 |
|
|
| Customer Review: |
|
1: Mapping the human psyche
Personal or political. That is the question. Nuruddin Farah says that everything is political. What does the term political mean? I think it implies the dynamics between the ruler and the ruled. What we see as political writing today has essentially to do with the state. But even within the smaller segments of the state and the society, even within human consciousness, there is the ruler-ruled dichotomy. So everything is political. But the response to that is individual, characteristic of the human being, and hence personal. The political manifestation in the personal life of Askar is what the book is about. While it does this, it also maps the contours of the psyche of Askar in the most lucid and poetic manner possible. Farah is a Somali shaman who weaves the tale of Askar in the oral tradition of Africa.
|
2: Hmmm?
This book is not exactly what I would call a joy. You start reading it and you just can't wait to finish it. I found the whole novel dry and uninteresting. It did have a brilliant beginning, but as time went on, you just get tired because the story itself never really develops in a way that would pique your interests at all. I can't say I'm a fan of Farah, but maybe I should try another of his books and see.
|
3: A Society Much Different Than the U.S.A.
I read this book based on the glowing, 5 star reviews of others. I stopped reading the book 30 pages before the end. The first half of the story held my interest well, but then it started lagging until my interest stopped altogether.Mr. Farah does have a pleasant way with words and presents the life in Somalia well indeed. I enjoyed the differences and understand the importance of superstition in their society. Also it seems that every word spoken is analyzed by each person to the extent that all sorts of unspoken psychological challenges are experienced in a chit chat conversation. For me this was not a reading joy.
|
4: This is breathtakingly Marvelous.
Woow! When I read this book, I though this author is rather unique in this world. The language is rich and vivid. From there I decided to read all his work.
|
5: An Unknown Superstar
I came to thi s book after reading the review in the New York Times Book Review (the quote on this page doesn't do the review justice). I had never heard of the author and thought I was discovering someone completely new. When I looked at the book I learned that many of the world's great writers--Rushdie, Achebe, Gordimer--have been reading him for years and loving him. If you look at the page for Secrets and click on the Click Here for All the Reviews button you'll see what I mean. They're right. He's a great writer who deserves to be more famous. This is a great book. Now I'm going to read all of his other books.
|
|
|
