Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson

This book is about Greg Mortenson and his work in Pakistan. He has helped establish schools and social organizations in a secluded section of a nation that is in dire need. It's a fascinating story of one person's determination and how things are done in Pakistan.

If you feel that one person can't make any differences, you need to read this book.

Verdict: Read it.

Postmaster : Selected Stories - Rabindranath Tagore

This was my first exposure to Tagore and it was an interesting one.

Tagore is a Bengali. With all my exposure to Indian culture, this was fun as Bengal is like a cousin - similar, but with marked differences.

Tagore has the typical Indian/Bengali pathos in this collection of stories. It hangs over every story like a dark cloud. It never really rains, but you keep expecting it to. For all of the talk about Tagore getting down to details of simple village life, I found that conspicuously absent from this book. He grew up and writes from a zaminder (landlord in a feudal sense) point of view that has nothing to do with normal folks.

Tagore does, however, have a gift for story telling and description. After reading this book, I rather wish I could go visit Bengal, even though it would not be the same Bengal that Tagore knew, just as the India I'm visiting now is not the one my husband reminisces about.

Verdict: If you have any interest in India, read it and revel in the differences if you can find them.

Freedom's Child : Growing Up During Satyagraha - Chandralekha Mehta

This book was written by Jawaharlal Nehru's niece about growing up during India's freedom fight.

It reads like a history chronicle for family members, which I didn't care for all that much - at times I felt like I was peeping in on family moments that weren't mine to see.

However, it was very interesting to see how a family lived during that time period, and one that was heavily invested and involved in freeing India.

Verdict: Read if you'd like a look into family life during India's struggle for independence.

Foccault's Pendulum - Umberto Echo

In the interest of disclosure - I didn't finish this book.

Daddy G has been tormenting me for a few years now to read this book and assuring me that I wouldn't understand a damn line of it. He was right folks.

What the hell is going on in this book? Anyone? Buehller? Anyone know what's going on in this book? I haven't been so confused by simple English since Rushdie and Satanic Verses.

I had to shelve this after 2 chapters, but I fully intend to return to it though after I look up the cliff notes for this book. That is quite an admission coming from me, but a necessary one. Wow.

BPO-Sutra: True Stories From India's BPO & Call Centers - Mokhasi Sudhindra

This book was entertaining. It's a collection of short anecdotes from people who work in call centers in India. If you've ever wondered how it would be to work in one, this is for you.

I did find this book a little high on the obnoxious "get out of work any way possible" factor of those just out of college, but I also admired quick thinking and strategy employed in a dog-eat-dog environment.

Working with the public is tough. Working in telemarketing is even tougher. Working for a call center in India is crazy because people don't like that even more than regular telemarketers. Hats off to the folks who do it, I enjoyed your stories.

Verdict: Not all that deep, but a good time pass read.

Love Will Follow : Why The Indian Marriage Is Burning - Shaifali Sandhya

Hello Bibliophiles! (Book Lovers for the non-vocabulary blessed)

My apologies for yet another long absence. I have been reading, but I've also been rather sucked into teaching piano lessons, so I've not kept up with my writing. Hopefully I can get back on my horse.

So. Love will Follow.

I picked this book for some rather obvious reasons. The first and foremost is that I married an Indian. Indian marriages are a bit different than western ones, and my hybrid marriage is a beast unto itself. I have always been fascinated by the differences in arranged marriages and love marriage (and every permutation between) and how the outcome of these options is affected by the Indian societal structure.

This book was a fascinating glimpse into Indian marriages. The author's premise was that Indian marriages are burning for a variety of reasons, but mainly that people are both evolving away from traditional mindsets (see non - traditional/non-arranged arranged marriages) and people's tendancy to be more educated and more willing to walk away from situations that were not satisfactory. The story was written from a mainly North Indian point of view, and all of the personal stories were from families in the north of India, which was disappointing for me because there is quite a difference in North Indians and South Indians. For the uninitiated/uninformed, this book makes Indian marriage seem like a dismal institution - which is basically not all that far off from the truth in the fact that not only is India a Patriarchal society with life for all women being very difficult, personal satisfaction/needs are generally placed way lower than those of the group (family or societal), especially for women.

The author gives the impression that divorces are happening on a mass scale. In reality, when the book was written in 2007, only .07% of marriages ended in divorce. Chew on that for a minute. In a nation of how many billion people, .07% still doesn't add up to that many. True, Indian's traditionally did not get divorced, so any increase is noticeable. However, saying that Indian marriages are burning down is a bit alarmist and not all that true.

As the author herself pointed out, societal pressure to stay married is still enormous. While India has been shooting towards modernity, people's mindsets have not changed all that much. A vast majority of people are still extremely old fashioned and conservative at heart.

What I did find interesting (and indeed, extremely depressing) was the author's look at what was making Indian marriages so difficult to maintain. I found the author had many valid points in this regard. However, I feel those factors have always been a part of Indian society and are not to blame for breaking marriages, but more along the lines with weakness in Indian society in general.

As a westerner, I cannot agree that people should not have modern outlooks and personal needs just because divorce may occur. As a matter of fact, I think divorce is a positive step in direction for women in India. Not divorce itself, but the comfort level of a women to go after what she wants and not take/put up with anything and everything someone else wants. Indian life is hard on women, even the economically comfortable/modern ones. Women here never really escape what society and family expects of them. Feeling comfortable enough to know her own mind and make her own decision would be a huge step for a woman here.

Unfortunately, India's problem with women will be ongoing for a long, long time. Mindsets do not change overnight - or over decades for that matter - and India's track record with women is abysmal. Divorce numbers may continue to climb, but it will still not be in a positive fashion. It takes an incredibly strong person to buck tradition and society and hold his or her head high as they walk alone. In India, most of the cases would result in social isolation and an overpowering sense of guilt for most women, which they most likely will not find worth the divorce anyhow.

I wish I would have read this book before I married my husband. I don't regret my marriage one bit, but had I read it before I met him, I may have walked into a difficult situation much more prepared. Love doesn't conquer all, which of course I wouldn't have believed at that age anyhow. When you go into a partnership with a person who's society has a long and complicated history, it's a difficult path to walk. I do hope India can work on it's issues, but I'm positive it won't happen in my generation or even my daughter's.

Verdict: If you are interested in Indian arranged marriage or Indian society's view on marriages and women, this is an eye opener. It's a heavy and at times depressing read, but eye opening. Read it, but keep in mind that .07% doesn't mean marriage is burning completely any time soon.