Where do you look for a good book? Reviews online? Oprah's book club? The New York Times bestseller list? The bookstore? I mean seriously, there are so many titles out there and I never know what to pick next. Of course there is a long list of older books I want to read, but somehow never get to.
So all this about what to read next reminded me of one of the recent books I finished reading, Khaled Hosseini's, A Thousand Splendid Suns . It would be an understatement to say that I just read it. Where in fact I literally lived in it, for four days. I fell in love with the his first book, The Kite Runner. Not only did I fall in love with the book, but with the visions, smells and sounds of pre-war Afghanistan.
So, when I read the second book, I looked forward to the same excellence in writing, and have not been disappointed in the least. The story revolves around two Afghan cities, Herat and Kabul, and two women. The two women belonging to different generations, steal you heart and you will fall in love with them instantly. Both very different, but extremely strong women who go through a lot. My heart broke when I read of the toils women faced in those parts of the world. The beauty and simplicity of their lives before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was beautifully described. And to see how lives in Afghanistan changed drastically after the Soviet invasion and then again under the Taliban rule, was heart wrenching.
The way I looked at Afghanistan changed dramatically after reading this book. When ever I hear of the Afghan war, all I ever understood was the political turmoil in those regions and never once did my thoughts go beyond that to the people and their tragedies. I found the book a little too melodramatic at times, one tragedy succeeding another , but soon realized this was not far from the truth. The way the book ends filled me with hope. Hope for a better Afghanistan and hope for a better world. This story has truly enriched my knowledge and understanding of the Afghan people and I finished the book knowing them, understanding them and loving them. I highly recommend this book, an excellent read, guaranteed to capture you from the first chapter.
So all this about what to read next reminded me of one of the recent books I finished reading, Khaled Hosseini's, A Thousand Splendid Suns . It would be an understatement to say that I just read it. Where in fact I literally lived in it, for four days. I fell in love with the his first book, The Kite Runner. Not only did I fall in love with the book, but with the visions, smells and sounds of pre-war Afghanistan.
So, when I read the second book, I looked forward to the same excellence in writing, and have not been disappointed in the least. The story revolves around two Afghan cities, Herat and Kabul, and two women. The two women belonging to different generations, steal you heart and you will fall in love with them instantly. Both very different, but extremely strong women who go through a lot. My heart broke when I read of the toils women faced in those parts of the world. The beauty and simplicity of their lives before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was beautifully described. And to see how lives in Afghanistan changed drastically after the Soviet invasion and then again under the Taliban rule, was heart wrenching.
The way I looked at Afghanistan changed dramatically after reading this book. When ever I hear of the Afghan war, all I ever understood was the political turmoil in those regions and never once did my thoughts go beyond that to the people and their tragedies. I found the book a little too melodramatic at times, one tragedy succeeding another , but soon realized this was not far from the truth. The way the book ends filled me with hope. Hope for a better Afghanistan and hope for a better world. This story has truly enriched my knowledge and understanding of the Afghan people and I finished the book knowing them, understanding them and loving them. I highly recommend this book, an excellent read, guaranteed to capture you from the first chapter.
Yes that is true. Hope is all one has that keeps mankind moving forward... It takes a lot to understand beyond what is projected politically by the media..I can really understand how you felt about it. No wonder this feeling for humanity is reflected in your writings. Now i want to read the book as soon as possible!!!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read the book. Loved the Kite Runner
ReplyDeleteunfortunately fact for us is what we see on tv or in movies....
ReplyDeleteonce i saw an interview...of college students in pakistan...students were looking sooooo normal just like us.... :-) and one of them was saying that he wants people around the world to understand that all pakistanis dont roam around with long beards carrying ak47s...
-bharathi
@ Bharathi:
ReplyDeleteVery true. They are very much like us or anybody else. The sad thing is we get caught up in the media's depiction of a war and very often overlook the humane side of things.
Can't wait to read the book. I am sure they will make a movie of this book as well.
ReplyDelete@Subbu & Vamsee: You guys should read it soon. Chances are they will make a movie of this story as well..
ReplyDeleteI read this book a few months ago, was pretty good. You feel so bad for all the troubles they had to go through for things that we take for granted.
ReplyDeleteI watched 'The Kite Runner', it was heart wrenching too.
Do keep us posted with any new interesting books you read...
@ Deepa: Sure will do.. and you do the same. Let me know if you found something interesting.
ReplyDelete