Besharam: On Love and Other Bad Behaviors

by Priya-Alika Elias

Overview

"Elias is bold, more-so she is inquisitive. . . . This book is pithy, it's smart. I'm glad it exists." —Fariha Róisín, author of Like a Bird  

Essays by an emerging writer that touch on themes of family, culture, body image, sex, and feminism 

Besharam roughly translates to "shameless" in Hindi. This collection from Indian writer Priya-Alika Elias is a bold, sassy, and brilliantly written book on love, dating, body image, consent, and other issues that women today relate to and men should be thinking about.  

Elias reflects on, and challenges, the ideas of how women are told by society to be humble, obedient, and ashamed of their actions and desires.  

Her writing is fresh, feminist, and thought-provoking, disrupting taboos and exploring what it means to be a young woman in today's world. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781641605076
Publisher:	Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/20/2021
Edition description:	First Edition, First
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Priya-Alika Elias is a lawyer and a feminist writer. Elias has written for New Republic, VICE, Gawker, Buzzfeed, Teen Vogue, Outline, Toast, McSweeney's, Vox, Ask Men, Firstpost, and Outlook. Her writings cover a range of subjects, from feminism, race, and mental illness to dating and music videos, while her essays explore universal questions through the lens of pop culture. She was named one of the "Amazing Women to Follow on the Internet" by Paper magazine in 2016.

Table of Contents

I. SEX
Shameless 3
Men Who Masturbate 11
Uncomfortable Women 22
II. UGLINESS
Beauty 45
Body 51
III. LOVE
Dump Him 81
Appendix: Some Types of Desi Fuckboys 91
Drama Ranis: Field Notes 97
IV. HURT
If Your Heart Is Broken, Read This 111
India’s Sons 139
Wolves 146
Jane Doe 160
What Is Dark in Me Illumine 165
V. CULTURE
Some Ways to Disappear Girls in Salem, Tamil Nadu 183
Cautionary Tale for Brown Women 184
Things Indian Women Need to Get Used to Saying 191
VI. FAILURE
Agnostic 195
Counting Black Sheep 207
VII. JUDGEMENT
The Aunty Problem 225
Homely 231
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Arranged Marriage 247
VIII. INDEPENDENCE
The Story of an Air Conditioner 261
Closing Prayer: For My Strong Brown Women 272
Notes
Acknowledgments

Editorial Reviews

"Besharam is equal parts hopeful and heartbreaking, and despite its tenderness, calls forth the kind of rage that makes you want to set the world on fire. And I hope it inspires brown girls the world over to do just that." —Electric Literature

“The bold feminist essays of Besharam are smart, critical, and entertaining as they explore what womanhood entails in Desi and US cultures.” —Foreword Reviews

“A phenomenal debut, ideal for readers interested in women’s issues and women’s voices.” —Library Journal

From the Publisher