Tagged: Why I Read!

Tagged by Aparna here to do a post on why I read.

My first reaction was this would be a breeze cos I do read a lot, but getting down to it, I am at a loss of reasons really.

I don’t even remember when I started reading or if ever it was a conscious decision.

For as long as I can remember I have derived the distinct pleasure that only books can give. Maybe it comes from my mom – she introduced us to the joy of reading way way back.

A voracious reader from childhood, I had graduated from Noddys and Enid Blytons to first abridged and then very soon unabridged classical and semi classical literature much before an average child my age – As soon I was done with Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys in Class 5 and 6 , I was onto Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, and the likes.

An English literature degree was the ultimate treat as I was exposed to so many authors from different periods and geographies. The education in literary criticism and appreciation brought a whole new dimension to the act of ‘reading’.

Though thanks to the IT madness I have gotten myself into, I do not get to spend as much time and energy as I would like for reading, books remain my greatest passion.

Reading opens up new horizons, new perspectives – it broadens your thinking – making you a more holistic and inclusive individual – the awareness of the world in the sense of its diversity is a revelation in itself.

And so I continue to read to...

…fuel my fantasies and imaginative flights

…forget my worldly worries

…learn about the varied cultures, countries and peoples

…be able to understand contexts better

...appreciate the beautiful weaving of words that create linguistic magic

I read an assortment of genres – none to specify as my favorite – but as a rule I like what people usually call “heavy reading”. I like detailed, long, drawn out accounts with an overplay of drama and emotions :)!

In keeping with the tradition of “The Tag”, tagging a few co-bloggers who I feel would have something interesting to talk about…

- Keerthana

- Susan

- Sameera

- Bikramjit

- Aastha

So, waiting to hear from you guys – do this if you have the time! And if somebody else wants to pick this tag too – most welcome – point me to your post when you are done!

[Image source: Google Images]

Coming Soon From Ace Frehley: Cosmic Tales Of Intergalactic Debaunchery & Rock & Roll Excess

Title: "No Regrets: A Rock 'N' Roll Memoir"
Author: Ace Frehley with Joe Layden
Publication Date: 11/01/11
Publisher: Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
Available for pre-order at: Amazon.com

Here's Ace briefly discussing the book during an appearance earlier this year on VH1's "That Metal Show."

Suggested Reading: "Cop Hunter" by Vincent Murano with William Hoffer (1990)

Cop Hunter: The Shocking True Story of Corrupt Cops and the Man Who Went Undercover to Stop Them
by Vincent Murano with William Hoffer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars






From the back cover of the book:

Vincent Murano was an elite New York City detective when his superiors offered him a job he couldn't refuse: go undercover as a mobster to root out corruption in the N.Y.P.D. Taking on the persona of small-time Mafia hood Vinnie Muscio, Murano began setting up stings to catch suspect cops. What he found was beyond his worst fears and nightmares: cops who deal weapons; cops who deal drugs; cops who kill, maim and finger potential murder victims for the mob. Suddenly Murano was walking a life and death line between criminality and the law in a swirling underground of violence. And when it was over, and he had risked his life, his family, his health and his sanity to bring the corrupt cops to justice, Murano found out the hardest truth of all: unwiling to buck "the Blue Wall," top ranking police officials were ready to let it happen all over again...

Suggested Reading: "Cop!" by L.H. Whittemore (1970)

Cop! by L.H. Whittemore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Take an exciting and dangerous trip back in time to 1968/1969 with author L.H. Whittemore as he tags along with policemen from three of the most crime-riddled and violent cities in the United States at the time: Patrolman Joseph Minelli in New York City, Detective Ernie Cox in Chicago, and Patrolmen Colin Barker and his partner Gary Cummings in San Francisco.

It was a time of protest, social reorganization, population shift, rising urban crime rates, "White Flight," and "Black Power." It was a time that seemed like almost anything could...and would...and did...happen. And it was a dangerous time time to be a Cop in the big cities of America. Law enforcement had always been a dangerous career choice, but now the police in American cities were seen by a large segment of the younger generation not as a protective force but instead as an occupying force. They were seen as "The Pigs," enforcing the imposement of unjust laws enacted by "The Man" upon those who sought greater personal and social freedoms and liberties.

Cop! is the story of four vry different policemen in three very different cities and how each officer was doing the best job that he could do at the time to keep the peace and uphold the law, often amid circumstances that bordered on insanity and/or near-anarchy. Come along as the officers go on patrol out on the crumbling city streets, sit on long stake-outs, investigate various criminal activies, make arrests, and try to keep the streets from exploding in violence...all while trying to make it home alive at the end of the day.

Part one of the book, the first 109 pages, are given to police stories that can only come from the streets of New York City. A summer heat-wave, high youth unemployment and simmering racial tensions threaten to make the streets erupt with action and violence at any time, day or night. An in-home burglary and a shaken eldery victim. A domestic situation. Rowdy kids on the streets opening fire-hydrants to cool off, not realizing that the fire department needs the water pressure to douse the fires of the burning tenement buildings up the street. Small, unattended children aimlessly wandering the streets at all hours amid the junkies and pimps and whores who shot up, conducted business and settled scores on the same streets. Part one of this book educates you to the fact that there is not a dull moment in the life of a New York City cop.

In part two, follow the twists and turns of a routine-turned-complex investigation of a late-night Chicago street fight in a seedy section of the city that led to one man's death. Or did it? Did the victim's boxing match under the El really lead to his death or were there other unknown circumstances? Sometimes it seems this story will just keep going on forever with a cast of interesting street characters who each have their own motivation to be less than completely truthful with the police investigating the crime. BUt through persistent investigative work, the story finally becomes clear and justic is eventually served.

Then, come along in part three, as a pair of San Francisco cops navigate their way through the post-Summer of Love wreckage of Haight-Ashbury populating the streets in the summer of '68 or '69: hungry, poor, drugged-out runaways from all over America who came expecting to live out the hippie dream but had arrived too late and now clogged the streets of the Haight, peddling drugs and begging for spare change, making life a miserable and sometimes dangerous daily obsticle course for many of those who called the area home. To make things even more interesting, the young Patrolmen, Barker and Cummings, have several personal and idealogical differences; one being much more liberal in his politics than the other. This in turn would lead to many interesting and sometimes heated discussions between the partners concerning the application of law and race relations and how justice and policing seemed to be applied differently to people of color.

Cop! is a real page-turner of a book that takes you back to a time when the future of city dwelling in America was in question as violence, unemployment, poverty and drug use spiraled out of control and as the winds of great social change whirled throughout this country, altering forever, among other things, the way policing of the populations of big cities in the United States was to change during the coming, troubled decade of the 1970's.

Suggested Reading: "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" - Various Authors (2006)

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die edited by Robert Dimery

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book does indeed cover 1001 albums. Whether or not you need to hear most of them before you die is a question that struck me immediately as I thumbed through it for the first time a few weeks ago when I picked it up at a Library book sale for a cool $1.00.

Starting with the 1950's era and moving forward through the 2000's, 1001 albums are reviewd by a large ensemble of nearly 100 "leading international critics," according to the cover. There is a brief blurb about each contributor to the book so you know who wrote this stuff.

Some of the albums, a good number really, ARE indeed essential listening for any fan of modern music. Modern here meaning stuff from the "rock and roll era" of the 1950's and forward. But you have your Elvises and Ray Charleses Johnny Cashes and Beatles and Rolling Stones and Bob Dylans...all the biggies are here. Deep Purple. Kiss. Black Sabbath. Led Zeppelin. The Metal Gods are well represented. Queen and Abba. Disco divas. The folk rockers, the acid droppin' dope smokin' San Francisco rockers of the late 1960's. The smooth R&B guys and gals. 70's era Punks and gods of funk. Rappers and Alt rockers and several of the one-hit wonders from each generation that have somehow endured through the years.

Then are are a few surprises - for me anyway - I didn't figure the New York Dolls made the list - but they did. And The Dictators too! Suicide? Yep, they're here. The Cramps...here. Motorhead? When did critics start paying attention to Motorhead? Sepultura. Napalm Death. It gets a bit strange when a band like Naplam Death or Venom(!) appears on a list like this - and it's a really good thing. It means this list really is broad in scope and very inclusive to all generes of rock and roll. So many projects like this are not nearly so inclusive and unbiased.

But then there are quite a few albums included that just may be the thing that actually kills you if you dare listen to them...in my opinion.

Britney Spears' 1999 "Baby One More Time" is on on page, turn the page and it's Metallica's "S&M". You can keep 'em both. Justin Timberlake. Madonna. Kid Rock. System Of A Down. Wu-Tang Clan. Michael and Janet Jackson. Pet Shop Boys. George Michael. George Jones. Buck Ownes. Lynyrd Skynyrd. The list is long and bad. Simply fucking Red? C'mon...who listens to that shit?

But this is a great book for when you have 5 minutes to kill and need something to read. Not a book you sit down and read cover to cover - but if you do, hey, more power to you pal. One of those books you might keep handy in...say...your bathroom. Or on the coffee table in your living room so you look cultured when the guests arrive. Each album gets a nice description of from 1/3 page to a full page. Track listings are included for many, and nearly all listings feature the cover art from the album as well.

"1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" is entertaining and informative reading for the obsessive music lover who can never know enough about the world of music. Filled with thousands and thousands of little factoids and statistics to amuse and amaze your friends with. Definately a book to keep an eye open for when you're out at garage sales or browsing in thrift shops or used book stores - if you can find a copy for a few bucks (like maybe $5 or less) it's worth it.

Suggested Reading: "The Savage City: Race, Murder, And A Generation On The Edge" by T.J. English (2011)

The Savage City: Race, Murder, and a Generation on the Edge by T.J. English

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is a story about, among other things, the policing of a city. Not just any city. New York City. And not the "safe big city" NYC is known as now. This is a tale of the city back when it had some grit and character - some swagger - and some really ugly, deep rooted problems that made men and ruined others, mostly determined on the color of their skin - this in a "progressive" city. This is a story of New York City politics and racial relations between those in power and the average citizen of color on the street of New York City between the late 1950's and 1970's - heavy stuff. T.J. English's latest, "Savage Streets: Race, Murder and a Generation On The Edge" eaxmines a time when racial issues between the then mostly white NYPD and the then increasingly Black and Hispanic populations of the city were at at boiling point.

One man, some would call him uneducated and simple, leaves his home by a dump in Wildwood, New Jersey to look for a better life in early 60's era NYC. This man becomes the ultimate victim of a racist and corrupt pre-reform era NYPD through a set of circumstances he never could have imagined when he left home that day. Ultimately, he will lose years of his life to the legal system for a crime he was coerced into confessing to. This is his story.

One man is on the beat...a New York City cop. He's also on the make. He's a dirty cop. He draws his weekly salary, but he's shaking down money all over town. And he's the kind of cop who put men like the simple man mentioned above away out of convenience when it suited him. This cop was not alone in his attitudes, he had an entire cadre of brothers who were in on the deal and felt the same way he did about those of other questionable racial backgrounds. He is a dirty cop who eventually gets caught - then - becomes one of the biggest turncoats in the history of the New York police department, singlehandedly putting large cracks in the "Blue Wall of Silence", testifying to the leveles of corruption and racial bias then so prevalent throughout the NYPD. This dirty cop would be the catalyst for some of the changes to come in the New York police department over the coming decades. This is his story.

One man finds himself incarcerated, then freed. He is a smart man and is hyper-aware of the fact that change is coming to America and coming fast - a change in attitudes of racial relations. This man is inspired by others, powerful men with important things to say, to rise up and educate himself and to ascend to a postition of leadershp and great influence within one of the leading radical militant organizations in the city at that time. He is determined to help the struggle for racial equality in America by any...ANY...means necessary. This is his story.

Three men with very different tales. New York was a different place then and "The Savage City" paints an amazingly clear picture of what those times could be like for members of the minority community. The book also shows how change came, eventually, slowly, painfully. "The Savage City" is a mind blowing document of a city and a time that to many readers born after 1970 or so will seem like a fiction. Sadly though, this story was the reality of the times in those days of the 1960's and 70's. Days that seem so long ago but when you get right down to it, they weren't that long ago at all.

One of the best reads of 2011 and literery prize winner I have absolutely no doubt.

And for those of you that may have missed it last week when we posted it, here is author T.J. English giving the details on the book in his own words:

(Not Really) Suggested Reading: "Fargo Rock City" by Chuck Klosterman (2003)

Fargo Rock City : A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota by Chuck Klosterman

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


When I picked this book up for $1 at a local thrift shop a few weeks back, I figured that since "Fargo Rock City" author Chuck Klosterman and I grew up a mere 239 miles from each other (Klosterman grew up in Wyndemere, ND and I grew up just a few hours away in Aitkin & Grand Rapids, MN) during the height of the 1980's hard rock/heavy metal explosion, we'd have a bit in common and I'd REALLY enjoy this book. I was wrong. I was only mildly amused and more than somewhat agitated by it.

Not that Klosterman isn't a good writer. Quite the contrary, he is a great writer. He knows how to tell a story and he has a great sense of humor. But the impression I got from reading Klosterman's tales from his metal-drenched teenage years was that at some point after he graduated from high school and went off to college, some of his new poindexter college buddies must have told him "Metal IS NOT cool. It's dumb." And it seems that, although he still professes to love the music he grew up on, he has taken this observation to heart and fully agrees with it.

In almost every instance in this book while he's telling you how great a band is (his favorites seems to be Guns 'N' Roses, Motley Crue and Kiss), two sentences later he's telling you WHY they and their music were dumb. And maybe some of the music some of these bands released WAS dumb. But to read such a whiplash-inducing critique of so many of these bands...it just seemed like Chuck "outgrew" his metal phase, even though he says he still loves the music. But after reading "Fargo Rock City," I can't for the life of me figure out WHY he still loves the genere if he thinks it is so "dumb."

And to make matters worse, he seems to really have been mostly into mainstream pop-hair-metal. Not that that that's a bad thing. But he slams Yngwie Malmsteen. He slams Metallica. Maybe those bands were just a bit too cerebral for youg Chucky to understand. No mention of Slayer or Testament. Oh, L.A. Guns, Warrant (his first concert), Damn Yankees, Stryper, Poison, Dokken, Ratt, they're all here. But no mention of more obscure bands like House of Lords, Icon, Seduce, Fates Warning, Manowar...the list of bands he ignores is long. One of my favorite 80's hair bands, Autograph, is roundly dismissed with two words: "They sucked." Excuse me, but I happen to think that their debut album, "Sign In Please" is maybe one of the finest examples of the hair metal genere. I could go on and on and on, but I won't bore you with my opinions. And that's just it - I guess we each have our own opinions of music and some people's opinions change over the years, sometimes due to the influence of new peer groups.

I realize this review may seem a bit nit-picky, negative, defensive and imature and that's probably the case. But it seems I wasted almost a week reading this book, only to find so many of the bands both Klosterman and I grew up listening to are held in such low esteem by the author now that he's "all grown up." And that does bother me just a bit.

Maybe I'm just a 40-something metal head at heart who will never really grow up (although I HAVE developed other musical tastes in the past 20 years) and as I did when I was in my teenage years, I sometimes feel like an attack on the music of my youth is an attack on me personally. That's how much I loved - and still love - so many of these bands. I've been flying the metal flag for most of my life and I will continue to do so until the day I die I guess. Hard rock and heavy metal are in my blood. It's just the way it is. And when I read some smarty-pants author dismissing the music and bands I still love as "dumb" and "stupid," well, it kinda gets under my skin just a bit.

Others will no doubt find this book amazing reading, and good for them. It certainly got lots of great reviews upon it's release. I, on the other hand, having finished reading the book over a week ago, still find myself a bit worked up over it and insulted by it.

"Fargo Rock City" is NOT the story I thought it would be.

Suggested Reading: "The Stock Market Crash Of 1929" by Kristine Brennan (2000)

The Stock Market Crash of 1929 by Kristine Brennan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A well written, easy to read introductory explanation of the economic policies and practices that led to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression that followed, plunging the United States citizenry into a decade of financial hardships that were almost unimaginable just a few years before. Also introduced to the reader in this volume are the economic strategies, reform policies and work programs ("The New Deal") that were enacted by the U.S. Government, Wall Street Barons and the Bankers to help ease some of the financial difficulties being endured by the man on the street. Those policies, combined with the eventual onset of World War II and the ramp-up in domestic manufacturing and jobs creation that the war brought about finally reversed the economic downturn and propelled America forward into a decades-long time of unequaled growth and prosperity.

If you find yourself lacking in knowledge about the Crash of '29 and the Great Depression, this book would be a great place to start reading up on the topic. It appears to me to be something that was written with middle-school aged children in mind, but at the same time is not so dumbed-down that adult readers with a limited understanding on the topic feel they are reading a childs book - the adult reader can also come away with a better understanding of the events leading up to the Stock Market Crash and Great Depression.

Suggested Reading: "New York Today" by Michael George (1988)

New York Today by Michael George

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"New York Today" is a great collection of 151 New York City photographs shot by author/photographer Michael George in stunning color on high quality print, published by the fine people at Abrams in 1988. This collection of photos shows the city as it was circa the 1980's and would be a great addition to the book shelf of any serious New York City history devotees as a good photogenic reference looking back on the city during that pre-gentrification time-frame.

Get a copy for yourself at Amazon.com, well worth a few bucks to add this one to your home library.

Suggested Reading: "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York" by Robert A. Caro (1974)

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert A. Caro

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Every summer, my local library holds a book sale where you can usually find several good bargain books to keep you busy until the following summer. Last summer as I was browsing the tables, one of the librarians, who happens to be a friend of mine, and he knows my penchant for New York City history, comes up to me and says something along the lines of "Dude, here's one for you," as he hands me this MONSTER book. I take it and read the cover - "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York." I recognize it immediately as I've read about it elsewhere, what an amazing and inclusive book it is. I thank my friend and finish shopping, making a few more selections in the process, pay for my literary finds ("The Power Broker" setting back a cool $1.00) and proceed home, putting "The Power Broker" on the shelf to read "later."

About a month or two later as September is about to become October, I decide the time is right to begin reading "The Power Broker," so one day I take it off the shelf and begin, with some hesitation due to it's overwhelming size, to read. As I am doing so, I'm thinking to myself that it will take several months to read this 1162 page monster. There are an additional 100 pages of notes, index, further reading(!) lists, etc. I do NOT know, however, that it will take me nearly 8 months to read this thing. If you choose to tackle the legacy of Robert Moses contained in this book, be prepared, for it is not light reading in any sense of the word. It is at times mind-numbingly dull. At other times it is a page turner in its amazing revelations of "How New York City Works." Most of all it is an education - an education as to how New York was built and shaped and became, at least from a physical standpoint, the envy of the world throughout most of the late 20th Century as THE model for urban planning - a city of structural efficiency - and beauty.

This might be one of the most well researched books ever written on the history of one man. Author Robert A. Caro's exhaustive 7-year effort to document and expose the life of the "Master Builder" of 20th Century New York City infrastructure, housing and parks, the legendary and controversial Robert Moses, won him a Pulitzer prize for his efforts shortly after the books publication back in 1974. Moses was still alive to see the book published and no doubt read it himself, his sharp old mind devouring it much more quickly, no doubt, than I. One wonders what he thought of it after reading it - for it paints a two-sided picture of the man: One side as genius - driven to build and better a city. The other side: Greedy and manipulative - and racist to boot. And not really greedy so much for money, as for personal wealth, as an almost all-consuming greed for POWER...the ability to control men and policy. The ability to manuever men to do his bidding through the use of connections - who he knew and what he could get from them or for them.

This is the story of a man with a vision: A vision of New York City as HE saw it - covered with parks. And grand Parkways and bridges to move the ever-increasing quantity of automobile traffic coming into and out of New York City. Robert Moses envisioned amazing parks and Parkways all over Long Island and during the course of decades, he built them. As the years progressed from the 1930's through the 1950's, Robert Moses' power within New York City grew to the point he was one of the most powerful men in the city. The only problem was - he was not an ELECTED official - he had been appointed to his positions of power, and was free to step down at any time - a move he threated to several New York City Mayors during those decades whenever he thought it was a good power play to do so. Of course he never stepped down until much later in his career. After he helped shape and re-shape the entire city.

The grand builder of parks and bridges might have gone to his grave a well respected man of influence and power and accomplishment (and actually, he did, it was just "tarnished" a bit) had he not overreached and pushed his way into another area of urban development - the Title I programs of the 1950's and 60's. These were the great "Urban Renewal" programs - or "Slum Clearance" programs as they were more commonly known. Moses found himself (more accurately WORKED himeslf) into a position as to be in charge of these programs, and thus their power and dollars as well, in New York City. He was holding up to 12 positions simultaneously in the city's power base elite - he was a mover and shaker - and a man who got things done. And people in New York knew this and loved him for it. But Title 1 and slum clearance programs and all that went wrong with these projects in New York during the 50's and 60's would, coupled with other public revalations of how he conducted his business affairs and his seemingly rascist but hidden from public views and considerations towards urban development, would eventually, along with a few other catestrophic career mis-steps, help to undermine Robert Moses' power base, eventually stripping him of all the power he'd assumed through a decades-long rise to it's upper eschelon. The New York City Press, the powerful newspapers in the city who helped make his legend publicly, would also have an equal hand in his eventual demise in public popularity.

This book is not light reading by any means and may be a bit overwhelming for some readers. But for anyone seriously interested in the history of New York City, especially early-mid 20th century happenings, this is essential reading. It is not a stretch to say that Robert Moses helped shape the physical body of New York City during his decades in power. This book details how that happened: His slow, consistent and often ruthless rise to power through his dealings with government officials at all levels. Reading this book you will learn details of local New York City government, New York State government and U.S. government, as all three entities combined help to run the city, and Moses manuevered through all three levels, often at will, through the use of his connections and power, to accomplish his goals, making political allies and not a few political enemies along the way. These were often times complicated dealings and author Caro's detailing of them is exhaustive. By the time you finish this book you will have a much greater understanding of "how things got done" in 20th-century New York City. Things often times got done...or didn't get done...because Robert Moses said they would...or would not. It was, for many, many years, as simple...and as complicated...as that. The book, one of the best I've ever read, details why and how that came to be. "The Power Borker" is not for everybody, but a for those who crave an ever-more complete understanding of New York City history, this is one of the key pieces of that history that you will ever read. Highly, highly recomended reading.

Suggested Reading: "The Sound And The Fury: A Rock's Backpages Reader" edited by Barney Hoskyns (2003)

The Sound and the Fury: 40 Years of Classic Rock Journalism: A Rock's Backpages Reader by Barney Hoskyns

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"The Sound And The Fury: A Rock's Backpages Reader" is a fun to read collection of top-notch music journalism featuring stories from the archives of RocksBackpages.com that hop-scotch across four-plus decades of rock and roll history and give the reader an insight into what type of treasures lies waiting for them on the RocksBackpages.com website.

A few of the great tales told in this print collection include a story on the Beatles 1964 American Invasion (by Al Aronowitz), the rise of David Bowie (Steve Turner, 1974), the rise of Bruce Springsteen (Jerry Gilbert, 1974), an interview with a smarty-pants Madonna (Glenn O'Brien, 1990), eyewitness accounts from Monterey Pop (Michael Lydon, 1967) and the Stones' Altamont (David Dalton, 1999), and an excellent I-was-there tale of rock and roll debaunchary with the New York Dolls, Wayne County and the Magic Tramps ("Glittermania In Gotham" by Miles, 1972).

All this would almost be enough, but you also get stories on Perry Farrell and his Lollapalooza festival of the early 90's, a crazy interview with Ice Cube, the story of the rise and demise of N.W.A., a great Lenny Kaye penned piece on Grand Funk's legendary sold-out show at Shea Stadium circa 1971, as well as stuff on John Lennon, Abba, Warhol and the Velvets, the Nashville scene circa 1976...and there's even more. Fun, must reading for fans of rock music of any genere and an excellent introduction to what must be a truly staggering archive of material at Rock's BackPages.com.

Suggested Reading: "Summer at Tiffany" by Marjorie Hart (2007)

Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A fun and enjoyable little book. In "Summer at Tiffany" by Marjorie Hart, the author recalls her memories of the summer of 1945 - the year she along with her freind and fellow Iowan, Marty Garrett, travelled to New York City to spend the summer in Manhattan. With a lucky connection and some persaverance in the face of slight adversity, the girls soon found themselves working as the first female employees on the sales floor at the world famous Tiffany and Co. on East 57th Street.

This is the tale of two midwest born and raised young women on the loose n New York City and the things they experienced. Of course they were interested in obtaining some male companionship in the form of some respectful Military men, and of course, being the good looking gals they were, they easily scored themselves a pair of dashing sailors who escorted them around the big city to some of the more fancy night clubs of the city.

The ladies were in town and were witness to the events of the day of July 28th, 1945, the day a small aircraft crashed into the Empire State Building in the mid-morning fog and Marjorie recounts how they and the rest of the city felt about the tragedy.

Of course the War was on when they arrived in the city, but by August the girls were able to experience the celebrations when millions gathered in Times Square when the long battle finally drew to a close with the surrender of Japan.

These and the other summer adventures enjoyed by the ladies, along with stories about working at Tiffany and seeing celebrities and mobsters purchasing expensive jewelry, make up the bulk of the story. Included are the texts of several letters Marjorie wrote to her parrents back in Iowa that summer.

After the summer ended, Marjorie went back to Iowa. She made a Christmas-time return visit to the city in December 1945 to visit her sailor. She then continued on with her life, and did not return to New York City until 2004, nearly 60 years later. In 2007 her memories of an amazing and exciting summer of youthful adventure spent in the most amazing city in the world were published as she herself turned 83 years old.

My Feudal Lord

My Feudal Lord is an autobiography of a woman that transcends the geographical, religious, political and societal context it is based in. Though it is the story of Tehmina Durrani, a member of the Pakistani elite society, set in the highly volatile political milieu of the 1970s, 80s, against the backdrop of a highly radical Islamic community – it is first and foremost the tale of a woman caught in a predominantly patriarchal world that is unfair to her because of her gender and makes her pay dearly for actions that she chooses of her free will.

Though being a Muslim does not help Tehmina’s inherent rebellious streak, her situation is exponentially compounded by her specific background – her rather complicated childhood and problematical relationship with her mother, her latent inferiority complexes, her need to prove her self as a lady befitting the highest echelons of the social pyramid, the tug of war between her hopeful heart and her strong mind, and the final straw – her abusive and traumatic marriage to Ghulam Mustafa Khar, the then Chief Minster and later Governor of Punjab, Pakistan.

Tehmina goes back and forth in time as she constructs the very painful narrative of the 13 years of her marriage in a feudal, woman-baiting society to none other than the Feudal Lord himself. Her silence breaking indictment of the curse that a woman’s life was in the post-colonial era in Pakistan is gruesome, bloody and highly graphical. A victim of domestic abuse – physical, financial, and emotional abuse, a victim of a repressive and racial social structure, a victim of the family need to “keep up” appearances for the sake of social stature, a victim of her own super ego that forces her to mould into the vile of the predominant social ethos, it is rather admiring that Tehmina finally gathers the courage to expose to the world the frailties of the veiled homes.

The book makes you shudder in disbelief at the schizophrenic Mustafa Khar – who is irrationally possessive, insanely aggressive and sick in his highly convenient interpretation of Islam to suit his whims and fancies. Your heart goes out to Tehmina as she tries time and again to break the shackles of marriage only to be each time placated for another chance, by Khar who would resort to every trick the male-dominated and oppressive community bestows him with – subtle manipulation, playing on her insecurities, blackmailing to kidnap her children and open threats of violence.

What is most endearing about Tehmina is that here is a woman against whom the worst profanities have been committed mostly in the name of Islam, yet she is not bitter against the religion. She embraces Islam understanding its true spirit and teachings. The subverted interpretation of the religion by fanatics for their own selfish interests has not disillusioned her. She has picked up the pieces of her life, learnt her lessons, and strives to work for the betterment of Muslim women. Now married to Shahbaz Sharif, brother of Nawaz Sharif, she has been reunited with her children whose custody she lost because of the divorce with Mustafa Khar.

Inside The Kingdom

Inside The Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia is the true story of a woman born in the western world to mixed parenthood and married to a Saudi Arabian hailing from none other than the much known Bin Laden family – this is a tale of the innocence of childhood, the defining moments of youth and love, the saga that is marriage, the pain that motherhood brings, the bitterness of dreams that go sour when faced with the recklessness of reality.

However, this is not simply one of the many hapless stories of broken marriages and international divorces that are tough on women – this is a narrative convoluted by the clash of religions, beliefs, and faiths – this is the life of Carmen Bin Ladin, sister-in-law of the world’s most dreaded terrorist.

Carmen is a Swiss national now residing in Geneva post her divorce with Yeslam Bin Ladin. Inside The Kingdom chronicles snapshots from Carmen’s life, in her words. She talks about her growing up years in Europe – her strained relationship with her Swiss father and her exotic vacations to her mom’s Persian home in Iran. She lovingly recalls how she fell in love with Yeslam - his commanding presence, his alluring roots, his belief in equality of partners in a relationship, his intelligence. Her fond memories of their time together in California, US and the big fat wedding in Saudi Arabia convince the readers of her assurance of a life of fulfilling love and empowering freedom.

Life is a bubble balanced on swords – and unfortunately, Carmen’s bubble broke. The oil boom in the Middle East in the mid 1970s compelled Yeslam to move back to Saudi Arabia in order to take advantage of all the money that was waiting to be made. And thus, started the long and arduous journey of Carmen – the black cloak or burqa, the thick veil, the walls within homes, the eyes that never meet, the suffocating shadows, the deafening silences, the blatant disregard for individualism, and finally the fervent and fanatic reverence of Islam that threatened to annihilate Carmen and her beautiful daughters.

The final straw to her 11-year marriage was the disintegration of her only pillar of strength – her husband, Yeslam. As his personal traits and attitude collided with the radical Islamism and complicated family politics, his weakness to stand by his wife and daughters against the established system came to the fore.

The book published in 2004 is Carmen’s attempt to distance herself form the “Bin Laden” name that had become a curse for her and her daughters in light of the 9/11 attacks in the US. She was compelled to come out in the open to state her severed ties with the family of 22 wives, 29 daughters and 25 sons – of which Osama Bin Laden was one.

Sadly, her struggle is not over. Though legally divorced in 2006 after a bitter long battle, Carmen still worries about her daughters’ well-being given Yeslam’s constant threats of abduction. Unfortunately, Yeslam holds a Swiss passport in order to keep in touch with his children.

This book is a must read for all of us who are so smug in the cobwebs of our everyday living, so entangled in our small worlds that we forget to thank god for our blessed lives, forget to cherish what we have, and forget to pray for others...

(The lives of women in Saudi Arabia remain deplorable even in today’s times – While modern amenities are making their way to the region, the people continue to steep deeper into the harshest form of Islam – that derived from the Bedouin practices. The power nexus that oil, money, dependence of the western world on Saudia Arabia, and the failure of milder forms of Islam as, for example, preached by the Shah of Iran is blood curdling. Jean Sasson has written a trilogy on the life of a Saudi princess – This is also a true account. You can read about it in my post here.)