I'm so excited to welcome y'all to my blog for my stop on the Privilege blog tour hosted by Caffeine Book Tours! The tour began on Caffeine Book Tour (which you can see here) and the rest of the stops are listed at the bottom of the post!
October 12th 2020
Source: I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book from the publisher and Caffeine Book Tours as part of my participation in this tour.
In this epic saga about privilege and power, Rakshan Baliga will have to choose between the American Dream…and his own.
New York’s drug problem is Rakshan's solution. Getting his hands on a super drug called WP could earn him glory, power, and a chance to win back his ex. But stealing it from the Top 1% is costly, and if Rakshan isn’t careful he’ll pay with his life.
Discover how Rakshan’s journey sets off a chain of events that changes his city, his country…and the world. This ensemble political thriller is perfect for fans of Ocean’s 11 and House of Cards.
I was really intrigued by the premise of Privilege, the first in a trilogy by Bharat Krishnan. From the very beginning of this story, I knew that I would have very strong feelings about the characters. As someone who had grown up in the US and who is Indian American--but a woman--I was even more intrigued to see how this story would play out. In the end, while there were some development issues, I did enjoy Privilege a lot.
I want to take a moment to talk about just how uncomfortable I felt reading this book from the beginning because it was a little too relatable. Mind you, this uncomfortability is a good thing because I think the author managed to get his point across very well. Rakshan had this idea from the very beginning that people like his boss Aditya Shetty--immigrants and Indians--would have his back. I emphasized so much with this line of thinking because I have seen it first hand. And like Rakshan, I have also seen the very real impacts of what happens when that faith is broken.
If there is one thing that I think Krishnan has done well in Privilege is discuss the duality of the word itself. Asians--especially South Asians--often get the title of being the model minority. While they are still minorities, there are moments where they help white people uphold white supremacy as well. I think we see this done through the lens of Aditya, Rikshan, Sadiya (I loved her), and Jerome, a young Black man.
I will admit that I think Privilege could've gone into a little bit more depth. It's a fairy short book and I think that limited the scope of development of the characters and the plot. I really wanted to know more about Jerome. I'm glad that Krishnan took the time to talk about the policy brutality that goes on in this fictional (and real) world, I still wanted more from all of the characters.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed Privilege. I loved Sadiya with all of my heart and want nothing but the best for her. I appreciate that the author didn't hide behind the fact that even minorities can be agents in white supremacy and what the impact of this can be.
November 16
November 17
Author Information
Bharat calls himself a professional storyteller and amateur cook. After 10 years of working in politics, he tried to explain how the country went from Barack Obama to Donald Trump by writing Confessions of a Campaign Manager. Then he wrote Oasis, a desert-fantasy novel that examined what makes a family and how refugees should be treated. Bharat is always looking to make a political statement with his writing because he knows politics seeps into every aspect of society and believes we can’t understand each other without a firm, constant understanding of how politics affects us in all ways.
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