Neither Night nor Day

Ficton

Verdict: Read it!

This is a collection of stories from Pakistani women. In a country that doesn't value women, forget about their writing and stories; this was a surprisingly well-curated group. I enjoyed each of the stories, though many of them made me angry in my independent little feminist heart. I won't harp on this, but it is there. 

The stories cover a broad range of experiences and emotions. I took the time to savor them and really contemplate how they came to be written. This small book is well worth the time it takes to read and consider if you can find it.

~Becky~

Moth Smoke: Mohsin Hamid

Fiction

Verdict: Read it

This too was a recommended read. I had previously read The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, so I was eager to read another of his works.  

The story follow the main character - Darashikoh Shezad after he has lost his job. His slow spiral into poverty, being dirty, and pretty much giving up hope of anything positive. He ends up seducing a friend's wife and getting deep into heroin. It's a pretty nasty spiral.

But there are some interesting things to observe. Being poor in Lahore and having jet setting friends leads to some interesting situations. And Darashikoh keeps finding himself in interesting situations but absolutely messing them up. I also thoroughly enjoyed Mohsin Hamid's portrayal of Darashikoh. I didn't hate him, I just got a severe case of the "ick" watching him spiral. It's easy to make someone love, hate, or be indifferent to a character. Giving someone the ick over a character is an art, and Hamid nailed it.

I believe the author was trying to illuminate how easy it is for a decently successful person to spiral out of control with a few bad choices and circumstances. He got the point across but the real winner of this story is the character development and portrayal. Brilliant and worth the read.

Read it!

~Becky~

The Runaways: Fatima Bhutto

Fiction

Verdict: Read it!

This novel was one I picked up in the bookstore. It was a long time ago! I'm not a collector you are! Ahem.

I haven't read anything from Fatima Bhutto prior to this. Layla runs away from her dead-end family in her dead-end town to find religion and adventure as a religious fanatic in a far away desert. She has a boyfriend, Monty, that she leaves behind. In an epic show of love he follows her and tries to save her from herself only to end up almost dying himself.

Pakistani authors always fascinate me as I'm deep into Indian literature and the flavor is definitely different. The reader is never completely sure if Layla ever loved Monty or he was just a piece of furniture in her life. The reader is also never let in on why Laila ran away to be an extremist. That drove me crazy for a long time after reading this book. I'm not a muslim, I've never leaned towards the extreme anything which makes it more difficult to understand. But I do understand running away. And sometimes that only makes sense to the person running.

Its a simple read. While the book is long, it doesn't take much digestion time. But it does leave you with questions and thoughts. 

Read it!

~Becky~

Love in Chakiwara - Muhammad Khalid Akhtar

Fiction: Stort Stories

Verdict: Read it

I've spoken about how I'm a fan of short stories, especially those woven around each other. This was a delight to find. I haven't really read any Pakistani writers before. It was familiar, but gloriously nuanced in a different way than Indian writers.

Chakiwara is a small town, just like any other. It has a roster of odd characters, just like any quality small town. The author walks us through a series of just absurd enough stories. They're hilarious in a way that makes me green with envy. It takes a while to absorb and appreciate.

I won't go into the details of each of the stories, but if you're looking for an entry into Pakistani Urdu humor, you could find much worse places to dive in. Akhtar is a delight. 

Read it!

~Becky~

In the Name of Honor - Mukhtar Mai

 NonFiction

Verdict: Read It

I had hear of Mukhtar Mai before in name, but not in situation. I tend to like biographies/self biographies, so I picked this up.

The story is horrifying heard from her point of view. It also underlines a huge mindset and atrocity bomb that India and Pakistan continue to foster with an almost loving persistence. Class and gender wars are not a thing of the past unfortunately. 

Mukhtar Mai is gang raped as a "punishment" for her younger brother flirting with a powerful family's sister. In reality, it's an attempted land grab due to the inability of a rich powerful family to see "lower class" people hold land. It's heartbreaking and incredibly not that uncommon. 

What is uncommon however, is Mukhtar Mai's response to it. After taking time to process her trauma, she decided that she would stand for what she thought was right and say no. She takes us through the process of dealing with corrupt police and courts and in the end, still not getting justice. Again, incredibly common. Still bound and determined to rise, Mukhtar Mai opens a school with funds that came in from concerned parties. 

If you understand anything about Class and Gender wars in India and Pakistan, you understand how remarkable Mukhtar Mai's response is. It's unheard of, and it's phenomenal. She is an inspiration to many women, myself included, and has done her part to make the world one she wants to live in.

Mukhtar Mai isn't educated. She isn't a great story teller or writer and it's obvious that he words are filtered through writers. She circles back around often and jumps time lines telling her story, but with all she's suffered and achieved, she's entitled to tell her story however she wishes to.

Please read this book. It will give you a new perspective on feminism and basic human rights. It will inspire you that a woman discarded the typical reaction to a humiliation of this type (suicide in her part of the world) and rose far above that to help others and be a light. The only way to combat these type of horrifying incidents is to continue to promote awareness of it being unacceptable and punishable in society. The only way to deal with police taking advantage of uneducated, shamed women in an immoral manner is to keep bringing these instances to light and seeing through the punishments. The only way to deal with courts taking soft line stances on Class, Gender, and Economic wars are to shine a huge spotlight on them and continue pressuring the courts as well to step into the 21st century and stop pandering. The only way to ensure that women are not continuing to be trapped in darkness and illiteracy is to make education for girls a priority and a valued thing. Mukhtar Mai has led the way in however she could.

Read it!

~Becky~

The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Mohsin Hamid

 Fiction

Read it

I'm not exactly sure why this was an international bestseller. It has a very American flavor of obsession with terrorists. But I suppose that is just a matter of style.  

The story opens with a Pakistani man sharing a meal with a very obviously white person. He shares his background and establishes a relationship, all the while reassuring his dining companion that he's paranoid that that no one is dangerous. Living in this part of the world, it's amusing to me that the author chose Pakistan as the home of his main character. I'm guessing it's because the author is Pakistani.  I view Lahore as a normal city, the same as any other. Of course there may be problems with terrorism, just like anywhere else. Ahem. Moving on.

The author takes us through his life and his relationship struggles, none of which made it clear to me why that should result in terrorism. At the end, you never really get answers. He implies that people are chasing them and that it's nothing to worry about. So many questions, no answers. Are we simply supposed to connect the dots? This doesn't seem to look good for the author. Especially when I suspect his motivation for writing this wasn't to encourage people to see terrorism behind every corner. 

This book left me puzzled on many accounts. It's a good time pass, it helps the audience relate the main character. Aside from that, I'm not sure how it relates to fundamentalism, terrorism, or what conclusions the author is asking the audience to draw. 

Read it for a good time pass, but don't encourage the fetishism of terrorism that the west embraces.

~Becky~

Slum Child - Bina Shah

Fiction

Read It

I can't quite remember if I read this book previously or not. Usually I do remember. It was vaguely familiar but not so much that I could say for certain. Even if I did, I'm glad I read this a second time because I gathered so much more than I would have the first time.

Bina Shah has brought together a plethora of interesting things in this book. So many so that I found myself  fascinated. The main character, Laila, is a young Christian girl (1) who lives with her mother, sister, step father (2), and 3 younger step brothers. The family lives in Karachi Pakistan in a slum. Her step father is a Muslim (3). The story follows Laila as she wanders through a seemingly happy childhood with her family. Things take a darker turn when her sister develops tuberculousis and the family doesn't have enough money to have her treated and she passes away. Laila develops an unlikely friend with a drug addict (4) who later goes to rehab and gets his life together. After her sister's death, her mother sinks into a childlike, confused state (5) and stays there. As her mother was the sole bread winner, Laila is dismayed when she hears her father concede to sell her for money. She runs away (6) and finds an unlikely alliance in her drug addict friend and his bus driving cousin (7). She goes to her mother's old employer and begs for work. She is taken in and works as an ayah/househelp for a while. She discovers that she has lost her faith (8) and that she just cannot leave her helpless mother behind. She becomes close to the spoiled, rich children who she cared for (9) and they end up helping her when she is attacked by her father's friend when she goes home to get her mother. They kill him (10) and put her mother in a home. (11)

As you can see, there's a LOT going on there. The story of Punjabi Christians in a Muslim dominated country is a startling one. The author does justice to make sure the reader understands the suspicion and hatred that pops up between communities. She also addresses losses of faith, the heartless demeaning condition of slums, and how resentments are sometimes raised between financial classes even though there is no animosity. It's not a difficult book to read in terms of comprehension, but you will chew over the concepts for a while. Shah's main character is accessible - she's a little girl. The fights and responsibilities she is forced to take on age her, but as heartbreaking as they are, they are the fight of millions of young impoverished women.  Take the time to read this. It's an interesting look at a minority community.

~Becky~

Stranger to History - Aatish Taseer

Aatish Taseer takes the reader on an abridged tour of the middle east in an effort to understand the religion and culture of his estranged father. Taseer has an interesting viewpoint in that his mother grew up in a Sikh family. A man searching not only for the identity and support of his father, but also for a culture in a house that has always had two.

Of course it didn't really bring him closer to his Muslim Pakistani father even if it did help him understand himself, which is generally how these things go.

That being said, it's an interesting view into the different subtypes of Islam. I think it may interest a Muslim more than non Muslim, but it's still interesting to read.


Verdict: Read it.

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.