Discontent and its Civilizations

November 24, 2014
This collection of 36 essays will be of most interest to dedicated fans of Pakistani novelist Hamid (How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia). Others, however, may be disappointed to find that the pieces, most of which were previously published, tend to be topical and of limited scope. Hamid, who has also lived in New York City and London, provides a voice of reasoned tolerance on the issues dividing the Middle East and the West,, but he might have been better served by writing a memoir. Instead, he offers thoughts on a wide variety of topics, some more rewarding than others: e-books, whether TV dramas are the new good novels, the home-cooked dinner he almost made for Toni Morrison, etc. An essay on President Obama’s 2009 speech in Cairo seems out of date; the piece would have benefited from an afterword giving Hamid’s view of the speech’s lasting significance. The lighthearted essays dilute the impact of the more substantive sections—especially those delving into the so-called clash of civilizations, such as the title essay, in which he writes: “The idea that we fall into civilizations, plural, is merely a politically convenient myth.”

November 15, 2014
An acclaimed novelist reports on peril, war and peace.After three novels, Hamid (How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, 2013, etc.) gathers 36 short pieces of nonfiction published in the last 14 years: some, ephemeral essays about life and art; others, trenchant reports from Pakistan, where, after decades in New York and London, the Pakistani-born author now lives. Hamid hopes that "the fragmentary and 'of the moment' nature of the pieces" reveal "a different type of honesty than a book that is conceived as a whole and executed as a single effort." Although honest and candid, the collection is uneven, with astute essays about politics weakened by slight opinion pieces on fatherhood, reading and writing. He muses, for example, on his experience reading e-books; bristles at the idea of "the Great American Novel by a Woman" (" 'the' is needlessly exclusionary, and 'American' is unfortunately parochial"); and wonders if "the widespread longing for likable characters" reflects a desire "to not be entirely alone." As a cultural observer, the author takes the perspective of "a correspondent who cannot help but be foreign, at least in part," an experience that, in the age of globalization, seems to him "increasingly universal." That perspective informs his analysis of Pakistan's politics, complex religious tensions, endemic poverty, fraught international relationships and future, about which he is justifiably anxious. Pakistan, he wrote in 2012, on the nation's 65th birthday, "is meddling in the affairs of neighbors, victimizing marginalized ethnic and religious groups, and building nuclear weapons while citizens go without electricity." Small-minded nationalism, he warns, will undermine the concept of shared humanity; instead, he advocates that Pakistan widen its view to include "a blurring and reconceiving of national boundaries," an "embrace of cross-border autonomous zones," and a revision of the nation's self-image "as a pawn in someone else's game." Passion and hope infuse Hamid's most incisive dispatches.

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November 15, 2014
In this wide-ranging collection of previously published essays, novelist Hamid (How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, 2014) shares his unique worldview and invites readers to consider the rich complexity of both Western and Pakistani life. Hamid approaches political and literary topics through his years spent living in Lahore, New York, and London. He considers international issues from this three-country perspective as he digs deeply into historical international relationships and reveals how intimately the long-simmering Pakistani/Indian conflict has affected conflicts elsewhere, especially in Afghanistan. But even with such hot-button topics, this is not a foreign policy diatribe. Hamid also engages on a personal level on lighter topics, including ruminations about fatherhood, well-loved books, running, and his struggles with novel writing. The end result is a well-balanced collection that leads readers into the life and work of a truly cosmopolitan man who conveys deeply felt ideas in a manner more reminiscent of a dinner party than the classroom. Smart doesn't begin to describe Hamid; he is the sort of thinker that could change hearts and minds.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

February 15, 2015

In this collection of 36 essays, Hamid (How To Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia) brings together a wide variety of his work, a number of which appeared in print before, that touch on such subjects as international politics, the East-West divide, President Barack Obama's 2009 speech in Cairo, fundamentalism, and nationalism. Other more lighthearted topics: books and reading, the challenges the author faced moving back to Pakistan at a young age, and fatherhood, are also considered. Some of the pieces are more entertaining, others are more thought provoking, but all are eloquently written and richly informed by the author's background in Pakistan, as well as his time spent living in New York and London. That background informs his prose and offers a unique point of view to his audience. For longtime Hamid readers, this is a great compilation for getting reacquainted with his writing or discovering something missed over the years. For new readers, it is an excellent introduction. VERDICT Hamid is an intelligent and impassioned writer whose work deserves a wide readership. Those interested in memoirs, world politics, and cultural and religious differences will enjoy these essays. [See Prepub Alert, 8/4/14.]--Mark Manivong, Lib. of Congress, Washington, DC

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2014

The internationally best-selling author of eye-opening novels like The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Hamid was born in Pakistan, to which he returned after starting a family; was raised in the United States; and is a citizen of Britain, where he married. As such, he has an informative East-meets-West view revealed by the essays here.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.