"Bambo People" book review

"Writing to ‘shape the human heart"

Growing up, Mitali Perkins considered books her lifeline.
They were her rock and sometimes her only friends as her family moved around the world.
Today the Newton, Mass., resident writes her own books, hoping her words can influence and help teenagers who were just like her.
“I know firsthand how stories shape the human heart during childhood and adolescence, so it was a bit of a no-brainer for me,” Perkins said.
“Who wouldn’t want one of the most powerful vocations on the planet?”
Her new novel, “Bamboo People,” is about the modern-day war in Myanmar (Burma), told through the eyes of two teenage boys whose lives are changed when their paths collide.
“This book is not traditional,” Perkins said, “but kids will like it because it’s an adventure.”
Publishers Weekly gave “Bamboo People” a starred review, calling it “a graceful exploration of the redemptive power of love, family, and friendship under untenable circumstances.”
This is her first book written from a boy’s perspective.
“I have twin sons in high school, so I know boys, but I myself am a girly-girl,” Perkins said. She added that it was fun looking at life through the eyes of a teen boy, but she is happy to keep writing as a girl in the future.
Her previous books include “Monsoon Summer,” “The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen” and “First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover.”
Perkins’ experiences living in different cultures and traveling the planet inspire her to write books that aren’t typical of the children’s and young-adult genres.
By age 11, this Calcutta native had lived in London, New York, Mexico and Thailand before her family settled in the San Francisco Bay area.
She studied political science at Stanford University and public policy at University of California, Berkeley, and said she survived academia thanks to a steady diet of children’s books.
Perkins went on to teach middle school, high school and college students, but writing books remained her passion.
It was her political science background that led her to write “Bamboo People.” She knew about the struggles of child soldiers but said there are “no children’s books on the market that deal with this serious stuff.”
The author said she is counting on librarians and independent booksellers like Aaron’s Books to introduce her new book to teens, because it might not be a choice they would find on their own.
“I’m hoping when teens read this they will care about the characters and think about how small choices matter,” Perkins said.
“Because when the time comes for bigger choices, then you will make the right one.”