Kirti’s Future

About the Book

Kirti lives with her family in West Bengal, India. They are sharecropper farmers who grow crops and have to share their produce and income with the landowner. It is a hard life. Kirti is the oldest child at eleven years old and works the fields with her family. She has had only a little schooling because it is not necessary in their culture for growing food. Kirti has begun to think about her future and does not want to be a farmer’s wife like her mom. She has had a glimpse of the city and believes it is possible for a different life away from farming. Kirti sits on a rock away from her house and talks to her goat and to whatever god may be out there to hear her as she asks for help to change her life. Would her father even let her go?

About the Author

Marsha Mechaw Franks was raised in rural Cullman County in Alabama. She worked in a factory for over 17 years. In her 40s she became a police officer. Later, she became an investigator over child and sexual abuse cases. She saw children in many situations where they needed help. support, and love from their exposure to physical and sexual abuse, drugs being manufactured in their home or a parent on drugs, natural disasters, racial tensions, and parental neglect. She is now retired. Marsha believes books can help guide children in difficult situations and give them hope for their future.