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Of blood, belonging and the pain of exile
Reviewed by Rumina Sethi
Gaza Mama
by Laila El-Haddad
Women Unlimited. Pages 288. Rs 375
Laila El-Haddad
is a young Palestinian mother writing her heart out in a blog, oppressed as she is by the seamless web of political forces which embrace and yet exclude her and her fellow countrymen living in exile. After a long transatlantic flight, she is stopped at the Rafah border crossing— the only route into Gaza — by harsh and heartless Israeli soldiers and visa authorities who will not permit her to enter Gaza.
Sahir resurrected
Reviewed by Suresh Kohli
The People's Poet
by Akshay Manwani
HarperCollins India. Pages 320.
Rs 399
Thukra raha tha mujhko badi der se jahaan
Main aaj sab jahaan ko thukra ke pee gaya
(The world has ignored me far too long
Today, having spurned the world, I drown myself in liquor).
Swimming in shallow waters
Reviewed by Geetu Vaid
Women Extraordinaire
by Suchita Malik
Rupa. Pages 293 Rs
295.
WITH women issues and the stories of their exceptional success centre stage over the weeks preceding and following International Women's Day, the release of Suchita Malik's latest novel Women Extraordinaire is timed perfectly. The author, who has already grabbed headlines with two earlier attempts Indian Memsahib and Memsahib Chronicles, has a target audience set for this book.
Documenting historical ties
Reviewed by Aditi Garg
History of the Jats
by Hoshiar Singh Duleh
Translated by Prof. Preetam Singh Preet
Lahore Books. Pages 272. Rs 295
FIRST published in 2000, this interesting book by Hoshiar Singh Duleh has become a landmark for anyone who wishes to trace the roots of ancestry of Jats and defines 101 sub-castes of
Jats, which is no small feat. Translated into English, the work now has a wider reach and can be of use to even those who are not well-versed in the native tongue but would still like to find out about their origin. It is a treasure-trove for historians and researchers alike.
Tiger Mom fights back
Amy
Chua, author of the controversial memoir about parenting Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, has hit back at allegations that her new book is racist — claiming that most critics have not even read the work.
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