Latest Read: God: A Human History by Reza Aslan

Loved it. Highly recommend. 

Got to see him at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in the 2017/2018 Literary Arts lecture series. He is quite an engaging speaker and his lecture was on this book incidentally.

I was a little surprised by the conclusion drawn by him in the book, which I do not want to give away. I was surprised as he identifies as a Muslim. I actually agree with the conclusion, mostly because I feel that there is no distance between the two extremes of there is no god and all is god. Interestingly he did draw quite a bit from Hariri's Sapiens in this book which pleased me no end as Aslan and Hariri are two authors that I admire very much. 

Latest Read: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Hariri

This book should be mandatory reading!

It is rational and hopeful. It takes the prevalent pessimism of 'the world is falling apart' and smashes it to pieces with reasoning, graphs and history. 

Cannot wait to read the next one. 

Thank you for this book!

Latest Read: Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist by Eli Saslow

A friend recommended this book after she attended the Portland Book Festival this year and heard the author talk about white nationalism. I was immediately interested and at first decided to wait till she had finished reading her copy; then, found that I could not wait and ordered my own copy.

Last year, I had started to read the tweets and posts of some white supremacist women after the Charlottesville rally. Their point of view was alarming and the words that they so casually used startled me - 'white genocide' being one of them.

This is the story of how one of the creators of that point of view and the heir apparent to the WN movement, Derek Black, changed his own point of view and then publicly disavowed his WN beliefs. It is fascinating and hopeful. 

I highly recommend this book. 


Added Nov 20th: . I was listening to Derek Black and Mathew Stevenson on NPR and one thing struck me particularly. Black emphasized that it was not ONLY the friendship and the quiet conversations that changed his mind but also the condemnation from others around him that forced him to rethink his stance. He said that you need both.

Latest Read: Susannah by Janet Hickman

I read this book as I was a bit alarmed that my daughter was going to do a book report on it. I did not know much about the Shakers before I started to read it. I actually thought that Shakers and Quakers were the same and did not like the fact that the book promised to show an unflattering picture of a religious group. 

I learned a lot - read the wiki page for Shakers after I finished the book. They believe in the equality of men and women in society and religion and the movement was founded by a woman. I also remembered that the straight line furniture that I have in my family room is Shaker - it is beautiful. I used to know that but had forgotten over the years. Now I appreciate its simplicity and sturdiness even more.

The book is about a young girl who comes to live with a new Shaker community in Ohio after her mother passes away and her father decides to join the group. Some of the events and people in the book are real. As an adult reading this book I can sympathize with her father and understand why he brought her there. It is a good book for a young person and it will initiate good conversations about mourning, parents' rights over children, kindness and bravery. 

Latest Read: Fear by Bob Woodward

Finally! A book on the current presidency that is palatable to me. Fire and Fury was awful, it was spiteful and just angry. What Happened was OK. This one is what suits me best - it is a narration without judgement, that is left to the reader.

This is the book to read. 

Latest Read: Fascism: A Warning by Madeline Albright

I bought this book around the time I bought my copy of Fire and Fury; but Fire and Fury's style and content left a bad taste in my mouth and I left this book on the coffee table for a couple of months. I finally picked it up last week.

Ms. Albright gives a history of fascism starting with WW1. Hitler and Mussolini both get their own chapters. Ms. Albright takes us all the way to the present day, discussing Putin's Russia and Kim Jong Un's North Korea along the way. Her own personal history is linked with fascism's rise in Europe and she talks about being an immigrant in the US after WW2. 

This book was a critical piece in my world history education. I learned about the Marshall Plan, and understand more deeply the importance of NATO.

I recommend this book.

Latest Read: The Prisoner by Omar Shahid Hamid

I read this wonderful book a few years ago. Am writing now because, life.

I loved it! Written by a serving policeman in Karachi, the book is riveting. It gave me a delightful look into 'that world'. We need more books that expose the beast that is Karachi while endearing it to the reader by being simple and direct.

Hamid went to Oxford or Cambridge I believe and comes from a family where people do not generally join the police force. An aunt knows his family and asked him what would happen if his colleagues read this book. He said that no policeman reads!

Recommend recommend recommend!

Latest Read: The Atheist Muslim

This was excellent. I found myself nodding along while reading about the author's experiences as a child and young adult growing up in a Muslim household.

Buyer beware: This is a book about an atheist Muslim. It is thoughtfully written and is thought provoking. Do not read it if you do not want to think about your religion. 

I recommend this book to everyone who has an interest in religions.

Latest Read: Letters to a Young Muslim by Omar Saif Ghobash

This was a refreshing read. It was suggested to me by a friend and as I had told him that I would read it, I bought a copy last week. I was dreading the usual Muslims should pray and fast and things will be hunky dory  advice BUT this book surprised me. 

Omar Saif Ghobash is an extremely well read man and the gist of his advice to his son is that he should think about things, should not be afraid to question anything, should be wary of self appointed experts on religion and should lead a life of personal responsibility. Ghobash talks about 9/11 and ISIS and homosexuality and the need for strong women and the importance of arts and music and literature. 

Ghobash was brought up in Abu Dhabi, as I was, and is almost the same age as I, and so it was interesting to read this book for that reason too as we were both undergoing the same brainwashing at the same time.

I would recommend this book for all parents and for young Muslims growing up in this confusing world.  

Latest Read: Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff

Hmm...I was a bit angry at myself for reading it and enjoying it. I enjoyed it because it renewed hope that Trump will not be able to remain in power too long. I did not gain a new perspective but instead felt like I was getting a history lesson on 2017. My opinion of the book fell even further when I heard the author talking about Trump having an affair with someone in the WH. I am sure it is true but it is not relevant and the glee with which it was announced does not portray professionalism.

I do not recommend it.

Latest Read: What Happened by Hillary Clinton

It was OK. I do appreciate how difficult the journey was for her as a woman and also admire that she does say that she messed up.

You can read it if you want but will not be missing too much if you do not.

Latest Read: The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

This lovely book was recommended to me by my ten year old daughter. It has a good witch, a sweet but tiny dragon, a wise monster as old as time and a village full of sorrow. The protagonist is a little girl who was enmagicked by mistake when she was a baby and now lives with the good witch. She does not remember that she came from the village but that secret comes out along with the secret of the volcano that burst five hundred years ago and changed the lives of everyone.
I was enthralled. It is beautifully written - childlike not childish. I would recommend this book to all children and to the young at heart.