THE INVISIBLES

The Invisibles

Jaffrey, Zia

Travel

Random House Value Publishing

The Invisibles: A Tale of the Eunuchs of India

A spellbinding book--part travelogue, part history--about eunuchs in India today. They are both reviled and accepted, not officially acknowledged but a constant topic of conversation, believed to bring good luck to newlyweds and newborns but accused of prostitution and pederasty. (NIA)

History

Asia

Pantheon

In this superb work of investigative reporting, Zia Jaffrey pursues the riddle of India's most elusive subculture, the cross-dressing and often-castrated figures known as "hijras" whose very name means neither male nor female. Are the hijras lucky or dangerous? Are they a nurturing community of outcasts or a criminal network that kidnaps and mutilates recruits? Do they number in the thousands or in the millions? As she talks with policemen, a unionizer of eunuchs, and with the hijras themselves, Jaffrey unravels veils of rumor and deception to locate the nature of our sexual and social thresholds, and the people who dwell on them. Deeply resonant, uniquely insightful, The Invisibles is an enthralling work. "A magnificent journey. Jaffrey writes about this fascinating and delicate subject with human understanding and warmth."--Ryszard Kapuscinski "Sensitively written...eloquent...and compassionate."--New York Times Book Review

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

A fascinating study of the "hijras" - a small sub-section of Indian society thatsubverts all the accepted notions of respectability and caste, and which, though controversial, is tolerated for the sake of history and tradition.

Invisibles a Tale of the Eunuchs of Indi

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Phoenix Books

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Books by Jaffrey, Zia