Khwab Nama - Akhtaruzzaman Elias

Fiction

Verdict: Read it

This was a confusing one for me. I've been open about how Bengali and Bangladeshi language and culture confuse me. It's like a familiar item, only something is a bit off. Like putting potatoes in Biryani. 

I can't remember why I picked this up, nor have I read anything from the author previously. It's a novel centering around a family living in a small village. They are not a traditional family as a Sufi Pir's daughter was married to a widower and has a step son. Theirs isn't a passionate marriage but she takes comfort in his presence and stability. His health is never good and she finds herself a widow after some time. There are many references to a community lake, local folklore, superstitions, and fishing culture that I found especially hard to identify with. 

There's not much plot going on here. It rambles through every day life without much drama or contemplation. It's also not a small novel. There is some commentary on class differences which I found interesting, but not different from any other novel. 

Read it if you have an interest.

~Becky~

Prey - Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Non Fiction

Verdict: Read it!

This was an interesting one. I had heard of Ayaan Hirsi Ali before, but not that much. I haven't read anything else written by her. This book exposes some of the issues that Europe is facing due to migration of people of Middle Eastern/Islamic descent. It's pretty common for people now to be "Woke" enough to deny that cultural exportation and migration affect anything. People are people, we should be accepting. 

I'm not sure I buy into that theory, especially after moving to India. I know that certain contained places in Europe have had some very unfortunate problems arise (like France) but not the extent of the issue or how migration is culturally changing Europe itself. This was shocking. I think many people just assume that migrants immerse themselves in the new culture and assimilate. Ayaan Hirsi Ali's premise is that they don't. And they export attitudes and actions that are harmful to the local culture. 

As a woman immigrant to a European country, Ayaan Hirsi Ali has a unique perspective on the topic and I felt did a great job of critically thinking about the issue rather than giving an emotional reaction. I would have not expected someone like her to admit the inherent problems of something that has benefitted her. But she is clear from the start her obligation is to society and women, not enabling problematic behaviors.

What I liked most about this book was that I never felt that it was simply the Author's opinions or premises that were being put forward. She has backed up here thesis with solid research and facts, in addition to coloquial examples. This book in particular has focused primarily on women and the negative effects it has had on society's view of women. The women migrants themselves often time contribute to these problems. 

Immigration and cultural footprints are a difficult subject to dive into and have become highly politicized. It's hard to know the right solution and even governments grapple long and hard on how to be both fair and protect the local population. I'd recommend this to read because it's a  world issue that people should be aware of - especially women. 

Read it!

~Becky~

Quichotte - Salman Rushdie

Fiction

Verdict: Read it - just because Rushdie is worth reading.

Yes yes, here we go with Rushdie again. I have been on a mission to read all his work and am slowly getting through it.

This is a novel about a very underwhelming main character. He falls in love with a TV persona, creates a fictional son, and generally loses touch with reality. It's definitely very loosely based on Don Quixote, which Rushdie readily admits to. The novel is a weird one and I'm sure that as with all Rushdie novels, I'm missing a great deal of the undercurrent that explains his stories.

Dystopian themes aren't actually rare for Rushdie, but for some reason, I've just now realized this. Compared with the previous novel, this one was easier to read and shorter. I won't go on about it because it's a Rushdie novel - you have to read it to contemplate it. 

Read it!

~Becky~

The Bride in the Rainy Mountains - Kuvempu

Fiction

Verdict: If you're interested in Kannada literature and culture

This was another recommendation from my friendly sales person at Book Worm. I wasn't extremely enthusiastic at first because it was expensive and a very very large book. But I've started to take an interest lately into Kannadiga authors, and Kuvempu is a famous, award winning poet and author. So I conceded.

It's a historical novel about a vague place in Uttara Kannada (the northern part of Karnataka). A few different cultures, languages, and customs converge in this area. The author's language choices were fun and very much unique to that area, which I enjoyed. I also enjoyed digging in to some of the cultural roots in Karnataka. It's not an area I've explored much. 

There's a a vague plot like and a few main characters. The side characters are many. It's mainly just life going by in a few villages and how they interconnect. Its not thrilling, but the author does an exemplary job of highlighting and describing how life is in such a situation in the time period it's set in.

It's definitely a long novel, and to be quite honest I got bored in a few places. Not many, but a few. The author does a good job of pacing and his descriptions keep you engaged. Definitely read it if you are intereted in Karanataka culture, village life and history. 

Read it!

~Becky~

The Begum and the Dastan - Tarana Husain Khan

Fiction

Verdict: Not worth it.

There's a certain genre of book that focuses on people's obsession with Muslim women and their oppression. It used to fascinate me because it was exotic, but now just kind of grosses me out. That's my general feeling about this book.  I understand that historically (and this is a historical novel) women had no agency and were abused in many cases. I don't see any value in glorifying this or continuing to write novels whose whole point is to cater to this fetish.

I'm not going to go through a synopsis or my reaction to any of it because I feel I would just be furthering the validation and glorification of what happened. 

Not recommended.

~Becky~

The Tablighi Jamaat - Ziya Us Salam

NonFiction

Verdict: Read if you're interested in small sects of Islam

This was a passing fancy that I was curious about, so picked up. The Tablighi Jamaat is a sect of Islam that had it's start in Delhi. It's focus is in proselytization and prayer.  They have their own community, norms, dress, and belief system.

This book was interesting as even someone living in india, I hadn't heard much exposure to the Tablighi Jamaat. There was a big uproar at the begining of covid about how meetings contributed to the spread, but to be honest, this isn't really a cause for interest here. People do what they'd like, regardless of the impact on others and I didn't pay too much attention to it. 

Examining the principles of the organiztion in contrast with the mainstream flavor of Islam was interesting to see. I'll avoid commenting on any of the philosophical or cultural differences as I don't feel it's my place to comment on those areas.

I did see a lot of judgement from the author on whether or not the Tablighi Jamaat was a good, correct organization within the structure of Islam or not. I personally felt this didn't have a place in the book as it was more of an informational book, but I can see how the author might have felt the need to clarify his feelings for other Muslims. 

Read it if you're interested in this subject.

~Becky~

Mountain Tales - Saumya Roy

Non-Fiction based novel

Read it

I picked up this book thinking it was about actual mountains and the people who lived in them. I guess it's obvious I didn't read the blurb or even the front cover of the book well enough. Oh well. It was worthwhile anyhow.

There is much said about waste and disposal in India. With a population of around 1,403,643,260 (https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/india-population/), obviously there is much to say. With many very rich people and an ever skyrocketing middle income segment of society, trash is on many minds. 

This novel is based on a community that developed in response to a trash dump that developed and grew to epic proportions on the outskirts of Mumbai. India has a fantastic way of creating economies and opportunities wherever it can, and trash is no exception. They may not be a well off population, but there are people who make their living picking through trash for saleable, recyclable, or tradable items. The novel follows a few families who do this. As the story is woven, you start seeing the issues that arrise for populations that live on the edges of society in less than ideal physical and economic situations. Health problems, theft, gangs, and little hope for bigger things all plague the families in the story. 

As I've mentioned before, there are a few societal ills that India suffers from that are near impossible to eradicate. Poverty is one such of these ills. There are never enough NGO's, societal support, money, or opportunities to even think about touching poverty. As such, we end up with marginal communities like the ones in this novel. When we throw caste concerns in amongst this it becomes more gloomy.

I'll be honest, it wasn't an easy book to read. It's damn depressing to consider that people live this way and most likely, nothing will be done to help them. I think it's good for people to know this exists. It's definitely not something that comes to light regularly, even with the common discussion of waste.

Read it.

~Becky~

Come Tomorrow - Jayaprakash Satyamurty

Fiction

Verdict: Read it

This was a small, short book that my friendly bookworm salesman suggested for me. He stressed (as he always does!) about the author being a Kannada writer who has left for the US and the rareness of the book. I'm not sure about all that, but it looked harmless enough, besides an inflated pricetag.

Come tomorrow is a small collection of supernatural fiction short stories centered around local superstition and religion. It was fascinating. Most of the stories were focused around Bangalore, which was fun even if I couldn't relate to any of the places mentioned. My side of town is not old or illustrious, so often skipped.  As always, short stories tickle my fancy in a way that long, drawn out novels cannot and I enjoyed this. 

Read it!

~Becky~

The Violence in our Bones - Neera Chandhoke

Non-Fiction

Verdict: Read it

I picked up this book because the subject matter has been something I've been turning over in my head for a long time. I hadn't heard of Neera Chandhoke before.

As an outsider here, there are some themes that continually make themselves visible. Violence is one of them. The older I get, the more puzzled I get that I didn't see the inherent violence in the United States where I grew up as well, but perhaps age just opens eyes. India has it's own way of viewing and manifesting violence. The country is so large and the chaos so much that it's both expected and often passed of as inavoidable. A fatalistic societal outlook and the numbers affected and their composition versus the body of people in India make violence an accepted fact. 

The author spends some time in history books as the country was formed and born. Often times, history explains the present, and I agree that India is no different than anywhere else. She addresses violence against women, communal violence, Kashmir, the North East, and Maoists. These are all specific manifestations of a broader mindset. Most of the cases of violence you find fall under one of these headings, though not all. 

I rather wish Neera Chandhoke would have addressed some of the societal attitudes and history that has resulted in the culture of violence as an accepted characteristic. I feel it would have helped in the understanding of why these manifestations, and many other occurances of violence, happen regularly in India. 

That being said, this is a subject that it would be impossible to encompass in one book. The subject matter was laid out in a organized, cogent, supported manner, which is always a joy to read.  I've said many times that India's inherent difficulties are extemely difficult, if not impossible, to improve. This is one such area. However, calling out the violence is the first step to slowly moving the needle towards violence being unacceptable as a societal attitude. 

Not a long or complicated read, but do take the time to contemplate what the author is saying and how many people simply accept the state of things as inevitable. 

Read it!

~Becky~