Bookclub-in-a-Box Discusses The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid

Bookclub-in-a-Box Discusses The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid

Author: Marilyn Herbert

Publisher: Bookclub-in-a-Box

Published: 2012-02-07

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 1927121051

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The Reluctant Fundamentalist is more than the usual immigrant book of adaptation, struggle, and identity. It is the gripping tale of a young man who comes to America from Pakistan just prior to 9/11. The protagonist, Changez, is a Harvard educated businessman who works for a high-profile company that assesses the economic value of other companies. Changez is very successful in his chosen career, but then September 11 happens and everything changes. The setting is Lahore, Pakistan and the tale is told by one narrator, that of Changez, as he speaks to a nameless and faceless American tourist. The narration takes place in the span of a single evening, in fact, during a single meal, and Hamid manages to swing the reader on a pendulum of conflicting emotions and thoughts. The Bookclub-in-a-Box guide explores a number of important questions: who is this nameless American and why is he in Pakistan; how can one person have equal love for two countries that are at odds with each other in culture and outlook; how does such a person come to terms with his two worlds; and what is the significance of the word “reluctant” in the novel’s title, The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Every Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion guide also includes complete coverage of the themes and symbols, writing style and interesting background information on the novel and the author.


Book Synopsis Bookclub-in-a-Box Discusses The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid by : Marilyn Herbert

Download or read book Bookclub-in-a-Box Discusses The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid written by Marilyn Herbert and published by Bookclub-in-a-Box. This book was released on 2012-02-07 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Reluctant Fundamentalist is more than the usual immigrant book of adaptation, struggle, and identity. It is the gripping tale of a young man who comes to America from Pakistan just prior to 9/11. The protagonist, Changez, is a Harvard educated businessman who works for a high-profile company that assesses the economic value of other companies. Changez is very successful in his chosen career, but then September 11 happens and everything changes. The setting is Lahore, Pakistan and the tale is told by one narrator, that of Changez, as he speaks to a nameless and faceless American tourist. The narration takes place in the span of a single evening, in fact, during a single meal, and Hamid manages to swing the reader on a pendulum of conflicting emotions and thoughts. The Bookclub-in-a-Box guide explores a number of important questions: who is this nameless American and why is he in Pakistan; how can one person have equal love for two countries that are at odds with each other in culture and outlook; how does such a person come to terms with his two worlds; and what is the significance of the word “reluctant” in the novel’s title, The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Every Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion guide also includes complete coverage of the themes and symbols, writing style and interesting background information on the novel and the author.

Reluctant Fundamentalist, (PB)

Reluctant Fundamentalist, (PB)

Author: Hamid, Mohsin

Publisher: Penguin Books India

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 196

ISBN-13: 9780143064244

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At A CafÉ Table In Lahore, A Bearded Pakistani Man Converses With An American Stranger. As Dusk Deepens To Dark, He Begins The Tale That Has Brought Him To This Fateful Meeting . . . Among The Brightest And Best Of His Graduating Class At Princeton,Changez Is Snapped Up By Underwood And Samson, An Elite Firm Thatspecializes In &Lsquo;Valuation&Rsquo; Of Companies Ripe For Acquisition. He Thriveson New York And The Intensity Of His Work, And His Infatuation Withthe Beautiful Erica Promises Entry Into Manhattan Society At The Sameexalted Level Once Occupied By His Own Family Back In Lahore. But Inthe Wake Of September 11, He Finds His Position In The City He Lovessuddenly Overturned, And His Budding Relationship With Erica Eclipsedby The Reawakened Ghosts Of Her Past. And Changez&Rsquo;S Own Identity Isin Seismic Shift As Well, Unearthing Allegiances More Fundamental Thanmoney, Power, And Perhaps Even Love. The Reluctant Fundamentalist Is A Riveting And Devastating Exploration Of Our Divided And Yet Ultimately Indivisible World, Withechoes Of Fitzgerald And Camus. &Lsquo;Mohsin Hamid&Rsquo;S Exceptionally Taut And Gripping Novel Gently Explores The Fault Lines Between The American West And The Islamic East. Hamid Seems To Have Pulled Off The Near Impossible. This Is A Meditative Novel Written In An Introspective Manner&Hellip;But This Is Also A Deeply Suspenseful Work, The Sense Of Anticipation Heightened By Hamid&Rsquo;S Wonderful Use Of Restraint&Rsquo;&Mdash;Mukund Padmanabhan In The Hindu &Lsquo;A Brilliant Book. With Spooky Restraint And Masterful Control, Hamid Unpicks The Underpinnings Of The Most Recent Episode Of Distrust Between East And West. But His Book Does Not Merely Excel In Capturing A Developing Bitterness. The Narrative Is Balanced By A Love As Powerful As The Sinister Forces Gathering, Even When It Recedes Into A Phantom Of Hope. It Is This Balance, And The Constant Negotiation Of The Political With The Personal, That Creates A Nuanced And Complex Portrait Of A Reluctant Fundamentalist&Rsquo;&Mdash;Kiran Desai, Author Of The Inheritance Of Loss &Lsquo;A Quietly Told, Cleverly Constructed Fable Of Infatuation And Disenchantment With America&Hellip;Astute Cultural Observation At Which Hamid Excels. An Intelligent, Highly Engaging Piece Of Work&Rsquo;&Mdash; James Lasdun In The Guardian


Book Synopsis Reluctant Fundamentalist, (PB) by : Hamid, Mohsin

Download or read book Reluctant Fundamentalist, (PB) written by Hamid, Mohsin and published by Penguin Books India. This book was released on 2015 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At A CafÉ Table In Lahore, A Bearded Pakistani Man Converses With An American Stranger. As Dusk Deepens To Dark, He Begins The Tale That Has Brought Him To This Fateful Meeting . . . Among The Brightest And Best Of His Graduating Class At Princeton,Changez Is Snapped Up By Underwood And Samson, An Elite Firm Thatspecializes In &Lsquo;Valuation&Rsquo; Of Companies Ripe For Acquisition. He Thriveson New York And The Intensity Of His Work, And His Infatuation Withthe Beautiful Erica Promises Entry Into Manhattan Society At The Sameexalted Level Once Occupied By His Own Family Back In Lahore. But Inthe Wake Of September 11, He Finds His Position In The City He Lovessuddenly Overturned, And His Budding Relationship With Erica Eclipsedby The Reawakened Ghosts Of Her Past. And Changez&Rsquo;S Own Identity Isin Seismic Shift As Well, Unearthing Allegiances More Fundamental Thanmoney, Power, And Perhaps Even Love. The Reluctant Fundamentalist Is A Riveting And Devastating Exploration Of Our Divided And Yet Ultimately Indivisible World, Withechoes Of Fitzgerald And Camus. &Lsquo;Mohsin Hamid&Rsquo;S Exceptionally Taut And Gripping Novel Gently Explores The Fault Lines Between The American West And The Islamic East. Hamid Seems To Have Pulled Off The Near Impossible. This Is A Meditative Novel Written In An Introspective Manner&Hellip;But This Is Also A Deeply Suspenseful Work, The Sense Of Anticipation Heightened By Hamid&Rsquo;S Wonderful Use Of Restraint&Rsquo;&Mdash;Mukund Padmanabhan In The Hindu &Lsquo;A Brilliant Book. With Spooky Restraint And Masterful Control, Hamid Unpicks The Underpinnings Of The Most Recent Episode Of Distrust Between East And West. But His Book Does Not Merely Excel In Capturing A Developing Bitterness. The Narrative Is Balanced By A Love As Powerful As The Sinister Forces Gathering, Even When It Recedes Into A Phantom Of Hope. It Is This Balance, And The Constant Negotiation Of The Political With The Personal, That Creates A Nuanced And Complex Portrait Of A Reluctant Fundamentalist&Rsquo;&Mdash;Kiran Desai, Author Of The Inheritance Of Loss &Lsquo;A Quietly Told, Cleverly Constructed Fable Of Infatuation And Disenchantment With America&Hellip;Astute Cultural Observation At Which Hamid Excels. An Intelligent, Highly Engaging Piece Of Work&Rsquo;&Mdash; James Lasdun In The Guardian

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Author: Mira Nair

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2013-04-15

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 8184759428

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Based on the bestselling novel by Mohsin Hamid Internationally acclaimed director Mira Nair offers the reader an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the creation of her most ambitious film yet: The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Covering every aspect of the film-making process, this magnificently designed film book comprises an incredible array of images as well as short essays by those involved in the film-making process. Mira Nair discusses how the novel was turned into a screenplay; Mohsin Hamid reminisces about his first experience on a film set; production designer Michael Carlin recounts the thrill of transforming Old Delhi into contemporary Lahore; lead actor Riz Ahmed reveals how he got under the skin of his character Changez; and editor Shimit Amin demystifies some of his tricks on the editing table. This book also features a series of gorgeous black-and-white photographs by celebrated photographer Brigitte Lacombe.


Book Synopsis The Reluctant Fundamentalist by : Mira Nair

Download or read book The Reluctant Fundamentalist written by Mira Nair and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on the bestselling novel by Mohsin Hamid Internationally acclaimed director Mira Nair offers the reader an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the creation of her most ambitious film yet: The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Covering every aspect of the film-making process, this magnificently designed film book comprises an incredible array of images as well as short essays by those involved in the film-making process. Mira Nair discusses how the novel was turned into a screenplay; Mohsin Hamid reminisces about his first experience on a film set; production designer Michael Carlin recounts the thrill of transforming Old Delhi into contemporary Lahore; lead actor Riz Ahmed reveals how he got under the skin of his character Changez; and editor Shimit Amin demystifies some of his tricks on the editing table. This book also features a series of gorgeous black-and-white photographs by celebrated photographer Brigitte Lacombe.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Author: Mohsin Hamid

Publisher: Hamish Hamilton

Published: 2012-11-01

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 9780241964170

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The Reluctant Fundamentalist is the award-winning international bestseller by Mohsin Hamid.NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING KATE HUDSON AND KIEFER SUTHERLANDSHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2007'Excuse me, sir, but may I be of assistance? Ah, I see I have alarmed you. Do not be frightened by my beard. I am a lover of America . . . 'So speaks the mysterious stranger at a Lahore cafe as dusk settles. Invited to join him for tea, you learn his name and what led this speaker of immaculate English to seek you out. For her is more worldy than you might expect; better travelled and better educated. He knows the West better than you do. And as he tells you his story, of how he embraced the Western dream -- and a Western woman -- and how both betrayed him, so the night darkens. Then the true reason for your meeting becomes abundantly clear . . .Praise for The Reluctant Fundamentalist: 'Beautifully written . . . more exciting than any thriller I've read for a long time' Philip Pullman'Admirably spare and amazingly exciting' Rachel Cooke, New Statesman'Sharp, relevant, impressively intelligent . . . entertains at the same time as it makes you think' Daily Telegraph'A cleverly constructed fable of infatuation and disenchantment . . . Intelligent and highly engaging, genuinely provocative' Guardian'A brilliant book' Kiran Desai'Prods the intellect, quickens the pace and captures the imagination' Sunday TimesMohsin Hamid is the author of three novels: The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Moth Smoke and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia. His fiction has been translated into over 30 languages, received numerous awards, and been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. He has contributed essays and short stories to publications such as the Guardian, The New York Times, Financial Times, Granta, and Paris Review. Born and mostly raised in Lahore, he spent part of his childhood in California, studied at Princeton University and Harvard Law School, and has since lived between Lahore, London, and New York.


Book Synopsis The Reluctant Fundamentalist by : Mohsin Hamid

Download or read book The Reluctant Fundamentalist written by Mohsin Hamid and published by Hamish Hamilton. This book was released on 2012-11-01 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Reluctant Fundamentalist is the award-winning international bestseller by Mohsin Hamid.NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING KATE HUDSON AND KIEFER SUTHERLANDSHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2007'Excuse me, sir, but may I be of assistance? Ah, I see I have alarmed you. Do not be frightened by my beard. I am a lover of America . . . 'So speaks the mysterious stranger at a Lahore cafe as dusk settles. Invited to join him for tea, you learn his name and what led this speaker of immaculate English to seek you out. For her is more worldy than you might expect; better travelled and better educated. He knows the West better than you do. And as he tells you his story, of how he embraced the Western dream -- and a Western woman -- and how both betrayed him, so the night darkens. Then the true reason for your meeting becomes abundantly clear . . .Praise for The Reluctant Fundamentalist: 'Beautifully written . . . more exciting than any thriller I've read for a long time' Philip Pullman'Admirably spare and amazingly exciting' Rachel Cooke, New Statesman'Sharp, relevant, impressively intelligent . . . entertains at the same time as it makes you think' Daily Telegraph'A cleverly constructed fable of infatuation and disenchantment . . . Intelligent and highly engaging, genuinely provocative' Guardian'A brilliant book' Kiran Desai'Prods the intellect, quickens the pace and captures the imagination' Sunday TimesMohsin Hamid is the author of three novels: The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Moth Smoke and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia. His fiction has been translated into over 30 languages, received numerous awards, and been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. He has contributed essays and short stories to publications such as the Guardian, The New York Times, Financial Times, Granta, and Paris Review. Born and mostly raised in Lahore, he spent part of his childhood in California, studied at Princeton University and Harvard Law School, and has since lived between Lahore, London, and New York.

Discontent and Its Civilizations

Discontent and Its Civilizations

Author: Mohsin Hamid

Publisher: Riverhead Books

Published: 2016-02-02

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1594634033

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Originally published in hardccover in 2015 by Riverhead Books.


Book Synopsis Discontent and Its Civilizations by : Mohsin Hamid

Download or read book Discontent and Its Civilizations written by Mohsin Hamid and published by Riverhead Books. This book was released on 2016-02-02 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in hardccover in 2015 by Riverhead Books.

MOHSIN HAMID'S THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST

MOHSIN HAMID'S THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST

Author: KEREN. SHLEZINGER

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781458771377

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Book Synopsis MOHSIN HAMID'S THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST by : KEREN. SHLEZINGER

Download or read book MOHSIN HAMID'S THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST written by KEREN. SHLEZINGER and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Exit West

Exit West

Author: Mohsin Hamid

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2017-03-07

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 073521218X

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FINALIST FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE & WINNER OF THE L.A. TIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR FICTION and THE ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE “It was as if Hamid knew what was going to happen to America and the world, and gave us a road map to our future… At once terrifying and … oddly hopeful.” —Ayelet Waldman, The New York Times Book Review “Moving, audacious, and indelibly human.” —Entertainment Weekly, “A” rating The New York Times bestselling novel: an astonishingly visionary love story that imagines the forces that drive ordinary people from their homes into the uncertain embrace of new lands, from the author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist and the forthcoming The Last White Man. In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet—sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair, and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city. When it explodes, turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts, they begin to hear whispers about doors—doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through. . . . Exit West follows these remarkable characters as they emerge into an alien and uncertain future, struggling to hold on to each other, to their past, to the very sense of who they are. Profoundly intimate and powerfully inventive, it tells an unforgettable story of love, loyalty, and courage that is both completely of our time and for all time.


Book Synopsis Exit West by : Mohsin Hamid

Download or read book Exit West written by Mohsin Hamid and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-03-07 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: FINALIST FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE & WINNER OF THE L.A. TIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR FICTION and THE ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE “It was as if Hamid knew what was going to happen to America and the world, and gave us a road map to our future… At once terrifying and … oddly hopeful.” —Ayelet Waldman, The New York Times Book Review “Moving, audacious, and indelibly human.” —Entertainment Weekly, “A” rating The New York Times bestselling novel: an astonishingly visionary love story that imagines the forces that drive ordinary people from their homes into the uncertain embrace of new lands, from the author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist and the forthcoming The Last White Man. In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet—sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair, and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city. When it explodes, turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts, they begin to hear whispers about doors—doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through. . . . Exit West follows these remarkable characters as they emerge into an alien and uncertain future, struggling to hold on to each other, to their past, to the very sense of who they are. Profoundly intimate and powerfully inventive, it tells an unforgettable story of love, loyalty, and courage that is both completely of our time and for all time.

Moth Smoke

Moth Smoke

Author: Mohsin Hamid

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2012-12-04

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 1101617691

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The debut novel from the internationally bestselling author of Exit West and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, both shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize Moth Smoke, Mohsin Hamid’s deftly conceived first novel, immediately marked him as an uncommonly gifted and ambitious young literary talent to watch when it was published in 2000. It tells the story of Daru Shezad, who, fired from his banking job in Lahore, begins a decline that plummets the length of Hamid’s sharply drawn, subversive tale. Fast-paced and unexpected, Moth Smoke was ahead of its time in portraying a contemporary Pakistan far more vivid and complex than the exoticized images of South Asia then familiar to the West. It established Mohsin Hamid as an internationally important writer of substance and imagination and the premier Pakistani author of our time, a promise he has amply fulfilled with each successive book. This debut novel, meanwhile, remains as compelling and deeply relevant to the moment as when it appeared more than a decade ago.


Book Synopsis Moth Smoke by : Mohsin Hamid

Download or read book Moth Smoke written by Mohsin Hamid and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2012-12-04 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The debut novel from the internationally bestselling author of Exit West and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, both shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize Moth Smoke, Mohsin Hamid’s deftly conceived first novel, immediately marked him as an uncommonly gifted and ambitious young literary talent to watch when it was published in 2000. It tells the story of Daru Shezad, who, fired from his banking job in Lahore, begins a decline that plummets the length of Hamid’s sharply drawn, subversive tale. Fast-paced and unexpected, Moth Smoke was ahead of its time in portraying a contemporary Pakistan far more vivid and complex than the exoticized images of South Asia then familiar to the West. It established Mohsin Hamid as an internationally important writer of substance and imagination and the premier Pakistani author of our time, a promise he has amply fulfilled with each successive book. This debut novel, meanwhile, remains as compelling and deeply relevant to the moment as when it appeared more than a decade ago.

Once a Runner

Once a Runner

Author: John L. Parker

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2009-04-07

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 1416597913

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The undisputed classic of running novels and one of the most beloved sports books ever published, Once a Runner tells the story of an athlete’s dreams amid the turmoil of the 60s and the Vietnam war. Inspired by the author’s experience as a collegiate champion, the novel follows Quenton Cassidy, a competitive runner at fictional Southeastern University whose lifelong dream is to run a four-minute mile. He is less than a second away when the turmoil of the Vietnam War era intrudes into the staid recesses of his school’s athletic department. After he becomes involved in an athletes’ protest, Cassidy is suspended from his track team. Under the tutelage of his friend and mentor, Bruce Denton, a graduate student and former Olympic gold medalist, Cassidy gives up his scholarship, his girlfriend, and possibly his future to withdraw to a monastic retreat in the countryside and begin training for the race of his life against the greatest miler in history. A rare insider’s account of the incredibly intense lives of elite distance runners, Once a Runner is an inspiring, funny, and spot-on tale of one individual’s quest to become a champion.


Book Synopsis Once a Runner by : John L. Parker

Download or read book Once a Runner written by John L. Parker and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2009-04-07 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The undisputed classic of running novels and one of the most beloved sports books ever published, Once a Runner tells the story of an athlete’s dreams amid the turmoil of the 60s and the Vietnam war. Inspired by the author’s experience as a collegiate champion, the novel follows Quenton Cassidy, a competitive runner at fictional Southeastern University whose lifelong dream is to run a four-minute mile. He is less than a second away when the turmoil of the Vietnam War era intrudes into the staid recesses of his school’s athletic department. After he becomes involved in an athletes’ protest, Cassidy is suspended from his track team. Under the tutelage of his friend and mentor, Bruce Denton, a graduate student and former Olympic gold medalist, Cassidy gives up his scholarship, his girlfriend, and possibly his future to withdraw to a monastic retreat in the countryside and begin training for the race of his life against the greatest miler in history. A rare insider’s account of the incredibly intense lives of elite distance runners, Once a Runner is an inspiring, funny, and spot-on tale of one individual’s quest to become a champion.

When the Emperor Was Divine

When the Emperor Was Divine

Author: Julie Otsuka

Publisher: Anchor

Published: 2007-12-18

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 0307430219

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From the bestselling, award-winning author of The Buddha in the Attic and The Swimmers, this commanding debut novel paints a portrait of the Japanese American incarceration camps that is both a haunting evocation of a family in wartime and a resonant lesson for our times. On a sunny day in Berkeley, California, in 1942, a woman sees a sign in a post office window, returns to her home, and matter-of-factly begins to pack her family's possessions. Like thousands of other Japanese Americans they have been reclassified, virtually overnight, as enemy aliens and are about to be uprooted from their home and sent to a dusty incarceration camp in the Utah desert. In this lean and devastatingly evocative first novel, Julie Otsuka tells their story from five flawlessly realized points of view and conveys the exact emotional texture of their experience: the thin-walled barracks and barbed-wire fences, the omnipresent fear and loneliness, the unheralded feats of heroism. When the Emperor Was Divine is a work of enormous power that makes a shameful episode of our history as immediate as today's headlines.


Book Synopsis When the Emperor Was Divine by : Julie Otsuka

Download or read book When the Emperor Was Divine written by Julie Otsuka and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2007-12-18 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the bestselling, award-winning author of The Buddha in the Attic and The Swimmers, this commanding debut novel paints a portrait of the Japanese American incarceration camps that is both a haunting evocation of a family in wartime and a resonant lesson for our times. On a sunny day in Berkeley, California, in 1942, a woman sees a sign in a post office window, returns to her home, and matter-of-factly begins to pack her family's possessions. Like thousands of other Japanese Americans they have been reclassified, virtually overnight, as enemy aliens and are about to be uprooted from their home and sent to a dusty incarceration camp in the Utah desert. In this lean and devastatingly evocative first novel, Julie Otsuka tells their story from five flawlessly realized points of view and conveys the exact emotional texture of their experience: the thin-walled barracks and barbed-wire fences, the omnipresent fear and loneliness, the unheralded feats of heroism. When the Emperor Was Divine is a work of enormous power that makes a shameful episode of our history as immediate as today's headlines.