REVIEW | Neither Man Nor Woman by Serena Nanda.

        I gave Neither Man Nor Woman: The Hijras of India four out of five stars.  This is a nonfiction ethnography written by Anthropologist, Serena Nanda.  An ethnography is an anthropological written account that is an analysis and observation of a culture.  This one was about the hijra of India, a subculture within Indian society that are "neither man nor woman." Instead hijras are either born intersex or made into a hijra by going through an operation that removes the genitals but doesn't create new ones.

        I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the hi-res of India, particularly in the personal narratives Nanda included from the hijras themselves.

        I did have a few issues. At times, I felt like Nanda was a little too open about who she thought was gossiping about each other, or sometimes the things she said rubbed me the wrong way for this type of nonfiction book.  At times, she didn't read like an anthropologist but like a friend of the individuals.  While personal relationships are very important, it almost felt inappropriate to read.

        With this said, I think this book was not only entertaining but also eye opening for a Westerner whose reality of gender and gender rules is only starting to change in the last few years to include non binary gender identities.