kill any more. Shantos voice was firm, confident no longer that of a timid fourteen-year-old boy.

Shanto has managed the impossible. He has escaped from the heavily fortified Lalgarh police station in the heart of Jangal mahal. Few outsiders dare enter these forests. It is a place where armed bands of men and women, Maoists, rule the roost. It is a place where even police contingents don't travel after dark.

Shanto is a child soldier, a hungry boy recruited into a bloodthirsty army of rebels. But when he gets involved in an operation that leads to the gruesome killing of thirty-eight people, he decides to quit the rebels cause. Now, both the police and his former comrades are hunting him down. Will he emerge unscathed? Or will this be the final end of innocence for him? A searing portrayal of a boy forced to confront a brutal reality, Guns on My Red Earth will mesmerize its readers.

Genres: Young Adult

172 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2013

About the author

Swati Sengupta studied English at Jadavpur University and then worked as a journalist for various newspapers in Kolkata. She quit her full-time job in September 2012 and currently freelances for newspapers along with her writing.

Reviews

[Ahlam Tariq · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book, it is about a boy who despite extreme poverty has a moral conundrum and decides to leave his insurgent group, but as he was a former insurgent he gets in trouble with the authorities, his life like an adventure unfolds until he makes a daring decision to save a lot of lives. The book tackles themes of freedom, human rights, poverty and morality, amongst others. The only problem I have is that he gets too lucky a few times but still I loved following Shanto on his rollercoaster ride. The book is a work of fiction but records actual political struggles in West Bengal, India.

[Livia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a stereotypical YA novel. The protagonist, Shanto, comes from the Red Corridor and sees no alternative to joining the Maoists. Slight discrepancy - as Rahul Pandita mentions in his book, the Maoists don't take on children below 16 years of age. The characters stay flat throughout the novel. Nonetheless, it is a story about an aspect of India that one doesn't normally find in mainstream fiction.

[Srijita Mahapatra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story centres around a 14 y/o boy SHANTO from Jangalmahal area who joined the Maoists just for a day's meal. The book portrays the journey of the boy who is in search of peace and a plate of rice. He feels the hardships of the poor, got rescued by the Maoists only to know that it was a hell run by devils in exchange of innocent lives. He finds kindness,then betrayal,then perhaps solitude too. We don't know :3
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The author leaves us with a light hint of suspense at the end

[Soham Chakraborty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay-ish book, not much character or narrative in the book. A decent read, nonetheless.

[Mrinalini Majumdar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book...! About a fourteen year old youth who takes up danger to protect the poor...Going against his very gang of goons, and tries to lead a better life! This is certainly a great read for all!