In this no-holds-barred memoir, Devaki Jain begins with her childhood in \nsouth India, a life of comfort and ease with a father who served as dewan in \nthe Princely States of Mysore and Gwalior. But there were restrictions too, \nthat come with growing up in an orthodox Tamil Brahmin family, as well as \nthe rarely spoken about dangers of predatory male relatives. Ruskin College, \nOxford, gave her her first taste of freedom in 1955, at the age of 22. Oxford \nbrought her a degree in philosophy and economics—as well as hardship, \nas she washed dishes in a cafe to pay her fees. It was here, too, that she had \nher early encounters with the sensual life. With rare candour, she writes of \nher romantic liaisons in Oxford and Harvard, and falling in love with her \n‘unsuitable boy’—her husband, Lakshmi Jain, whom she married against her \nbeloved father’s wishes. \nDevaki’s professional life saw her becoming deeply involved with the cause \nof ‘poor’ women—workers in the informal economy, for whom she strove \nto get a better deal. In the international arena, she joined cause with the \nconcerns of the colonized nations of the south, as they fought to make their \nvoices heard against the rich and powerful nations of the former colonizers \nHer work brought her into contact with world leaders and thinkers, amongst \nthem, Vinoba Bhave, Nelson Mandela, Henry Kissinger, and Iris Murdoch.