A History of Burning: The perfect summer read for fans of Half of a Yellow Sun, Homegoing and Pachinko

Enjoyed reading the family saga of four generations.Starting with the tortuous journey of an indentured labourer from Gujarat to build railway tracks in Africa. How families were fractured and dispersed through tumultuous events: Indian partition, expulsion from Uganda and finally race riots in Canada. How these families coped with extreme tragedy, destruction and rebuilt again & again with extreme resilience.

Through four generations of one family, the novel explores how migration, colonialism, and repeated displacement leave their mark long after borders have been crossed. The story begins in 1898, when thirteen-year-old Pirbhai leaves Porbandar, Gujarat, as an indentured labourer recruited by the British to help build the East African Railway.Spanning nearly a century, the narrative moves through colonial East Africa, the Partition of India, and the 1972 expulsion of Asians from Uganda under Idi Amin, before following the family’s resettlement in Canada and the United Kingdom. At its heart, it is a story of survival, inheritance, and the enduring search for home. Janika Oza is a Canadian writer whose family history inspired A History of Burning. Descended from migrants who moved from India to East Africa and later experienced the Ugandan Asian expulsion, Oza brings a deeply personal understanding of migration, memory, and belonging to her debut novel. Title of the book Fire appears as a recurring motif throughout the novel, linking different places, eras, and members of the family. The novel opens with a fire connected to Pirbhai’s years building the East African Railway, an event that becomes a moral inheritance passed down through his family. Decades later, the family’s shop in Toronto is set on fire, creating a powerful parallel between the beginning and the end of the story. Thoroughly enjoyed the book

A wonderful.insight into.immigrant families

I bought this book with high hopes. The theme of Gujarati families emigrating to Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia and Uganda and then kicked out from there to UK and Canada is dear to me. I had Gujarati friends in college who had come back to India from Africa and their material progress while retaining their language and culture almost in toto were impressive. The author of A history of burning is from this community. She has portrayed the lives of 4 generations of a Gujarati family. The book has won some prize but to me it looked like work in progress or perhaps the first draft on which plenty of work was necessary. There are too many characters here and none are etched properly. The only riveting part was about the treatment Indians started receiving from Africans once the rift between the two communities started. The author acknowledges her debt to many guides and mentors, quite a few of them being from the faculty of a journalism/ creative writing course. The quality of writing is then surprisingly poor. It looks like a project with an eye on marketing. Years ago, I had read a non-fiction account of the tribulations of 3 generations of a Gujarati family which had spread over all 5 continents. The author had come out, at least a decade and half ago, as a lesbian. It was a very good piece of writing, very sincere and honest. I have forgotten the title of the book and the name of the author. I bought its copy for the library of the college where I taught. I kept remembering that book while reading this one.

If you like history and are interested in novels that follow a family over multiple generations along with an interesting and at times engrossing story line, this is the book for you

This book is based on history and events spanning India, East Africa, England, and Canada - covering, nearly, 100 years and 4 generations. The characters are flawless. The words are filled with survival, grit, truth and heartfelt love for family. It is a harrowing journey from slavery, the rise and terror of Idi Amin, and the dispersion of families to all corners of the world. I applaud Oza on her impeccable research and her plight to tell a story that truly shines and dims the light on humanity.

Una de las mejores novelas que he leído en mucho tiempo. No podía dejar de leerlo.

I actually don't even know where to start to review this book -- it was personally very monumental and perspective enhancing. Janika brought to life the journeys, the lives, the little details, of generations of East African Indian British Canadians (insert/swap for American, Australian, etc. etc.). While a fiction book, it made me understand what my grandparents lives would have been like, my parents' lives were like when they grew up in Kenya and Uganda. Their sacrifices, their experiences, their fears, their joys. Those generations didn't get to share all those details - either from cultural conditioning or because of how much they worked hard to never have to re-live those times or have their children, grandchildren go through what they went through. Growing up I would hear phrases like 'your grandfather worked on the railroad in Africa' or 'They would come and ask for kipande'...little did I know what that truly meant until I read this book. You really have made me understand my own family's journey so much better and have given me a level of reverence and respect for them I would have never known. THANK YOU for writing this book Janika Oza! I hope every East African Indian descendant gets to read this.

Book Description: In this sweeping story of perseverance, resilience, and survival, we follow Pirbhai and his descendants. Throughout A History of Burning, four generations move from India to Uganda to Canada and Britain over the span of almost a century. We read about the trials of kidnapping, forced labor, colonial rule, the Partition of India, a brutal military despot, and fleeing to other countries for safety. Time and time again, Pirbhai, Sonal, Vinod, Rajni, and their children rebuild, start again, and continue to rise from the ashes. My Thoughts: Although I initially received A History of Burning as an ARC, I immediately knew I wanted to add this to my home library. Janika Oza has created such a moving, impactful read, full of the complexities of mothers and fathers striving to preserve their families and traditions. I learned so much about Indian culture and history. I love the sense of family and the importance of community in not only surviving but flourishing each time they were forced to start over. Such an inspirational and important read, A History of Burning is a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit. Read this if you like: • Cultural heritage fiction • Family sagas • Historical fiction