#548 - The Incredible Life of Anandibai Joshee

by Swati Sengupta and illustrated by Devashish Verma

“The Incredible Life of Anandibai Joshee” by Swati Sengupta and illustrated by Devashish Verma. Published by Talking Cub, the children’s imprint of Speaking Tiger. A short biography of an inspirational girl who fought against all odds in her path to become the first Indian woman to get a medical degree abroad.

Anandi was a strong and intelligent girl. She was married off at the tender age of nine to a much older man who wanted her to study. He made sure that she attended school. At the age of twelve, she became a mother and lost her baby when he was just a few days old due to lack of medical care. This tragedy made her determined to study medicine and help others. This was something unheard of in those days in most parts of the world. Girls hardly got a chance to go to school let alone study medicine of all things. The male dominated field had no opportunities for women.

Pennsylvania in the United States had one of the very few medical colleges which admitted women from across the world. Anandibai made it her mission to go there and study. She faced criticism and people just couldn’t understand why she wanted to travel alone so far away and study. She did not change her decision and gave a bold speech in public explaining why she was pursuing medical education in a distant land. Despite all odds and obstacles that came in her path, she worked hard and became the first Indian woman to be awarded a medical degree in the US. Read the book to know how a child bride like Anandi became a trailblazer and remains an inspirational figure for girls everywhere.

The touching and awe inspiring story of Anandi kept me and my ten year old engrossed while we read the book in just one sitting. Anandi remained calm and persevered even though she faced discrimination, physical abuse and ill health at various stages. With grace in her stride, she set an example for everyone. Her noble ambition of serving the society back home in India made her resolve of studying well firmer. We loved how she transformed beautifully into a mature person when she found freedom to pursue her dreams. Though we had already read a picture book on her earlier, this book gave a much more detailed look into her life and times. The poignant ending did leave us sad but in no way did that bury Anandi’s name in the sands of time. She continues to live as a sign of hope for dreaming big and achieving those dreams through grit and perseverance.

The book is part of a series of short and illustrated biographies of Indian icons for younger readers by Talking Cub. The series aims to introduce readers to a diverse group of Indian achievers, both well-known and those who should be. The other books that we’ve read and loved in this series so far are on “Milkha Singh”, “Jhalkari Bai”, “Birsa Munda”, “Savitribai Phule”, “Bhagat Singh” and “Arati Saha”.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 10 and above.

Where to buy from?

The publishers Talking Cub here.

Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Talking Cub, for review. Thank you to Tanu, from Talking Cub, for sending across the book!