Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary

As a ward of the British government born in exile, Indian princess Sophia Duleep Singh embodied a curious mix of East and West—and an equally intriguing combination of patriotism and socially conscious rebelliousness. Journalist and BBC personality Anand writes a sympathetic biography that reads almost like a novel, illustrating how a forbidden trip to India changed the fashion-conscious party devotee into a woman seeking fulfillment in a society that relished her royal status and position as Queen Victoria’s goddaughter, but punished her for the color of her skin. While deeply involved in the early 20th-century militant suffrage movement, she also raised funds and helped nurse wounded Indians sent to England to recover during WWI. Anand successfully shows how the inner struggle between her native English culture and her Indian heritage wore on Sophia, resulting in depression and loneliness. Emmeline Pankhurst and a young Winston Churchill make appearances during Sophia’s suffrage efforts, but it’s Gandhi’s evolution that adds depth to Sophia’s transformation, humanizing both in the process. One part glittering socialite, one part activist, and entirely unique, Sophia adds a previously unexplored facet to the tumultuous progressive era that remade the Western world. [em](Jan.) [/em]