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deveniegas's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nashwa017's review
4.0
This one is different from Sidhwa’s other books, but not bad by any means. It’s equally engaging but felt like it had a calmer vibe than Cracking India or The Crow Eaters. Sidhwa’s observations on religion and politics are as astute as ever, her writing and story telling are just wonderful. These books have a staying power, and they resonate with me more than any desi writer has managed to do so far
nehailism's review
4.0
What I admire most about this book is the showcase of bitter and triggering realities of our country, and the despicable fundamental politics that had groped the state during the dark reign of General Zia.
During the 1970s, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, a liberal and nation-wide loved leader was executed by an Army general who immediately after became a tyrannical leader of Pakistan. He passed laws and ordinances that could least be called conservative. He believed in Islamization of the law, and by doing so he prevented majority of people - especially and mostly women - from basic rights.
An American Brat takes place in the late 1970s, following the lives of the Ginwalla family belonging to a minority religion of Zoroastrianism living in Lahore, Pakistan; also simply called Parsees in the Sub-Continent.
Contributing to only 120,000 to the world population, this religion is not only a minority in Pakistan, but overall, so needless to say this tightly packed community takes its unions very seriously and doesn't permit interfaith or intercultural marriages out of fear of extinction.
The essence of this novel is the restrictions imposed on the people by our society and by mullahs who fool themselves and their followers into believing they're preaching the correct Islam when they're laughably far from it. And how that plays on the mind of a common man who subconsciously abides by those insufferable rules and regulations despite of criticizing them and their makers.
It pains me to observe that the effects of those dark years are still very much distinguished in our country and in the nature of our people. The intolerance towards minorities or anyone who doesn't believe in their type of Islam is excruciatingly brutal and vivid. The immediate fatwas of blasphemy and the unspoken acceptance of murder of the person who is merely accused of committing heresy are a few examples of what blind zealots and bigots we have unfortunately become.
Bapsi Sidhwa has masterfully captured the plights and dilemmas of Pakistanis living in the country and abroad, from the perspective of a non-Muslim mostly unbiased community. The writing might be humorous but the message hidden in plain sight is thought-provoking and delicate, affecting each one of us, even the modern day citizens of 2018.
During the 1970s, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, a liberal and nation-wide loved leader was executed by an Army general who immediately after became a tyrannical leader of Pakistan. He passed laws and ordinances that could least be called conservative. He believed in Islamization of the law, and by doing so he prevented majority of people - especially and mostly women - from basic rights.
An American Brat takes place in the late 1970s, following the lives of the Ginwalla family belonging to a minority religion of Zoroastrianism living in Lahore, Pakistan; also simply called Parsees in the Sub-Continent.
Contributing to only 120,000 to the world population, this religion is not only a minority in Pakistan, but overall, so needless to say this tightly packed community takes its unions very seriously and doesn't permit interfaith or intercultural marriages out of fear of extinction.
The essence of this novel is the restrictions imposed on the people by our society and by mullahs who fool themselves and their followers into believing they're preaching the correct Islam when they're laughably far from it. And how that plays on the mind of a common man who subconsciously abides by those insufferable rules and regulations despite of criticizing them and their makers.
It pains me to observe that the effects of those dark years are still very much distinguished in our country and in the nature of our people. The intolerance towards minorities or anyone who doesn't believe in their type of Islam is excruciatingly brutal and vivid. The immediate fatwas of blasphemy and the unspoken acceptance of murder of the person who is merely accused of committing heresy are a few examples of what blind zealots and bigots we have unfortunately become.
Bapsi Sidhwa has masterfully captured the plights and dilemmas of Pakistanis living in the country and abroad, from the perspective of a non-Muslim mostly unbiased community. The writing might be humorous but the message hidden in plain sight is thought-provoking and delicate, affecting each one of us, even the modern day citizens of 2018.