New Novel Journeys to the Slums of India to Draw Attention to Social Struggles

The Goddess Who Rides a Tiger by Ed Moolenaar exposes one man's struggle to find humanity amid the horribly treated poor in Benares, India

WIJCHEN, Netherlands (MMD Newswire) January 29, 2009 --  The Goddess Who Rides a Tiger, a new novel by author Ed Moolenaar, defines the true worth of wealth amid the rich and poor social classes of Benares, India. "Although it is difficult for some to realize, people who are poor, illiterate, despised or badly dressed can be worth as much as wealthy people," says Moolenaar.

Moolenaar witnessed firsthand the treatment of the people in the slums of Benares when he lived among them for an extensive period of time starting in 1993. “To vent my own emotions, I had no other way than describing in writing what was going on there, without being aware this was the beginning of my novel,” he says.

The Goddess Who Rides a Tiger follows the journey of student Tom Corda to India. Tom is robbed of everything and eventually lives as a guest of the nuns that live in a local slum, where he meets a shy, poor woman, Asha. Years later, Tom returns to India as a pharmaceutical representative with a company, Medimarket, involved in dirty medicine dealings. During his trip, not only does Tom cope with the merciless kidnapping of Asha’s daughter, but he learns he was a guinea pig all along for Medimarket and its interest in xenotransplantation.

Moolenaar, who wrote The Goddess Who Rides a Tiger in Dutch and English, believes readers worldwide will learn more about Indian culture and religion and how the poor feel, think and live through his fictional story. “Readers told me, ‘I couldn’t stop reading,’” he says.

After reading the Dutch version of the book, readers Theo and Francien van Maanen stated “this high-level novel is exciting and moving, even thrilling indeed. It made us also much more acquainted with the Indian way of life. We enjoyed reading it from the first page ‘til the end.”

For more information or to request a free review copy, members of the press can contact the author at edmarlies@wanadoo.nl. The Goddess Who Rides a Tiger is available for sale online at Amazon.com, BookSurge.com and through additional wholesale and retail channels worldwide.

About the Author
Ed Moolenaar, who has a background in social casework and sociology, was a sociology teacher, student counselor and thesis supervisor at a college for dietetics. Currently, he lives in the Netherlands with his wife. They have two children and five grandchildren.

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