“All the Colours of the Dark” by Chris Whitaker & “Fundamentally” by Nussaibah Younis
Teenagers at the best of times have a lot going on inside them and around them that their head is in a whirl. Mostly it is the academic schedule and the neverending to-dos coupled with the realisation that they are on the cusp of adulthood. The amount of silent and explicit pressures on kids is astonishing; more so in this speed age. Anyway, one of the most striking dips that happens in a growing child’s lifecycle is their reading for leisure. It more often than not comes to a grinding halt. The kids struggle to finish their academic assignments and pack in more in a day than an adult’s normal working day. Sometimes, as parents, we have to teach the kids to stop and breathe. Pause. Take time out. Otherwise this mad mad race to achieve will get the better of them. Best prescription to find peace and almost get into a meditative state of being is reading.
My fifteen-year-old, Sarah Rose, published her first illustrated book about Komodo dragons when she was ten. Last year, she wrote a twenty-thousand-word manuscript on retelling ancient Egyptian myths. She tested them on her friends and though they knew nix about the myths, they loved the stories. They were also funny. Unfortunately, publishers have rejected her mss saying that they are no takers for it in the Indian book market. Anyway, she has always loved reading encyclopaedias and well written books. When she finds something she likes, she devours it. The moment she discovered Bonnie Garmus’s debut novel was stupendous.
This past year has been a little busy for Sarah particularly her Grade 10 exams that left her feeling a little zapped. Plus, a few other factors beyond her control that made reading a trying task. But now she has brought herself back to an even keel. Currently, she is on a long break and browsing through the books in my study, spotted Chris Whitaker’s All the Colours of the Dark. She sat up till late at night and finished the book in four days. It would have been sooner if she had had nothing else to do. But alas! Homework beckons. With this the kid has most certainly found her reading mojo.
She has dog eared the pages. She has scribbled in the margins. Underlined sentences. Circled passages. Drawn emoticons. Made exclamation marks. And more. In short, she has thoroughly enjoyed reading the story. She has loved the way the author constructed his sentences. The short chapters. The pacy story. Oh, there is so much more. I wish I had recorded her running commentary with the text as she read it along.
No wonder Chris Whitaker has sold more than 1 million copies of this book. Its success is understandable.
I had been wanting to get her back to reading as it is a skill that will stand her in good stead throughout her life. Years ago, I had heard a BBC Radio programme of encouraging literacy in schools that had children of various backgrounds as well as a conversation with teachers of adult neo-literates. A striking experiment that was discussed and has stayed with me over decades is that to build confidence in readers, share with them detective stories, thrillers, mysteries etc. The pace of storytelling coupled with simple sentences, short chapters, and a balance between dialogue and description helps a reader overcome their inhibitions and gain strength in the written word and language. It is also easier for them to speak the words out aloud if required. Sarah has no problems with the written or spoken word. In fact, she is very free. But the dreariness of schoolteachers who have no love for the language nor do they read beyond the prescribed texts nor are willing to admit their mistakes can absolutely crush the joy of existence from a munchkin. So to witness Sarah blossom with happiness at discovering that there are others like her who love language and play with it as she likes to, it is best form of validation.
Fingers crossed that Sarah has found her ability to read. For now, she has done the classic reader like trait of finishing one book and selecting a new one immediately. She is immersed in Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis. As far as I can see, this book too is being treated in the same manner as Chris Whitaker’s. It is fine.
So, thank you, Chris. Thank you, Nussaibah.
Both books have been published by Hachette India.
21 Oct 2025
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