Waiting at the Mountain Pass - Harmandeep Kaur Gill

Non-Fiction

Verdict: Read it.

Tibet and the Tibetan diaspora are rather politically charged topics. While the author wasn't being intentionally political, there were, of course, political topics that were touched upon.

Every culture has its ideas on death. As most Tibetans and displaced Tibetans are Buddhists, Buddhist philosophy informs their views on death. This book examines the philosophies that Tibetans have as they reach the end of their lives and die. The author does a very clinical and research-disciplined discussion on the topics, even while including stories from the Tibetan Diaspora itself. 

Tibet and displaced Tibetans aren't a population that is naturally accessible to me, so this was interesting to read. I enjoy reading different cultural interpretations of life evens as well. The author uses a few different diaspora locations, 2 of which I have been to during my time in India - Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh and Bylakuppe in Karnataka. The author does wander into the reasons for the diaspora and why it deeply affects displaced people. It is a diversion, but one I feel should be discussed more, so I won't nitpick on that.

The author also examines why this process can be a lonely and isolating one for many people, though I believe that's true for many people, not so many stay with family anymore. It's not the most feel-good topic, but it is a universal one. I feel it's a good read if you've read the Tibetan Book of the Dead, or as a pre-amble to that.

I won't comment on my own pre- or post-death philosophy, but there is something uniting about contemplating something everyone must pass through, but no one knows what's on the other side.

~Becky~

The Solution is Political Revolution - Jillion R Rising

Author's note: This review is my work and has appeared in Online Book Club as well. The link for the OBC review: https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=377704&p=2365301#p2365301

After a great deal of procrastination, I finally sat down to give the review for this book. There is certainly no shortage of media criticism, both shaky and valid, for the United States political system. Depending on which way you lean politically, it is possible to find a ton of books both supporting and bashing any one political philosophy. I picked this book hoping to get an interesting angle or something new.

Just to be clear, I find political criticism as valid as any other criticism – when it’s done constructively and with a valid foundation. Unfortunately, it’s become rather a sport lately in the United States to just shout about what is wrong. You can turn on any news channel for examples. I also believe that by this point in time, there are very few people who are still naïve enough to believe that anything to do with politics or the government is one sided.

I found this book to be very basic in it’s explanations of how the United States has reached this point. Not incorrect I would say, but definitely a surface level look. And perhaps that was the point. However, there are no perfect political systems, and every single one has reached it’s current state through a long line of decision, human judgement errors, and straight up greed occasionally. It’s not a simple scenario getting here, so taking a bit more time to delve into the causes can help the reader understand that the system is a titanic, not a speed boat that can make u-turns at the drop of a hat. It takes a great deal of time, energy, and willingness to change the system even a small bit. I get it, solving things through political revolution sounds sexy. It’s a great eye catcher on a book title. But a revolution is no simple thing to successfully execute and with the political climate in the US what it is today, getting people fired up should not be the goal. People are already far too fired up for the wrong or even no reasons.

In fairness, I really hate to pick on people who (as it appears to me) are trying to improve the condition of anything. Unfortunately, I also have very little patience for people who get worked up, or work others up, for a flash satisfaction that leads nowhere. Aside from a slightly patronizing tone, the book was well written, though as I mentioned above, I feel the ration of pages with problem and solution could have been a little more even. Overall it was written from an academic standpoint, which I can appreciate, and was well edited.

In a tide of political and government oriented books, this one just didn’t stand out in any special way for me. My verdict is as follows: Read it if you’re curious, but there are plenty of other books out there that achieve the same objective in a better way.

Kali's Daughter - Raghav Chandra

Fiction

Read It!

This is the first novel I've seen from Raghav Chandra. I'm still on the fence on if I would like to see another one from him. 

The novel opens on an obviously sucessful woman looking back at an old photograph. She somehow cracked the Civil service exam in highschool and was accepted in to the Indian Foreign Service. The photo is from a training camp that all sucessful Civil Service candidates attend. 

We go back in time to learn about a deep dive into the main character's caste and background, including changing of name to avoid caste and certain caste assumptions. This was interesting to me because I never understood why people didn't try this more often - changing their name. I won't go into the details, but the author clearly outlines why it isn't all that effective. Most of the novel is her time at the training camp and the politics and relationship dynamics that result in a study of caste. The main character has earned her way in, not utilizing quotas for backward castes, and finds that her hard work and brilliance do not erase other's perceptions. 

As someone who has never had the experience of having a caste and has stayed away from the discussion altogether being married to an Indian, it was an uncomfortable book to read. It's very difficult to prevent ones self from making trite and unnecessary mental comments on something I know nothing about. Coming from a society that doesn't practice caste, the concept of one not having the same inherent value as another is difficult for me to understand and accept. In the end, the main character is wildly sucessful, well traveled, and comfortable financially. It doesn't go much into the outcome for her or her family, but very much delves into the idea of quota, names, caste, adn people's assumptions upon hearing names. I'm sure it would hit differently if an Indian were reading it, and different yet if it were an Indian who has faced similar struggles. Always good to expose yourself to experiences different from the ones you're comfortable with.

~Becky~ 

Avasthe - U.R. Ananthamurthy

Fiction

Verdict: Difficult but worth reading

This is not the first book by Ananthamurthy that I've read. Being a very pro-Kannada writer person, the book shop assistant always suggests Kannada writers as well. 

Ananthamurthy opens the novel with an older man suffering from paralysis due to a stroke contemplating his life and how he reached his current state. He takes stock of his life through conversations, memories, and contemplation. A boy from very unprivaleged background makes something of himself. Not all of the phases of his life are clear. But he does make it very clear whom the influences on his life and they are an interesting cast of characters indeed. 

The main character marries for duty and suprisingly, Ananthamurthy makes a very clear point on how this is detrimental to his health after the stroke as he actually can't stand his wife. In fact it's the first time I've read an Indian author who isn't apologetic and stubbornly caught on the value of duty over happiness. Ananthamurthy also brings back a previous love interest late in the story and creates a connection even though the main character is older and has obvious health problems. 

He also takes on police brutality as a result of the main character's hot temper and association with a known anarchist. It's an interesting take. 

Ananthamurthy has done a masterful job of making his main character accessible. He's not perfect and has a wicked temper, but people can relate to him easily.   You can relate to his anger as a youth, and his longing for healthier times and his stock taking once he gets older. 

As with every variety of Indian writer, Kannada writers have their own flavor that sometimes takes a while to appreciate. But well worth it. 

Read it.

~Becky~

Hindutva or Hind Swaraj - UR Ananthamurthy

Non-Fiction

Read it if you dare

This was yet another suggestion from the book seller. It's the first non-fiction that I've read in quite some time, and readers it has left me scratching my head wondering what has happened. 

UR Ananthamurthy has created a political manifesto that I'm not even going to attempt to describe as I'm sure I would mess it all up and possible offend many people. I will say this. Mr. Ananthamurthy has an axe to grind with PM Nirendra Modi, and does such using Gandhi, Dostoevsky, and even mythological references. 

I'm not much into the painfully small details of politics in India (though I do follow what's going on), yet I just couldn't follow all of the references the author made though he took pains to leave bread crumbs. I couldn't manage to put together the simple words into the concepts that he was trying to convey. I feel that I was missing a lot of important Gandhi context that may have made it clearer. I also need to do more research on Savarkar, as I have never heard of him before. 

I happen to agree with Ananthamurthy on PM Modi, but perhaps not for the reasons he suggests - I can't quite sort that out. I suggest that you read this if you have a firm grasp oh the politics and thought processes going on during Gandhi's time. Otherwise....Good luck to you.

~Becky~

From the Archives: What We say Goes – Conversations on US power in a Changing World - Noam Chomsky.

A caveat about this archive - this was a long time ago, I'm not sure I'm still so excited about Chomsky. Agree with him, hell yes, but not quite so big of a fan.

 

 

Listening To: Scooby Do

Mood: Happy

Rolling the book train right along, I’d like to move on to some Chomsky. I have recently become a huge fan of Noam Chomsky’s political commentaries. This book did not disappoint. Chomsky does a fantastic job of examining the power structure and government in the United States and how it affects worldwide relations without resorting to bitterness or cynicism. Chomsky always has a way of encouraging people to use their own heads and examine the reality of things rather than just accepting how they are. I love reading interviews with Chomsky because he calls things how he sees them, even with the person interviewing him. If he doesn’t agree, he politely, but firmly, disagrees. Right then and there. He takes on most of the important issues of today.

Verdict: I love Chomsky. If you need any type of perspective on the US and the world today, this is a great place to start. If you have any illusions on how the US works in relation to the rest of the world, Chomsky will relieve you of them. Read it!

 

Becky