"verbally and emotionally dazzling story" "no longer having the language to describe my own life...I decided to borrow someonelse's"

Dreaming in Hindi is alternately irritating and fascinating. It's one of those "I decided to cure my first-world angst by impulsively moving to someplace new where I would be thrown into a completely unfamiliar environment and have to deal with raw authentic life and become a new, more mature person" books, and frankly my interest in the genre is minimal. But in this case the pretext for her moving to Udaipur in India was to learn Hindi, and along with the fairly banal account of what it's like to learn a new language ("The more Hindi I understand, I find, the more perplexing my life becomes") she passes along tidbits she picks up from linguists she interviews after her return to New York, and these are often quite interesting. Well worth a read if you're interested in language learning.

This is a book about how language can affect us emotionally, intellectually and otherwise. It is about the learning of a language other than the language of our home and fathers. I found this to be fascinating.

This is also a story about a middle aged woman who picks up and leaves her home and country to immerse herself in the language and culture of India. A daunting prospect, in my opinion.

No word for privacy. That alone is a startling idea. It is common and not at all rude to be asked about things that we as Americans consider very private. Then there is the cast system which is reflected no only in society but in the Hindi language. The same question is asked differently, depending on who is being asked.

The author goes to India to learn Hindi, and while attending a school with other Americans, lives with a local family. It is their job to house and feed her, as well as to help her learn the language. The relationships between the men and women and the two families who live in this home are
explained. She becomes fairly comfortable in their home, and in fact fond of the women who live there.

We are taken along with the author as she travels to different locales, and finds different dialects and customs. I found the writing to be clear, simple and pleasant. I felt as if I were a friend, listening to the adventures of someone with whom I felt very comfortable.

This is so much more than a story of a year spent in India. It is the story of how a woman's life is changed by the experience, and by the people and customs she becomes familiar with. I think that the author successfully blended her story with the effect of learning a language.

My youngest son is multi-lingual. He, much like Ms Rich learned Japanese while living in the country and learning its culture. He speaks at least three languages besides english, mostly self taught. He is also a musician, and I disagree with the point the author made of saying that a facility with languages has othing to do with a facility for music. In my experience with my son and others, there is a relationship between those two.

This was an intriguing read. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories about strong women, travel, India or just a good solid story. ( )