Recently re-read the book Kim by Rudyard Kipling. There was no good reason to do so. Just felt the urge to read that book again maybe for the tenth time. I'm happy to report that the book still holds up for me.
Kim is among a handful of books I like to re-read just for pleasure's sake.This time around I was worried that I'd be more cognizant of any overt racism (the book is over 100-years old). However, whatever racial slurs there were in the book were used to illustrate the ignorance of any British menial workers or soldiers. The adult heroes of the book include a Muslim horse-trader, a Tibetan lama and a Bengali spy - all portrayed respectfully with authentic detail by Kipling.
I couldn't help but compare this in my mind to Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes. That book was a favorite of mine growing up but today would be unreadable because of the overt racism.
I'm sure I'll re-read Kim again in another year or two.
I have not read this, but I will see if I have in my collection. Currently I am reading With the Old Breed about the Marines in the Pacific in WW2, and excellent first hand account.
ReplyDeleteMany feel Kim is Kipling's masterpiece and its consistently been rated among the top 100 novels of the 20th century.
ReplyDeleteCurrently reading The Fixers about early Hollywood scandals. Think my mind wanted some brain candy after trying to tackle David Deutsch's The Beginnings of Infinity.