We Are All Little Gods

India is newly independent, but you wouldn't know it from Krsna's boarding school. There, surrounded by sadistic prefects and English housemasters, life goes on as it did in the days of the British Raj. Schooling is strict and punishments brutal-even if the education Krsna receives is top-notch.

Befriending others in his dorm, including the handsome cricketer Koshy, and Blackie, a French-speaking peasant boy from Pondicherry, Krsna adapts to school life. He comes to idolize Ralph Forster, an Anglo-Indian housemaster who considers himself of pure English stock. To Krsna and Blackie, Forster becomes a role model who can do no wrong.

Forster, beset with a troubled family life, will prove to be a flawed hero at best for the boys-a fact they will discover with time. As their idol's life unravels, Krsna, Blackie, and the other boys of their dorm find their spirits tested and physical bodies ravaged by the military discipline-and cruelty-of their boarding school. To survive, they need to remain strong and true to their dreams.

An introspective recollection of youth in postcolonial India, "We Are All Little Gods" explores the challenges created by the imposition of imperial rule over an ancient, vibrant culture.