And Yet You Shine: The Kohinoor Diamond, Colonization, and Resistance

K-Gr 4–In a second-person narrative of short, lyrical sentences, Kelkar relates the journey of the magnificent Kohinoor Diamond from the sediment in South Asia to a place of pride in the Peacock Throne, and then into a saga of theft on theft and literal degradation at the demands of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, going from over 190 carats to 93 because it is “not enough.” In an author’s note, readers learn of the shocking aftermath of the gem’s journey: to this day, it is part of England’s jewel stash in the Tower of London and it was said that Camilla, queen consort, planned to wear it at Charles’s coronation before media attention pointed out its status as stolen goods. Exquisite illustrations of doe-eyed children and adults with brown skin were created from cut paper and materials such as metals, beads, gems, fabrics, and more, all assembled into collage by hand or digitally. Whether moodily atmospheric, haunted by the actions of colonizers, or melancholy with loss, the scenes convey the emotions of Kelkar’s text, which returns to “And yet you shine” as both mantra and mandate—the diamond is still here, and history is no longer on the side of the thieves. Back matter, beyond the long and worthwhile author’s note, includes further reading, bibliography, and study questions (for example, the complications of returning stolen artifacts even though keeping them is also abhorrent).