A Woman Among Warlords
Malalai Joya
This book takes a one-sided and firm position on the current situation in Afghanistan, which is that Afghans are perfectly able to manage their own affairs, and would like all meddling countries OUT. The author, Malalai Joya, speaks so coherently and knowledgeably that she has quite turned around my thinking on Afghanistan. I have read other books recounting individual tragedies in this turbulent country, but Malalai speaks on behalf of the ordinary people of Afghanistan. She is their champion and spokesperson.
Malalai speaks from her heart, and it is a brave heart indeed. She has dared to denounce the warlords who are members of the present government put in place by NATO. An elected member of the Loya Jirga (Afghan government), she has been prevented from taking her seat by the warlords who form the majority of the present government. She is constantly in hiding, moving from safe house to safe house. Nevertheless, women and persecuted minorities find her and tell her their stories which she publicizes through her support groups in democratic countries around the world.
Malalai criticizes freely the NATO forces which installed the weak puppet, Hamid Karzai, and his corrupt government, and for this reason she is not liked by governments which support sending armed forces to Afghanistan. In her fight for an independent Afghanistan, she singles out individuals and names names relentlessly. She is very well informed on the history and leaders of her country. She knows that she could be assassinated at any time, and she is in a hurry to achieve as much as she can in the effort to create a free democracy in her country.
The book is full of interesting accounts of famous people and little-known events. Benazir Bhutto is known as the Mother of the Taliban because of the support she gave them as part of her tactic to oppose Indian influence in the area. Laura Bush’s comments on the achievements wrought by the Americans are quoted fully, remarks based on observations she made during visits which lasted six hours. Schoolbooks printed at the University of Nebraska for Afghan children, which are still in use today, are filled with talk of jihad and teach children to count using illustrations of tanks, missiles and landmines.
Malalai tells countless stories about the mistreatment of women in her country. Her statistics as well as accounts of individual experiences is shocking. All the world has heard similar accounts, but Malalai is angered when they are used to justify the invasion of her country. Women and children are abused in many countries, but it is only when there are financial or strategic incentives that there is an invasion.
One of Malalai’s targets are lazy Western journalists who rarely challenge the fables spun to them and insist that Afghanistan has always been ungovernable and needs Western direction. In fact, the first modern ruler of Afghanistan, King Amanullah Khan who won independence from Britain in 1919 was a freedom-loving and democratic leader. During his rule, education was compulsory for every Afghan child, religious, racial and linguistic discrimination were outlawed, and women were encouraged to integrate fully into society. The British sowed a revolt against Amanullah because they were afraid of having a modern independent country next to India which they still ruled, and he was overthrown. As his successor, the British supported the dark-minded and ignorant Habibullah, and after his murder, the brutal Nadir Shah. Subsequently, Afghanistan was invaded by the Russians and then the Americans. Malalai’s main theme is that without NATO’s support of corrupt warlords, and other malign interference, Afghans are well able to sort out their own country. Those unable to read her book can consult her website: www. malalaijoya.com/ But the website does not have the impact of the book which is dominated by Malalai’s strong personality and countless incidents showing her bravery in her mission to give voice to the ordinary people of Afghanistan.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Pearl by Mary Gordon
Pearl by Mary Gordon
I have a problem with the voice in this book. It should be classified as omniscient third person, but the narrator intrudes him/herself into the story with the voice of a storyteller. And yet this storyteller is unidentified, so I couldn’t classify his perspective. This produced for me an impersonality which was one of the reasons why I found it hard to sympathize or involve myself with the characters, or the plot for that matter. When a story is told by a storyteller, we are used to hearing a spoken voice or seeing a face, and then we can identify with his perspective. But as this storyteller is impersonal, so I responded impersonally to the story.
Another reason why I found it hard to involve myself with the characters is that they are all so difficult to like, by me or by the storyteller. So I didn’t really care whether they lived or died.
The plot turns around the 20-year-old Pearl, who has an impossible mother and loser friends and has been a difficult teenager. When she is accused of being responsible for the death of a young man, and realizes subsequently that the world is full of people who cause harm to one another, she decides to martyr herself to make a statement about the presence of evil in the world. This is an interesting theory and response, but because Pearl is so obviously immature and psychologically damaged by her mother, uprooted, insecure and impressionable, we dismiss the whole thesis as a personal difficulty in dealing with guilt, without thinking of martyrdom’s proven efficacy as in the cases of Gandhi’s hunger strikes and Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia, or the Cambodian monks in the Vietnam War.
Ultimately, I was disappointed by the plot. Pearl tried to kill herself because of “the human will to harm, in all its shapes, all its varieties… (and) a world where the desire to harm was the most true thing that could be said about it.” (p.174) She wanted to be a “witness.“ But as the plot unwound, this issue was never resolved. The theme of the presence of evil in the world was diverted and diluted. A new theme was introduced: Pearl ‘s health was restored by the possibility of forgiveness, which is quite a different concept. When Pearl received helium balloons from Breeda, the mother of the boy whose death she had possibly caused, she felt healed because she was forgiven. Worse still, Breeda suggests that Pearl was not responsible for the death. So my anticipation that the book would end with a resolution of how to deal with guilt and the evil in the world is all sloughed off with an easy glorification of the merits of forgiveness, and is further diffused by the annulment of the whole issue of guilt as Pearl is relinquished from its load. (The question of how the impoverished Breeda could have afforded balloons, and why she did not reach out her reassurance to Pearl while she was at the American embassy, before her health deteriorated to such a critical state, after all, we are told that she watched TV all day, so she would have seen Pearl on the news, all these details are evidence to me of a poorly constructed plot.) The ending was much too easy. Pearl and Maria are reconciled, Joseph goes back to his old life, and Pearl relinquishes her deathwish.
Following the strong indications at the beginning of the book that the theme would be the question of how to expiate guilt and be a living witness against the universal power to harm, I was disappointed with the easy and convenient ending. The original themes are much more familiar to the characters in the book, who are all Roman Catholics or lapsed Jews.
The impact of the ending is further weakened by the crisis of Joseph. If the author wanted to examine the emotional states of all three of her main characters, she should have dealt with them more evenly throughout the narrative. Joseph’s extraordinary explosion, his bizarre solution and his sudden return to normalcy serve to drag out the ending rather than flesh out his character, and left me feeling impatient rather than sympathetic.
My strongest response was to Pearl’s mother, Maria, who is quite a piece of work. Gordon made her a product of a background that she herself knows well. Like her character, Mary Gordon was born in New York to a Catholic mother and a father who converted to Catholicism from Judaism, was raised in a strict religious environment and at one time considered becoming a nun. Maria’s problems stem in part from the strict Catholicism of her youth, her motherless home, and the turbulent, faith-destroying politics of the 60s. She is unlikable because she has no sense of limits and was cruel to her father, one of the two people who ever loved her. Early on, it is evident to the reader that Pearl’s rejection of her is a mirror of her own treatment of her father. One reason why Maria is hard to like is that her hubris prevents her from making this connection until the last chapter. However, Gordon seems fond, even admiring, of Maria, and the redemption at the end of the book is as much of Maria as it is of Pearl.
Gordon scatters the pieces of her characters throughout her plot and we piece together the jigsaw and realize their complexity. Pearl is barely more than a child, but Maria and Joseph are full of interesting contradictions and personal challenges. The minor characters in Dublin are well drawn. We are repelled my Mick, so dangerously full of his own importance in the small pond where he has chosen to be the big fish. We are scared by the narrowness and certainty of Finbar’s vision and his capacity to destroy. We are moved by the humbleness of Breeda who recognizes truth through her simplicity.
Gordon’s writing style is not easy to read, littered as it is by obtuse lines like, “His mind is a muscle whose existence makes itself felt only on account of, or in rebellion against, overuse.” But she is a master of original imagery and observant, precisely worded descriptions. There are some wise passages and some big questions that demand our response. Read in excerpts, the prose is beautiful and the concepts challenging. Maria prompts us to think about how to be a good mother. Joseph makes us ask how one can balance responsibility to others with the fulfilment of our own dreams. Pearl (before her plot petered out) challenges us to accept that we can be flawed and also have value. Pearl asks Maria, “Why is it life that we want?” and we ponder her answer, ”It seems we’re meant to.”
But taken as a whole, I find the plot is poorly constructed, the characters universally unsympathetic and the diversity of the issues unfocused.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Annabel
Annabel by Kathleen Winters
“Have you read Annabel?” is the question I keep overhearing this summer. Written by a Montrealer, set in Labrador and about male/female roles as exemplified by hermaphrodism, this book has qualities to interest a large audience. There is also the wisdom and sensitivity of the author, her love and knowledge of life in Labrador, her understanding of children and teenagers, her quest for the best in people, her full characterizations and her interesting questions about the dichotomy and harmony of the sexes which make this book the read of the season.
This is the second book that I have read about hermaphrodism and I found it more reflective, focused and sensitive than Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. Annabel makes us think about the sublimated side in all of us, our sex role models and expectations, and provokes the question of whether there is a middle way which would incorporate the best traits of both sexes.
Annabel is a first novel and some of its bones do show through. The symbolism of bridges becomes laboured after a while and the friend and teacher, Thomasina, is too evidently a deus ex machina figure. I find that she comes in and out of the action too fortuitously and impermanently and her role becomes plot-turning rather than characterization.
I was also disappointed that Winter was unable to sustain the character of Jacinta. She is a strong figure early in the narrative and embraces the fullness and opportunities of her child’s potential. But Winters does not seem able to find a niche for her as Thomasina and Treadway become more influential in plot development.
Winter’s interest shifts to the complexities of Treadway who is a master of woodland lore and an auto-didact of considerable depth. His character experiences the most growth as he denies, struggles, and finally accepts and supports his son’s sexual duality.
Winter’s prose is a delight to read. She tells her story with details that are restrained and evocative and have the ring of truth. As Jacinta’s marriage falters under the stress of Wayne’s challenges, we read: (p.163) “Jacinta swept the floors and wiped the counters, then got a bucket of red-hot water with Pine-Sol in it and a mop, and scoured the kitchen floor and hallway. She dumped the water down the toilet and filled the bucket again, then put rubber gloves on and took a rag and a scrubbing brush and got down on her knees on an old flat cushion and washed every speck of dirt out of the corners and of the baseboards, then she washed down the stairs by hand, and polished the toaster and the fridge, and washed the fingerprints off the walls near all the light switches and off the doors near the doorknobs and off the telephone. She went outside and then came in again to smell with a fresh nose how clean the house smelled, and then she got in bed beside sleeping Treadway and thought how good it would be when he went on his trapline, how there would be fewer footprints to clean.”
Another time, the lonely Jacinta explains why she enjoys listening to the radio: (p.93) “I know it’s not real company, but the radio is something. It’s a comforting voice that lets you know you’re not alone in the world. I need that.”
We hear more truth from Treadway as he tries to give his son some fatherly advice:(p.103) “ Boys, in Labrador, Wayne, are like a wolf pack. We’ve got to be like members of the dog family. We’ve got to know what each other is doing. That’s how you survive.”
Winter’s descriptions are sharply observed and cleverly incorporated into the narrative by including the characters’ response to them. When Wayne moves, on his own, to St. John’s, NFLD, we read: (p.316) “He could smell the ocean in a different way than he had smelled it in Labrador. Sewage ran into the harbour here, and there was a lot of it, with gulls circling over the outlet down below Caine’s Grocery, and you could smell it. There were also smells of seaweed, and fish and chips and vinegar from a van on the street. The houses were much brighter yellows, reds and greens than in Labrador, and they were tall and narrow and stuck together. The houses looked bright but stern, and the air was so clear the colours shouted out loud at him, and he felt weary from the force of all the corners and the sharp lines of the clapboard.”
Winter ends her book optimistically with the hope that Wayne will find his niche in academia where study and ideas and open-mindedness are more important than sexual divisions. And she gives her character that greatest of gifts: a true friend. She leaves her readers with a new appreciation of the distant land of Labrador, some memorable characters, and a story that is fresh, challenging and a delight to read.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Olive Kitteridge
Olive Kitteridge
By Elizabeth Strout
This is the story of an aging woman who realizes at the end of her life that she has made a lot of mistakes, ruined important relationships, wasted a lot of opportunities and generally made a mess of things.
But when her life is in ruins around her, she is offered a last opportunity for happiness and she takes it. It is a tragic story with a twist of hope at the end.
I found it disturbing to read because if any of us reflect on our lives we know that we have made mistakes and squandered opportunities and closed doors. The theme is pertinent to us all, but especially those of us whose lives are more than half over with opportunities that will never come round again.
This is a sobering book, made all the more poignant by the deft, original and light-handed presentation. It is really a collection of short stories set (except for one) in a small village on the coast of Maine. Olive is a character in each story, although not always the central one. We catch glimpses of her from many different perspectives as she lives out her life in the village. We see her through the eyes of many people, in many situations over a long stretch of years. Each story stands alone and yet also reveals the complexities of Olive’s character. We learn about her weaknesses and her considerable strengths and we learn about the dynamic between her and her son, Christopher.
Although insightful and compassionate, the stories are sad, about disappointed parents, stale love, bodies that have turned to fat and flab, loss, and early death. The heartbreak of the world is present in this small fishing village and its residents shoulder their sorrows and carry on.
The one relationship that remains a little mysterious is Olive’s marriage to the affable, well-respected Henry. As with so many long-term marriages, it is hard to see what drew the couple together in the first place and what has sustained the relationship since. Henry did have a fling with another woman, but something, decency, habit, timidity, love, drew him back to Olive. But then, Olive also had an affair which ended tragically. Henry seems quiescent in the relationship, but Olive is haunted by his remark, “In all the years we’ve been married, all the years, I don’t believe you’ve ever once apologized. For anything.”
Olive is a maddening woman, but she is complex, with certain strengths and insights and sympathies. Many people in the community dislike her, but I could not help liking her forthright, strong opinions, her disdain for namby-pambies, and her impatient snort, “Hells Bells!” In the stories, “ Basket of Trips” and “Starving” we see her sensitivity and generosity and wisdom in assessing people and situations. She is impatient, independent, and always thinks she is right, but she is strong, and can be kind and sympathetic.
Elizabeth Strout won a Pulitzer Prize for this book in 2008. I would say she merited it for the haunting character she has produced, the vivid and sympathetic depiction of a Maine coastal village and its characters, and the original and deft way she unveiled her main character, revealing her through so many perspectives, encounters, relationships and episodes which showed her complexity, failures and also her strengths. At the end, my heart broke for the mistakes Olive had made and yet I admired her tenacity and strength to keep on going and have a final try for happiness.
The theme is that foundation of happiness, relationships: the hit and miss of them, the things unsaid but understood, the durability and frailness of them, the inner strength that they require of us and the central, healing quality that makes them essential to us.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
By Helen Simonton
I think this is a "novel of manners," like Jane Austen's books. Nothing terribly earth-shaking occurs, and yet to the protagonist, it is everything. The concerns are about relationships and appropriate behaviour in life's various circumstances. The themes are domestic and yet universal. The setting is the English countryside, as it always has been, overlaid by as it is now.
The charm of the book lies in the character of Major Pettigrew, a 68 year old widower, most English of the English, who finds himself attracted to a Pakistani widow, the shopkeeper in the village. Major Pettigrew has many flaws and an overwhelming virtue: he is introspective and tries to do the right thing. It is impossible not to like Major Pettigrew.
The Major has pretensions to aspire above his station and an immoderate helping of self- respect. He has not kept in touch with his brother, and something has gone very wrong in the upbringing of his only child, Roger. He clings to his military title, even though he spent most of his career teaching little boys. But he is thoroughly decent, and humble enough to reflect on his situation and realize his weaknesses.
This is Simonton's first novel but it does not read like one. There is a village-full of varied and believable characters, a strong main plot, the growing love for Mrs. Ali, and several minor plots, all of which are well integrated with foreshadowing, symbolism, and satisfying conclusions and adhere well together.
One element carries through the entire book: the twin Churchill guns which were presented to the Major's grandfather as a reward for valour in India. The guns are introduced at the beginning of the book and fired at the end, as they should be. They represent the Major's false pride and one is lost at the end as he confirms his true values to himself. The lost gun represented covetousness and had stained his relationship with his brother. The family pride which the guns represented had led to a debacle at a village dance which had almost lost him his chance to find happiness with Mrs. Ali. In the process of losing the gun, the Major shows that he is a true hero, ready to sacrifice for his love and for the future of the country's immigrant youth.
The book has several themes of universal interest:
~ How inheritance corrupts families.
We see how the older son was thoughtless as he accepted his birthright, and the resentment of his younger brother, Bertie and his family resented. We also have the younger generation, Roger and Bertie's daughter, Jemima, ready to inherit before the older generation have gone.
~ The urge of communities to define themselves by excluding outsiders.
We also consider who is an outsider. Although he has lived all his life in the same village, the Major has kept his tastes and values independent. His open mind makes him an outsider in his own community.
~What family really means and what are family obligations.
When family is unreasonable like Roger and Jemima, how far should we support them? How vulnerable should we be when children hurt us? We feel for the Major when Roger is so unredeemingly selfish.
~What we might really be prepared to give up for our principles.
The Major knows that a showdown is looming between the Lord who has a plan to turn his property into a housing estate, and the villagers who are opposed to development. He knows that he is going to have to give up the esteem which he has with the lord and support the villagers.
~Parents and their adult children.
Roger feels a grudging responsibility, highly tinged with irritability, towards his father. The Major has to cope with disappointment in the character failures of his only child.
~The agelessness of love.
At one point, the Major is tempted to settle down with the village spinster, but then he realizes that passion is worth sacrifice.
The plot centers around the growing love between the Major and Mrs. Ali, and the complications of a cross-cultural romance in rural England. The irony is that Mrs. Ali was born in England, and is more learned in English history and literature than the other people in the village. She also has family obligations, and in them we do see cultural differences. Much of the plot concerns a young Pakistani couple torn apart by family authority. Neither of these young people are particularly attractive, and I did not find myself very interested in the resolution of their problems, pivotal as they were to the novel's climax.
Another subplot centres around the Major's involvement in a shooting party where he hopes to show off his guns. The party is spoiled by demonstrators and the whole plot demonstrates the emerging new values in England, with the difficulties of the old landowners to adapt to changing times and tax structures.
Another subplot is the relationship between Roger and his girlfriend. It's deterioration shows the wretchedness and insensitivity of the Major's son, and the necessity for the Major to find his own happiness where he can.
Other action centers around the golf club with its pettiness and snobbery. The Major gets involved in the planning for a dance with an Indian theme. It is a fisticuff disaster and the Major realizes that he has been drawn into it by his pride in his famous ancestor, his love for the guns and his insensitivity to cultural differences.
Although it has a light touch, the book has been carefully structured. The narration of the first tea party which the Major has with Mrs. Ali illustrates Simonton's craft. They admire the view from the bottom of the garden and she says that it has been the same for a thousand years. Later in the book, when the proposal to build on the land arises, the groundwork has been laid for us to appreciate the impact on the community. At the same tea party, during a conversation about escapism, the Major imagines being with Mrs. Ali at the cottage of his friend, the Colonel. Of course, when the couple later flee Mrs. Ali's brother-in-law, that is where thy end up. As Mrs. Ali leaves the tea party, the talk turns to plans for the upcoming dance, and the Major reflects to himself that Daisy Green, the troublesome rector's wife, "might represent a greater menace to the Mughal empire that the conquering Rajput princes and the East India Company combined." Later, Daisy proves to be a considerable menace in her own community.
This book is a fine light summer read. But it is more than that. It is thought-provoking and intelligent, with universal themes, a thrill of romance, a picturesque setting and a fully-developed character, Major Pettigrew, who in the end makes his last stand for the things he believes in, including living life to the full.
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
By Helen Simonton
I think this is a "novel of manners," like Jane Austen's books. Nothing terribly earth-shaking occurs, and yet to the protagonist, it is everything. The concerns are about relationships and appropriate behaviour in life's various circumstances. The themes are domestic and yet universal. The setting is the English countryside, as it always has been, overlaid by as it is now.
The charm of the book lies in the character of Major Pettigrew, a 68 year old widower, most English of the English, who finds himself attracted to a Pakistani widow, the shopkeeper in the village. Major Pettigrew has many flaws and an overwhelming virtue: he is introspective and tries to do the right thing. It is impossible not to like Major Pettigrew.
The Major has pretensions to aspire above his station and an immoderate helping of self- respect. He has not kept in touch with his brother, and something has gone very wrong in the upbringing of his only child, Roger. He clings to his military title, even though he spent most of his career teaching little boys. But he is thoroughly decent, and humble enough to reflect on his situation and realize his weaknesses.
This is Simonton's first novel but it does not read like one. There is a village-full of varied and believable characters, a strong main plot, the growing love for Mrs. Ali, and several minor plots, all of which are well integrated with foreshadowing, symbolism, and satisfying conclusions and adhere well together.
One element carries through the entire book: the twin Churchill guns which were presented to the Major's grandfather as a reward for valour in India. The guns are introduced at the beginning of the book and fired at the end, as they should be. They represent the Major's false pride and one is lost at the end as he confirms his true values to himself. The lost gun represented covetousness and had stained his relationship with his brother. The family pride which the guns represented had led to a debacle at a village dance which had almost lost him his chance to find happiness with Mrs. Ali. In the process of losing the gun, the Major shows that he is a true hero, ready to sacrifice for his love and for the future of the country's immigrant youth.
The book has several themes of universal interest:
~ How inheritance corrupts families.
We see how the older son was thoughtless as he accepted his birthright, and the resentment of his younger brother, Bertie and his family resented. We also have the younger generation, Roger and Bertie's daughter, Jemima, ready to inherit before the older generation have gone.
~ The urge of communities to define themselves by excluding outsiders.
We also consider who is an outsider. Although he has lived all his life in the same village, the Major has kept his tastes and values independent. His open mind makes him an outsider in his own community.
~What family really means and what are family obligations.
When family is unreasonable like Roger and Jemima, how far should we support them? How vulnerable should we be when children hurt us? We feel for the Major when Roger is so unredeemingly selfish.
~What we might really be prepared to give up for our principles.
The Major knows that a showdown is looming between the Lord who has a plan to turn his property into a housing estate, and the villagers who are opposed to development. He knows that he is going to have to give up the esteem which he has with the lord and support the villagers.
~Parents and their adult children.
Roger feels a grudging responsibility, highly tinged with irritability, towards his father. The Major has to cope with disappointment in the character failures of his only child.
~The agelessness of love.
At one point, the Major is tempted to settle down with the village spinster, but then he realizes that passion is worth sacrifice.
The plot centers around the growing love between the Major and Mrs. Ali, and the complications of a cross-cultural romance in rural England. The irony is that Mrs. Ali was born in England, and is more learned in English history and literature than the other people in the village. She also has family obligations, and in them we do see cultural differences. Much of the plot concerns a young Pakistani couple torn apart by family authority. Neither of these young people are particularly attractive, and I did not find myself very interested in the resolution of their problems, pivotal as they were to the novel's climax.
Another subplot centres around the Major's involvement in a shooting party where he hopes to show off his guns. The party is spoiled by demonstrators and the whole plot demonstrates the emerging new values in England, with the difficulties of the old landowners to adapt to changing times and tax structures.
Another subplot is the relationship between Roger and his girlfriend. It's deterioration shows the wretchedness and insensitivity of the Major's son, and the necessity for the Major to find his own happiness where he can.
Other action centers around the golf club with its pettiness and snobbery. The Major gets involved in the planning for a dance with an Indian theme. It is a fisticuff disaster and the Major realizes that he has been drawn into it by his pride in his famous ancestor, his love for the guns and his insensitivity to cultural differences.
Although it has a light touch, the book has been carefully structured. The narration of the first tea party which the Major has with Mrs. Ali illustrates Simonton's craft. They admire the view from the bottom of the garden and she says that it has been the same for a thousand years. Later in the book, when the proposal to build on the land arises, the groundwork has been laid for us to appreciate the impact on the community. At the same tea party, during a conversation about escapism, the Major imagines being with Mrs. Ali at the cottage of his friend, the Colonel. Of course, when the couple later flee Mrs. Ali's brother-in-law, that is where thy end up. As Mrs. Ali leaves the tea party, the talk turns to plans for the upcoming dance, and the Major reflects to himself that Daisy Green, the troublesome rector's wife, "might represent a greater menace to the Mughal empire that the conquering Rajput princes and the East India Company combined." Later, Daisy proves to be a considerable menace in her own community.
This book is a fine light summer read. But it is more than that. It is thought-provoking and intelligent, with universal themes, a thrill of romance, a picturesque setting and a fully-developed character, Major Pettigrew, who in the end makes his last stand for the things he believes in, including living life to the full.
By Helen Simonton
I think this is a "novel of manners," like Jane Austen's books. Nothing terribly earth-shaking occurs, and yet to the protagonist, it is everything. The concerns are about relationships and appropriate behaviour in life's various circumstances. The themes are domestic and yet universal. The setting is the English countryside, as it always has been, overlaid by as it is now.
The charm of the book lies in the character of Major Pettigrew, a 68 year old widower, most English of the English, who finds himself attracted to a Pakistani widow, the shopkeeper in the village. Major Pettigrew has many flaws and an overwhelming virtue: he is introspective and tries to do the right thing. It is impossible not to like Major Pettigrew.
The Major has pretensions to aspire above his station and an immoderate helping of self- respect. He has not kept in touch with his brother, and something has gone very wrong in the upbringing of his only child, Roger. He clings to his military title, even though he spent most of his career teaching little boys. But he is thoroughly decent, and humble enough to reflect on his situation and realize his weaknesses.
This is Simonton's first novel but it does not read like one. There is a village-full of varied and believable characters, a strong main plot, the growing love for Mrs. Ali, and several minor plots, all of which are well integrated with foreshadowing, symbolism, and satisfying conclusions and adhere well together.
One element carries through the entire book: the twin Churchill guns which were presented to the Major's grandfather as a reward for valour in India. The guns are introduced at the beginning of the book and fired at the end, as they should be. They represent the Major's false pride and one is lost at the end as he confirms his true values to himself. The lost gun represented covetousness and had stained his relationship with his brother. The family pride which the guns represented had led to a debacle at a village dance which had almost lost him his chance to find happiness with Mrs. Ali. In the process of losing the gun, the Major shows that he is a true hero, ready to sacrifice for his love and for the future of the country's immigrant youth.
The book has several themes of universal interest:
~ How inheritance corrupts families.
We see how the older son was thoughtless as he accepted his birthright, and the resentment of his younger brother, Bertie and his family resented. We also have the younger generation, Roger and Bertie's daughter, Jemima, ready to inherit before the older generation have gone.
~ The urge of communities to define themselves by excluding outsiders.
We also consider who is an outsider. Although he has lived all his life in the same village, the Major has kept his tastes and values independent. His open mind makes him an outsider in his own community.
~What family really means and what are family obligations.
When family is unreasonable like Roger and Jemima, how far should we support them? How vulnerable should we be when children hurt us? We feel for the Major when Roger is so unredeemingly selfish.
~What we might really be prepared to give up for our principles.
The Major knows that a showdown is looming between the Lord who has a plan to turn his property into a housing estate, and the villagers who are opposed to development. He knows that he is going to have to give up the esteem which he has with the lord and support the villagers.
~Parents and their adult children.
Roger feels a grudging responsibility, highly tinged with irritability, towards his father. The Major has to cope with disappointment in the character failures of his only child.
~The agelessness of love.
At one point, the Major is tempted to settle down with the village spinster, but then he realizes that passion is worth sacrifice.
The plot centers around the growing love between the Major and Mrs. Ali, and the complications of a cross-cultural romance in rural England. The irony is that Mrs. Ali was born in England, and is more learned in English history and literature than the other people in the village. She also has family obligations, and in them we do see cultural differences. Much of the plot concerns a young Pakistani couple torn apart by family authority. Neither of these young people are particularly attractive, and I did not find myself very interested in the resolution of their problems, pivotal as they were to the novel's climax.
Another subplot centres around the Major's involvement in a shooting party where he hopes to show off his guns. The party is spoiled by demonstrators and the whole plot demonstrates the emerging new values in England, with the difficulties of the old landowners to adapt to changing times and tax structures.
Another subplot is the relationship between Roger and his girlfriend. It's deterioration shows the wretchedness and insensitivity of the Major's son, and the necessity for the Major to find his own happiness where he can.
Other action centers around the golf club with its pettiness and snobbery. The Major gets involved in the planning for a dance with an Indian theme. It is a fisticuff disaster and the Major realizes that he has been drawn into it by his pride in his famous ancestor, his love for the guns and his insensitivity to cultural differences.
Although it has a light touch, the book has been carefully structured. The narration of the first tea party which the Major has with Mrs. Ali illustrates Simonton's craft. They admire the view from the bottom of the garden and she says that it has been the same for a thousand years. Later in the book, when the proposal to build on the land arises, the groundwork has been laid for us to appreciate the impact on the community. At the same tea party, during a conversation about escapism, the Major imagines being with Mrs. Ali at the cottage of his friend, the Colonel. Of course, when the couple later flee Mrs. Ali's brother-in-law, that is where thy end up. As Mrs. Ali leaves the tea party, the talk turns to plans for the upcoming dance, and the Major reflects to himself that Daisy Green, the troublesome rector's wife, "might represent a greater menace to the Mughal empire that the conquering Rajput princes and the East India Company combined." Later, Daisy proves to be a considerable menace in her own community.
This book is a fine light summer read. But it is more than that. It is thought-provoking and intelligent, with universal themes, a thrill of romance, a picturesque setting and a fully-developed character, Major Pettigrew, who in the end makes his last stand for the things he believes in, including living life to the full.
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
By Helen Simonton
I think this is a "novel of manners," like Jane Austen's books. Nothing terribly earth-shaking occurs, and yet to the protagonist, it is everything. The concerns are about relationships and appropriate behaviour in life's various circumstances. The themes are domestic and yet universal. The setting is the English countryside, as it always has been, overlaid by as it is now.
The charm of the book lies in the character of Major Pettigrew, a 68 year old widower, most English of the English, who finds himself attracted to a Pakistani widow, the shopkeeper in the village. Major Pettigrew has many flaws and an overwhelming virtue: he is introspective and tries to do the right thing. It is impossible not to like Major Pettigrew.
The Major has pretensions to aspire above his station and an immoderate helping of self- respect. He has not kept in touch with his brother, and something has gone very wrong in the upbringing of his only child, Roger. He clings to his military title, even though he spent most of his career teaching little boys. But he is thoroughly decent, and humble enough to reflect on his situation and realize his weaknesses.
This is Simonton's first novel but it does not read like one. There is a village-full of varied and believable characters, a strong main plot, the growing love for Mrs. Ali, and several minor plots, all of which are well integrated with foreshadowing, symbolism, and satisfying conclusions and adhere well together.
One element carries through the entire book: the twin Churchill guns which were presented to the Major's grandfather as a reward for valour in India. The guns are introduced at the beginning of the book and fired at the end, as they should be. They represent the Major's false pride and one is lost at the end as he confirms his true values to himself. The lost gun represented covetousness and had stained his relationship with his brother. The family pride which the guns represented had led to a debacle at a village dance which had almost lost him his chance to find happiness with Mrs. Ali. In the process of losing the gun, the Major shows that he is a true hero, ready to sacrifice for his love and for the future of the country's immigrant youth.
The book has several themes of universal interest:
~ How inheritance corrupts families.
We see how the older son was thoughtless as he accepted his birthright, and the resentment of his younger brother, Bertie and his family resented. We also have the younger generation, Roger and Bertie's daughter, Jemima, ready to inherit before the older generation have gone.
~ The urge of communities to define themselves by excluding outsiders.
We also consider who is an outsider. Although he has lived all his life in the same village, the Major has kept his tastes and values independent. His open mind makes him an outsider in his own community.
~What family really means and what are family obligations.
When family is unreasonable like Roger and Jemima, how far should we support them? How vulnerable should we be when children hurt us? We feel for the Major when Roger is so unredeemingly selfish.
~What we might really be prepared to give up for our principles.
The Major knows that a showdown is looming between the Lord who has a plan to turn his property into a housing estate, and the villagers who are opposed to development. He knows that he is going to have to give up the esteem which he has with the lord and support the villagers.
~Parents and their adult children.
Roger feels a grudging responsibility, highly tinged with irritability, towards his father. The Major has to cope with disappointment in the character failures of his only child.
~The agelessness of love.
At one point, the Major is tempted to settle down with the village spinster, but then he realizes that passion is worth sacrifice.
The plot centers around the growing love between the Major and Mrs. Ali, and the complications of a cross-cultural romance in rural England. The irony is that Mrs. Ali was born in England, and is more learned in English history and literature than the other people in the village. She also has family obligations, and in them we do see cultural differences. Much of the plot concerns a young Pakistani couple torn apart by family authority. Neither of these young people are particularly attractive, and I did not find myself very interested in the resolution of their problems, pivotal as they were to the novel's climax.
Another subplot centres around the Major's involvement in a shooting party where he hopes to show off his guns. The party is spoiled by demonstrators and the whole plot demonstrates the emerging new values in England, with the difficulties of the old landowners to adapt to changing times and tax structures.
Another subplot is the relationship between Roger and his girlfriend. It's deterioration shows the wretchedness and insensitivity of the Major's son, and the necessity for the Major to find his own happiness where he can.
Other action centers around the golf club with its pettiness and snobbery. The Major gets involved in the planning for a dance with an Indian theme. It is a fisticuff disaster and the Major realizes that he has been drawn into it by his pride in his famous ancestor, his love for the guns and his insensitivity to cultural differences.
Although it has a light touch, the book has been carefully structured. The narration of the first tea party which the Major has with Mrs. Ali illustrates Simonton's craft. They admire the view from the bottom of the garden and she says that it has been the same for a thousand years. Later in the book, when the proposal to build on the land arises, the groundwork has been laid for us to appreciate the impact on the community. At the same tea party, during a conversation about escapism, the Major imagines being with Mrs. Ali at the cottage of his friend, the Colonel. Of course, when the couple later flee Mrs. Ali's brother-in-law, that is where thy end up. As Mrs. Ali leaves the tea party, the talk turns to plans for the upcoming dance, and the Major reflects to himself that Daisy Green, the troublesome rector's wife, "might represent a greater menace to the Mughal empire that the conquering Rajput princes and the East India Company combined." Later, Daisy proves to be a considerable menace in her own community.
This book is a fine light summer read. But it is more than that. It is thought-provoking and intelligent, with universal themes, a thrill of romance, a picturesque setting and a fully-developed character, Major Pettigrew, who in the end makes his last stand for the things he believes in, including living life to the full.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
The Best Laid Plans
The Best Laid Plans
Terry Fallis
This book is the 2011 Canada Reads winner, the book that is recommended to be read by all Canadians in 2011. If all Canadians were to read it, there would be some changes made to the way Canadian politics operate.
The book is comedic, the tone is light, there are lots of funny lines and the plot is full of fortuitous coincidences and happy endings. It’s an easy read, and lots of fun, but it has left me thinking.
It is a satire about politics with people and situations which are all too familiar to all of us. There are brilliant engineering students who have never read a novel, be-ringed and tattooed punks, a greedy but savvy entrepreneur, a swaggering American investor, a power-loving university administrator, enraged donut-throwing voters, and a lot of people who need their grammar corrected by an engineering professor.
The setting is also familiar to me: Ottawa University, the Ottawa River, the Houses of Parliament and a retirement home. The plot is simple: In a solidly Conservative riding east of Ottawa, a bereaved and lonely university professor agrees to let his name stand on the Liberal ticket in return for a favour. The Conservative candidate is unexpectedly disgraced and the professor finds himself elected. A newcomer in parliament with no interest in running again, he follows his conscience and makes enemies in caucus but becomes a hero to the Canadian public.
Terry Fallis is an engineer by training but has sustained an involvement in politics all his life. He served on the staff of the Chretien and Turner governments for two years, was a legislative assistant for three years with the provincial Liberals in Ontario, and a government affairs consultant for seven. He has been a partner in a communications company for more than 20 years, working for corporate and governmental clients. He has seen a lot of Canadian public life, enough to make his satire relevant and informed.
The picture that he paints of the machinations behind closed doors in Ottawa is disheartening. He divides staff into two categories: idealist policy wonks and cynical political operators. There are far too many of the latter.
Angus McLintock, the idiosyncratic Scot who becomes a reluctant Liberal MNA expresses Fallis’ attitude towards political life in Canada: “Every candidate in this country should be thinkin’ first about the national interest, second about their constituents’ interests, and third about their own interests. Everyone is more concerned about their own fortunes than with the nation’s. That’s the problem with the democratic institutions in this country.” (p.56)
Fallis’ description of the muffling and discipline imposed on party caucuses is the unsettling message of this otherwise light hearted book. Once elected and in the Liberal caucus, Angus refuses to toe the party line as dictated by the ‘Leader,’ especially when told to vote against a throne speech which was inspired by Liberal values. He becomes a hero to Canadian voters who feel betrayed by the disempowerment of their local representatives.
Coincident with reading this book, I have been reading an article in MacLean’s magazine, February 28, 2011, The House of Commons is a Sham. I found that Fallis’ descriptions of the functioning of Canadian politics today is distressingly accurate. Aaron Wherry, the author of the article, writes: “… almost all votes of any importance (are) destined to break along party lines. Power has coalesced around the offices of party leaders.”
Wherry quotes Liberal MP Keith Martin who has announced that he will not seek re-election: “I’ve never seen morale so low or Parliament so dysfunctional in more than 17 years of being there…There’s an overwhelming sense of futility, disappointment and sadness among most of the MPs who are there.” Martin laments,” the fairly young, ambitious, rapidly partisan individuals who often treat MPs with utter disdain….Rabid partisanship is rewarded…Overweening and excessive party discipline has disempowered members of Parliament and forced them to pay utter homage to the leaderships of their party, instead of their true bosses, which are the people that sent them there.”
Conservative MP Michael Chong is also quoted:” I think the vast majority of MPs are interested in playing a bigger role… in having greater authority and autonomy to execute their roles.”
This is exactly the situation that Fallis is satirizing, and I’m not laughing anymore. Thank you, Canada Reads Panel, for choosing this book. Maybe it will lead to some reform in the House of Commons.
Terry Fallis
This book is the 2011 Canada Reads winner, the book that is recommended to be read by all Canadians in 2011. If all Canadians were to read it, there would be some changes made to the way Canadian politics operate.
The book is comedic, the tone is light, there are lots of funny lines and the plot is full of fortuitous coincidences and happy endings. It’s an easy read, and lots of fun, but it has left me thinking.
It is a satire about politics with people and situations which are all too familiar to all of us. There are brilliant engineering students who have never read a novel, be-ringed and tattooed punks, a greedy but savvy entrepreneur, a swaggering American investor, a power-loving university administrator, enraged donut-throwing voters, and a lot of people who need their grammar corrected by an engineering professor.
The setting is also familiar to me: Ottawa University, the Ottawa River, the Houses of Parliament and a retirement home. The plot is simple: In a solidly Conservative riding east of Ottawa, a bereaved and lonely university professor agrees to let his name stand on the Liberal ticket in return for a favour. The Conservative candidate is unexpectedly disgraced and the professor finds himself elected. A newcomer in parliament with no interest in running again, he follows his conscience and makes enemies in caucus but becomes a hero to the Canadian public.
Terry Fallis is an engineer by training but has sustained an involvement in politics all his life. He served on the staff of the Chretien and Turner governments for two years, was a legislative assistant for three years with the provincial Liberals in Ontario, and a government affairs consultant for seven. He has been a partner in a communications company for more than 20 years, working for corporate and governmental clients. He has seen a lot of Canadian public life, enough to make his satire relevant and informed.
The picture that he paints of the machinations behind closed doors in Ottawa is disheartening. He divides staff into two categories: idealist policy wonks and cynical political operators. There are far too many of the latter.
Angus McLintock, the idiosyncratic Scot who becomes a reluctant Liberal MNA expresses Fallis’ attitude towards political life in Canada: “Every candidate in this country should be thinkin’ first about the national interest, second about their constituents’ interests, and third about their own interests. Everyone is more concerned about their own fortunes than with the nation’s. That’s the problem with the democratic institutions in this country.” (p.56)
Fallis’ description of the muffling and discipline imposed on party caucuses is the unsettling message of this otherwise light hearted book. Once elected and in the Liberal caucus, Angus refuses to toe the party line as dictated by the ‘Leader,’ especially when told to vote against a throne speech which was inspired by Liberal values. He becomes a hero to Canadian voters who feel betrayed by the disempowerment of their local representatives.
Coincident with reading this book, I have been reading an article in MacLean’s magazine, February 28, 2011, The House of Commons is a Sham. I found that Fallis’ descriptions of the functioning of Canadian politics today is distressingly accurate. Aaron Wherry, the author of the article, writes: “… almost all votes of any importance (are) destined to break along party lines. Power has coalesced around the offices of party leaders.”
Wherry quotes Liberal MP Keith Martin who has announced that he will not seek re-election: “I’ve never seen morale so low or Parliament so dysfunctional in more than 17 years of being there…There’s an overwhelming sense of futility, disappointment and sadness among most of the MPs who are there.” Martin laments,” the fairly young, ambitious, rapidly partisan individuals who often treat MPs with utter disdain….Rabid partisanship is rewarded…Overweening and excessive party discipline has disempowered members of Parliament and forced them to pay utter homage to the leaderships of their party, instead of their true bosses, which are the people that sent them there.”
Conservative MP Michael Chong is also quoted:” I think the vast majority of MPs are interested in playing a bigger role… in having greater authority and autonomy to execute their roles.”
This is exactly the situation that Fallis is satirizing, and I’m not laughing anymore. Thank you, Canada Reads Panel, for choosing this book. Maybe it will lead to some reform in the House of Commons.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Stones into Schools
Stones into Schools
Greg Mortenson
After enjoying Three Cups of Tea, I was expecting to be disappointed by the sequel, but I was pleasantly surprised for several reasons. Greg Mortenson’s second book about the schools for girls which he is building in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan is full of new information and continues to be imbued with his enthusiasm for his project. It is about the amount of work needed to keep an NGO functioning, the enthusiasm for learning in Third World Countries, the challenges of society and terrain in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the capacity for Afghanis and Pakistanis to forge ahead with projects if they are only given the right opportunity. It is an adventure story, with wild rides, unlikely heroes and achievements that defy the odds. The story is told with sympathy and admiration and shows what can be achieved with trust and commitment. It is an interesting book.
I learned a lot about the earthquake in Azad Kashmir in 2005, the history of the nomadic tribespeople in Northern Afghanistan, transportation challenges, banking difficulties, and the erosion of skills and education among Afghans who have spent their lives in combat and refugee camps. I also learned about what can be accomplished by one man with a purpose.
I found it interesting that the two project managers of the Central Asia Institute, Sarfraz Khan in Pakistan and Wakil Karimi in Afghanistan are not people with diplomas and pedigree, but honest, zealous men with vision, connections, ingenuity, and knowledge of local communities.
A really key factor in the success of building and maintaining CAI schools is the trust established with the local communities. The CAI never start a project unless invited by the local head men and supported by the community. This is a key approach, and is unfortunately a novel one. In early April there was a story in my local newspaper about the challenges the Canadian armed forces are having as they establish schools in Afghanistan. They find that they are facing opposition from local leaders, a problem the CAI never has.
I enjoyed putting the maps together with the text and understanding the challenges and the beauty of this mountainous area where people survive in the fertile and sheltered valleys, but are separated and isolated by those magnificent ranges: the Pamir, the Karakorum, and the Hindu Kush.
Clearly, the book was put together to heighten awareness of Mortenson’s project among potential supporters. He is now largely entrusting the work in Pakistan and Afghanistan to local organizers and directing his energy to fund-raising. He is courting middle America with his stories of cooperation from the US military and telling us stories that we like to hear.
We are meant to learn about The Central Asia Institute and its objectives and challenges and there are many appendices to guide us. I really appreciated the many maps, the list of Who’s Who, the glossary of terms and the index. The didactic purpose is underlined with the lists at the end: “Investing in Girl’s Education Yields Huge Returns,” “Take Action,” and “Key Ingredients in Successfully Building Girls’ Schools.”
It concerned me that so much of the success of the CAI depends on its founder, Greg Mortenson. The Institute has a board of directors, all women, I notice, but the bulk of the publicity, fundraising and organisation of the overseas projects depends on Mortenson. He pushes himself very hard, and if something should happen to him, I am afraid the whole worthwhile venture would fall apart. He does a tremendous amount of public speaking and traveling, and has already had a few burnouts.
I could not understand how such a busy man would have time to write this book, important as it is to the fundraising efforts of the CAI to keep interest high by keeping the story before the public. I found my answer in the long list of ‘Thanks.’ Mortenson writes: “Two dedicated writers put in literally thousands of hours to help me bring Stones into Schools into the world. Mike Bryan worked nearly every day for an entire year to research and lay the groundwork. Kevin Fedarko helped find the most compelling way to construct this narrative and put in marathon efforts over one hundred consecutive 16-hour days.” Both traveled to the Wakhan and Baltistan. This book was written by a committee who worked well together.
I did not see the recent CBS programme debunking Mortenson and his work, but it makes me very angry. CBS sent reporters to distant places in Central Asia, not to help the local people but to investigate this man and his organization which have done so much to promote literacy and give girls the hope of a future. Who is going to step in and support education in Central Asia when CBS has knocked out Mortenson’s fund-raising campaign? Does CBS have a plan to fund these schools out of the money it makes discrediting Mortenson? At the end of his book, Mortenson apologises to his family for his long and frequent absences from home and regrets that while he has been helping children far away, he has missed seeing his own children grow up. Is the CBS programme his reward for this sacrifice? I think there are enough genuine cases of crime and mismanagement to keep CBS ‘investigators’ busy without having them attack a man who has committed his life to providing marginalized girls with an education!
Greg Mortenson
After enjoying Three Cups of Tea, I was expecting to be disappointed by the sequel, but I was pleasantly surprised for several reasons. Greg Mortenson’s second book about the schools for girls which he is building in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan is full of new information and continues to be imbued with his enthusiasm for his project. It is about the amount of work needed to keep an NGO functioning, the enthusiasm for learning in Third World Countries, the challenges of society and terrain in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the capacity for Afghanis and Pakistanis to forge ahead with projects if they are only given the right opportunity. It is an adventure story, with wild rides, unlikely heroes and achievements that defy the odds. The story is told with sympathy and admiration and shows what can be achieved with trust and commitment. It is an interesting book.
I learned a lot about the earthquake in Azad Kashmir in 2005, the history of the nomadic tribespeople in Northern Afghanistan, transportation challenges, banking difficulties, and the erosion of skills and education among Afghans who have spent their lives in combat and refugee camps. I also learned about what can be accomplished by one man with a purpose.
I found it interesting that the two project managers of the Central Asia Institute, Sarfraz Khan in Pakistan and Wakil Karimi in Afghanistan are not people with diplomas and pedigree, but honest, zealous men with vision, connections, ingenuity, and knowledge of local communities.
A really key factor in the success of building and maintaining CAI schools is the trust established with the local communities. The CAI never start a project unless invited by the local head men and supported by the community. This is a key approach, and is unfortunately a novel one. In early April there was a story in my local newspaper about the challenges the Canadian armed forces are having as they establish schools in Afghanistan. They find that they are facing opposition from local leaders, a problem the CAI never has.
I enjoyed putting the maps together with the text and understanding the challenges and the beauty of this mountainous area where people survive in the fertile and sheltered valleys, but are separated and isolated by those magnificent ranges: the Pamir, the Karakorum, and the Hindu Kush.
Clearly, the book was put together to heighten awareness of Mortenson’s project among potential supporters. He is now largely entrusting the work in Pakistan and Afghanistan to local organizers and directing his energy to fund-raising. He is courting middle America with his stories of cooperation from the US military and telling us stories that we like to hear.
We are meant to learn about The Central Asia Institute and its objectives and challenges and there are many appendices to guide us. I really appreciated the many maps, the list of Who’s Who, the glossary of terms and the index. The didactic purpose is underlined with the lists at the end: “Investing in Girl’s Education Yields Huge Returns,” “Take Action,” and “Key Ingredients in Successfully Building Girls’ Schools.”
It concerned me that so much of the success of the CAI depends on its founder, Greg Mortenson. The Institute has a board of directors, all women, I notice, but the bulk of the publicity, fundraising and organisation of the overseas projects depends on Mortenson. He pushes himself very hard, and if something should happen to him, I am afraid the whole worthwhile venture would fall apart. He does a tremendous amount of public speaking and traveling, and has already had a few burnouts.
I could not understand how such a busy man would have time to write this book, important as it is to the fundraising efforts of the CAI to keep interest high by keeping the story before the public. I found my answer in the long list of ‘Thanks.’ Mortenson writes: “Two dedicated writers put in literally thousands of hours to help me bring Stones into Schools into the world. Mike Bryan worked nearly every day for an entire year to research and lay the groundwork. Kevin Fedarko helped find the most compelling way to construct this narrative and put in marathon efforts over one hundred consecutive 16-hour days.” Both traveled to the Wakhan and Baltistan. This book was written by a committee who worked well together.
I did not see the recent CBS programme debunking Mortenson and his work, but it makes me very angry. CBS sent reporters to distant places in Central Asia, not to help the local people but to investigate this man and his organization which have done so much to promote literacy and give girls the hope of a future. Who is going to step in and support education in Central Asia when CBS has knocked out Mortenson’s fund-raising campaign? Does CBS have a plan to fund these schools out of the money it makes discrediting Mortenson? At the end of his book, Mortenson apologises to his family for his long and frequent absences from home and regrets that while he has been helping children far away, he has missed seeing his own children grow up. Is the CBS programme his reward for this sacrifice? I think there are enough genuine cases of crime and mismanagement to keep CBS ‘investigators’ busy without having them attack a man who has committed his life to providing marginalized girls with an education!
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