Thursday, August 18, 2011

Page turners ..

Fighting for Darfur: By Washington Post reporter Rebecca Hamilton. The book is a detailed account of the public action surrounding Darfur (in Sudan). It provides some compelling insights into both the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of this movement. An important book to read, given the world in which we live.

Goodbye Sarajevo- Atka Reid and Hana Schofield - A moving true story about what happens to one family during the siege of Sarajevo (in the 1990s). Read more one this website. I found it so eye-opening as it brought a human face so the history we've lived through.

Before we Said Goodbye - Gabriella Ambrosio - Based on the true story of a suicide bombing in Jerusalem. The story follows a number of characters in parallel which is at times hard to follow. But what was striking about the book, is that the author did not take sides, she simply presented the story, and presented a human face to what is happening in the Middle East. Perhaps for this reason the book is
endorsed by Amnesty International.

Next on my reading list is Samantha Power's book A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide which was quoted by Bec in her book. I also have The Collaborator on the "to read" pile. Mirza Waheed's The Collaborator is set in Kashmir, you can read more about the book here.