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Tags - bangladesh

'A Golden Age': a novel by Tahmima Anam

September 28, 2010

4 comments

Reviews

Set against the backdrop of the final stages of Bangladesh’s war of independence, ‘A Golden Age’ is a gripping novel.  Tahmima Anan gives us a clear account of a country which emerged both shattered and victorious after the horrors of 1971. But this is not only a historical novel, covering the brutality and heroism of war.  Through gentle detail and subtle humour,   it shows us an entire culture, with its food, mannerisms, and daily life.  And it is also the story of a mother and her children, with their bonds and frustrations, trying to stand up for their values and sense of justice in turbulent times.  We hurtle with them to a dramatic end which is both shocking and heroic. Ultimately, ‘A Golden Age’ is a story of deep  love. A worthy winner of the 2008 Commonwealth Prize Best First Book Award.

Tags: bangladesh family saga war independence 1971

'Expatriate Games' by Mark Trenowden

October 18, 2010

3 comments

Reviews

As a serial expatriate, and having read two glowing Amazon reviews of Mark Trenowden’s ‘Expatriate Games’, I bought this book hoping to gain some insight into Bangladesh, its culture, and its people.  I was disappointed.  Yes, the book contains a couple of amusing anecdotes, such as the author’s participation in a cricket match, and his hapless attempt to install a satellite dish on his roof, but these are rare. Trenowden places himself firmly in an impervious expatriate bubble in the centre of his book, and seems determined not to make the slightest effort to understand his host country or anything that is going on around him.  One is left with the impression that he spends the better part of almost two years (what a missed opportunity!) mixing with other like-minded expats, searching for booze, and complaining. Some references made me cringe: he consistently refers to Bangladesh as ‘a third world country.’ On one occasion, he meets a business contact from Hong-Kong and remarks ‘I was pleased to have this link with civilisation’, implying that the culture surrounding him is less than civilized.  And, leaving aside the content, I do not think it would be harsh to say that the writing is execrable.  Somehow I persevered to the end.  I have never read a book so much in need of editing.  It is filled with spelling mistakes ('vitals' for 'victuals, 'exited' for 'excited', 'loose' for 'lose'…), wrongly used words ('comprehensibly' for 'comprehensively', 'reigned' for 'reined'…)  misplaced apostrophes, and clichés ('a sight for sore eyes', 'the crowning glory', 'the inner sanctum', 'come hell or high water'…). The language is pretentious: describing the importance of settling in, Trenowden writes ‘The geographic location of our possessions would dictate when this point would be reached’.  Why not say ‘We would feel settled once our shipment arrived’ or something similar?  This is only one of dozens of examples.  On every page there are examples of ‘sentences’ which simply do not hang together, for example ‘Once the overpowering smell of fly spray that Masum had blasted the interior with to deter stray mosquitoes had dispersed and one acclimatized to the dampness.’  Here’s another: ‘The heat of the night exaggerated having left the cool of air conditioning I leant on the rail.’ Having finished the book I felt I had learnt nothing, apart from how not to live an expat life - which I probably knew already.

Tags: bangladesh family saga war independence 1971 book review bangladesh expatriate trenowden bad writing awful

Brick Lane by Monica Ali

November 6, 2010

1 comments

Reviews

Although Brick Lane was published in 2003, I have only just got round to reading it.  In the novel, Monica Ali tells the story of Nazneen, a Bangladeshi woman who moves to London as a result of her arranged marriage to a man twenty years older than she is.  She accepts her fate without complaining, and is a dutiful wife to the tragi-comic Chanu, who though pretentious and authoritarian, treats her relatively well. He is less kind to his two daughters, forcing them to learn long passages of Bangladeshi literature, punishing them cruelly if they fail. As the novel progresses, Nazneen grows to realize that she is in charge of her own destiny, and begins to rebel, first with subtle acts like putting chillis in her husband’s sandwiches, or leaving her community area and walking in the streets, and later, much more dramatically, by having an affair, and finally with a dramatic decision that changes her life.  With humour and attention to detail, Ali skillfully introduces her small London world and its vivid cast of characters: Dr Azad, Chanu’s unlikely friend trapped in a miserable marriage, Mrs Islam, the hypochondriac moneylender who ends up being far more dangerous than you would expect, Razia, Nazneen’s anglicized friend who struggles with her son’s drug addiction and introduced Nazneen to sewing, and Karim, Nazneen’s revolutionary activist lover.  Her affair draws her to a different world, a world in which tradition and fate can be questioned. The novel gives us a clear picture of how a Bangladeshi community in London lives; their joys and sorrows, and also shows us life in Bangladesh through the regular letters Nazneen’s sister Hasina writes.  An unfortunately, although the letters are colourful and written straight from the heart, describing in detail Hasina's struggle to make a living through her various jobs, they are also the book’s main stumbling block.  Hasina writes in broken English with perfect spelling: ‘The girls are pride to you. Tell them auntie send love and never forget.’ At one point these letters go on for thirty pages without a break, and it is taxing and irritating to read them.  One wonders why Ali chose to write them in this way: since the sister would have written in Bangla, rather than English,  is she trying to portray her sister’s lack of education? But overall, this is an excellent début novel.  I picked it up hoping to learn something about Bangladeshis, their country, and their culture.  Brick Lane by far exceeded my expectations.

Tags: bangladesh family saga war independence 1971 book review bangladesh expatriate trenowden bad writing awful novel bangladesh brick lane tower hamlets monica ali

Creating Social Business: an inspirational read

November 29, 2010

6 comments

Reviews

Muhammad Yunus, together with his Grameen Microcredit Bank, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work in the field of microcredits. I picked up his latest book, ‘<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Building-Social-Business-Capitalism-Humanitys/dp/1586488244/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291094216&sr=1-3">Building Social Business: The New Kind of Capitalism That Serves Humanity's Most Pressing Needs</a>’, in order to learn more about the work of this world-famous ‘banker for the poor’, particularly in his home country, Bangladesh.  I was a little apprehensive as I know very little about business and economics.  I need not have feared.   Co-written with Karl Weber, the book offers a clear, stimulating description of his theory of how social business can go a long way in eradicating poverty. It is filled with examples of how Yunus' idea is making a difference to people’s lives and their dignity, but at the same time he does not shirk from illustrating the problems that can arise whilst creating a social business.   From defining social business as ‘a non-loss, non-dividend company designed to address a social objective’ in which ‘the profits are used to expand the company’s reach and improve the product/service’ Yunus moves on to outline the two main ‘branches’ of social business.    The first provides goods or services, and is owned by people who are not poor, and there are no profits for the owners.  He offers examples of how large companies have become involved in social business.    In 2006, Grameen Danone was born. The idea was to reduce poverty by providing an affordable, fortified yoghurt-type drink in rural Bangladesh, while creating business and employment opportunities for local people. The raw materials needed for production are sourced locally. Profits are reinvested  to create new opportunities for the welfare and development of people.   Last year Adidas committed to providing shoes at cost price - €1 per pair, to poor Bangladeshis.  As well as providing employment for local people, the shoes would help prevent diseases.   The second type of social business is owned by the poor and generates income directly.  For example, the Grameen Bank provides loans to low-income people, particularly women, who would be refused loans by banks, offering them the opportunity to start small businesses and improve their living standards.  When the bank opened, even beggars came to take out small loans, in an effort to turn around their lives by starting small business activities.  The repayment rates were extremely high.   The book, written in an optimistic, up-beat style, offers many more inspirational examples from the fields of health, communication, and education, of how Yunus’ work is providing a better life for millions of people in a very simple way.   Yunus’ message is believable: poverty is not created by people but by circumstances: people are born with the potential to look after themselves and to contribute to society.  Yunus’ vision that a poverty-free world can be created within a few years may sound idealistic, but his theories stand up.  Maybe one day in the not so distant future poverty will exist only in museums, as Yunus hopes.   If you would like to know more about Yunus’ work, this book gives an excellent overview.  See also <a href="http://www.grameencreativelab.com/live-examples/grameen-bank-the-mother-of-grameen-social-business.html">http://www.grameencreativelab.com/live-examples/grameen-bank-the-mother-of-grameen-social-business.html</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Yunus">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Yunus</a>

The Bradt Guide to Bangladesh

December 8, 2010

0 comments

Reviews

I bought the Bradt Guide to Bangladesh prior to a recent week-long visit to the country, and was amazed at how well-laid-out, up-to-date and accurate it was.  I was not able, on this occasion, to explore very far, but thanks to the guide I discovered some excellent restaurants and great clothing stores in Dhaka.  I was able to travel a couple of hundred kilometers north of Dhaka, and experienced for myself the guide’s description of the Rajshahi district as ‘a real paradise’ (and a welcome break from the indescribable Dhaka traffic!)  I learnt about the 120-km Cox’s Bazaar, billed as the world’s longest beach (though it seems there’s actually one twice as long in Brazil).  I read about Sundarban, home to the world’s largest mangrove forest and the endangered Royal Bengal tiger.  I discovered that half the country is under water during the monsoon season.  I found out all about ethnic minorities. But the Bradt Guide to Bangladesh is so much more than a simple tourist guide.  It has excellent sections on a range of subjects from the country’s history to climate change, living in Bangladesh, and much more.  Above all, whether you are simply visiting for a short while, or planning to move there, you will find the guide filled with useful information about responsible travel, and how you, as a traveller, can get involved in supporting positive change.  The writers, Mikey Leung and Belinda Meggitt, write with honesty, enthusiasm and insight.  They certainly open your eyes to the fact that Bangladesh is far from ‘the basket case’ it was described as by Henry Kissinger when the country gained its independence in 1971. And after my short visit, I can confirm unreservedly the authors' description of the Bangladeshi people’s ‘never-ending hospitality and graciousness towards foreign guests.’  If you’d like to see photos of my trip, see here: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=300266&id=664241054&l=f7d9e47d15">http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=300266&id=664241054&l=f7d9e47d15</a>   Based on this single experience, I shall be buying Bradt from now on, rather than Lonely Planet or Rough Guides.

Moving ... again!

December 16, 2010

12 comments

Banglablogs

You may have noticed a theme running through my recent blog posts - five book reviews - and every one of them has a Bangladesh connection.    Why the sudden interest?  Well, from 15 January, Dhaka, a city of 12 million people, in a country which is half underwater during the monsoon season, will be my home for the next few years.  As I often say, 'some lead, and others follow.'  I am happy to follow - this time it'll be quite a challenge!    When Bangladesh became independent in 1971, it was branded as a 'basket case' by Henry Kissinger.  Not so any longer.  If you are interested in reading an up-to-date report on how the country is performing, especially in relation to the Millennium Goals, have a look at a recent Wall Street Journal article here: <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703882404575519330896471058.html">http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703882404575519330896471058.html</a>   I went to Bangladesh on a recce trip a couple of weeks ago, you can see photos of my trip here: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=300266&id=664241054&l=f7d9e47d15">http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=300266&id=664241054&l=f7d9e47d15</a>   I am confident that this move will bring me adventure, fulfillment, and The Muse!

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