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| Nadishka Aloysius |
Sri Lankan author Nadishka Aloysius has compiled a memorable collection of short stories about girls and young women overcoming adversity and stepping into power in “Yes We Can! Stories of Empowerment.” Aloysius, whose stories are rooted in her own culture, writes of flawed and very human characters who must deal with serious challenges. Her use of dialogue is effective, relatable and believable. Reading the volume from my own gendered experience, I fully appreciated that each story centers the experiences of girls and young women.
Although the sections are clearly and distinctly marked and separated for tweens and young adults, one might question the rationale behind putting these stories in the same volume. Stories in the young adult section deal with very adult issues of pregnancy and attempted rape. The section did not come with an explicit warning about mature topics that may not be age-appropriate for pubescent readers. On the other hand, part of growing up is navigating problems beyond one’s development.
From an American reader’s perspective, some of the cultural and scholastic terminology may sound foreign. Perhaps it doesn’t matter that place is not well-established in the stories. We read the names of places and make assumptions about the setting. Regardless of culture, time and place, the themes of loss, love, grief, friendships and betrayals depict the universality of our shared gendered experiences.
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