The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

An amazing memoir in the back drop of Afghanistan provides hair raising revelations of the life in Afghanistan . It presents an interesting contrast between the past and the current scenario in Afghanistan with the story of the author himself. I heard a lot about this book before I decided to grab a copy from the public library. I started reading the book and got busy. Finally, got an audio book version to listen in the car.

It would be really hard to believe that this was one of the books that I finished while driving back and forth to the office that is hardly 4 miles from my residence. The narrative and the story line is full of surprises and so gripping that I used to start off early for the office, drive slowly and sit in the parking lot for 5-10 minutes before heading to the office and the same on my way back.

Some of my friends did reveal that they had tears in their eyes many a times while reading this book. The language in the book is perfect and describes the background in a very lucid fashion. The author seems to be detailed oriented and did not leave any story unfinished. Every small story in this book has an end and is related to the main story.

The book largely caters to the western audience. However, having been born and raised in India and having heard stories about Afghanistan and Pakistan from my grandfather, I had a good understanding of the cultural aspects of the place. It is an emotional drama that scales from the childhood experiences of the author and his relationship with his servant from a lower caste Shia Muslim community (Hazara).

Although this is a work of fiction and I hardly like fiction, the personalities of characters described in the book seem so real that one starts to imagine the faces and what they would look like in the real world. The description of the impact of Taliban regime (Predominantly Sunni Muslims) on the economy and social structure of Afghanistan has a lot of truth in it. The implications of Sharia on the society at large was hair raising.

While the western societies have matured due to strict law enforcement and adequate justice availability, the part of the world that the book describes has a lot more power influence and religious divides although it is primarily an Islamic nation. The book reveals interesting facts about the Hazara community and the Taliban regime including the religious divide.

The author provides interesting contrast between his earlier life in Afghanistan, his US experience and his return to Afghanistan during the Taliban regime. It is a must read book for folks interested in the region and also for others who have always wondered about life back east. Wonderfully written and praiseworthy. Good Job, Khaled ! I am waiting for your next one "A Thousand Splendid Suns". Keep up the good work.

The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman

This latest installment from Thomas Friedman, the 3 times Pulitzer prize winner is undoubtedly a successful depiction of globalization. The book does provide a lot of good insights of what's happening in the flat world and is well written (as Tom always does). The language of the book is non-technical and even a layman can understand the concepts. However, there are areas in the book where an individual with a business acumen will be more comfortable.

Some say it is not a book but is a handbook or playbook on the flat world. What I liked in this book is the use of adequate data and facts to provide the reader with a perspective. The stories are vivid and descriptive. Tom beautifully lays out the definitions of outsourcing, insourcing and completes his list of 10 flatteners of the world.

While I was reading the book, I was flabbergasted by the amount of data used in the book. Yes, its a long book so have patience will read :-). Having said that although it is an interesting book that is difficult to put down, it also gets boring towards the end when Tom starts talking about the steps America should take to maintain the super power status. Those chapters become very cliched and feels like political bashing.

Also, the flip side of the book is that it is written with a green glass view. The author is an utterly optimistic person and to sell his idea of globalization and to introduce the concept of flat world, forgot to discuss the perils of globalization. While globalization is an irreversible process, the gap between the rich and poor is increasing. Rich nations are become richer through exploitation of poorer counterparts. I have my own word for this "Capitalistic Imperialism". I would go to the extent of saying that it is "The next wave of imperialism". While the British empire has fallen since long, a new form of imperialism is on the rise which some people coin as globalization.

It would have been definitely a great idea for Tom to discuss some of the perils, to provide a balanced view. May be the book was not written with this intention at all. All in all it is a very nice read and the reader will be loaded with facts and will be all set to engage in the globalization debate. Happy Reading !!