Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Tuesday 3 September 2013

A book which made me think....

I suffer from insatiable curiosity, so it is hardly surprising that biographies, autobiographies and memoirs are among my most favourite reading material.

Being invited into another person's world can be exciting, inspirational, challenging - or any number of other emotions.  It is always a privilege.

I recently completed this book.


It was one I picked up when the book shop at my local shopping centre closed down, and it has been languishing on my unread pile for some time.

The blurb on the back fascinated me 'Ali Eteraz tells the story of his schooling in a madrassa in Pakistan, his teenage years as a Muslim American in the Bible Belt, and his voyage back to Pakistan to find a pious Muslim wife...'  A window into a life very different from my own.

The author's father made a covenant with Allah that if he was given a son, that son would become a great leader and servant of Islam.  A son was born - and was named Abir ul Islam (Perfume of Islam).

Striving to keep that covenant guided the author's life for more than thirty years.  He studied at not one but several madrassas.  He rejected the companionship of non-Muslims.  After Osama Bin Laden's strikes against America he strove to become a reformer of Islam.

At intervals in his life journey he changed his name, to better reflect his path of the moment.  While a fundamentalist Muslim, convinced of the superiority of Islam  he called himself Abu Bakr Ramaq.  In this phase he returned to Pakistan in the hopes of finding a Muslim wife - to protect him from sexual temptation.  And prejudices against the 'American' he was assumed to have become put his life and that of his family in danger.

On his return to America he reverted to being Amir ul Islam, and toyed with anti-Islamic ideas at University, while continuing to remain associated with Muslims and becoming the president of the Muslim Student Association.

I really didn't warm to him.  He was never more pious than when he was using his religion to get access to women - preferably devout Muslim women.  And his ongoing determination to marry a Muslim woman (and a devout one who would wear the hijab) was as far as I could see, the 'best' way he could think of to relieve sexual frustration.  And he did want a 'name' for himself, but I wasn't certain that whether this was to meet the terms of his father's covenant or to satisfy his ego.  He dabbled in political protest - and again, it seemed to be more about the status for him, than for the causes he was espousing.

And then came the attacks on Washington and New York.  And his attitudes didn't, as I feared they would, have me flinging the book aside.

'I felt an unbridgeable distance from those militants across the globe, that I'd long ago felt drawn to and then, more recently, had felt pity for.  I had used to think that while their methods were disreputable, they were simply misguided....'
'Now having seen their vision of justice, and recognising how far it was from actual justice, I felt only anger.  What made their actions even more reprehensible was that they had carried out their murders in the name of Islam.  In a single moment they had destroyed all the hard work - of education and awareness - that Muslims the world over had done over the years'.

I have no arguments with these statements.  None.  As a reformer he changed his name again, and he is now Ali Eteraz, and his journey continues... 

I found the book fascinating and infuriating by turns.  I thought that the time he spent in the madrassas could only be described as child abuse.  Religion, any religion, is almost incomprehensible to me, and I thought his piety was often manipulative and I found it distasteful.  That said, I have felt very similar distaste for noisy proponents of other religions, including Christianity.

I can't say that I 'enjoyed' Children of Dust, and I will probably not read it again, but I am glad I persevered.  Very glad.



 





88 comments:

  1. It doesn't sound like my kind of book I have read books like this where I find I do not like the people in the book but must read it to give them a fair go. I also do not want other peoples beliefs pushed onto me in any form and that includes all religions.
    Merle.......

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    1. Merlesworld: I am glad I finished it, and value glimpse into a completely different world but no, I wouldn't rush out to try and make friends with him. To be fair, at no stage did I get the feeling he was trying to convert me.

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  2. This sounds like an interesting book, although as you say, not really enjoyable. It's hard for us to empathise with the Muslim mindset; I can only compare them to certain fundamentalist Christians with their arrogance and self-righteousness, that they don't represent the mainstream of Christianity. I always wondered why there was a great silence from the non-militant Muslims after 9/11. I would have expected them to publicly disassociate themselves from the bombers. This didn't happen. Either they were too scared to do so, or tacitly agreed with what was done. This is the first time I have heard a Muslim condemn the terrorists.

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    1. lynners: I did hear some condemnation from Muslim people. I suspect that fear did keep a lot of people very quiet though. And yes, others would have supported it.

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  3. That sounds fascinating - though I can see from your thoughtful review what I would find frustrating too. I love biographies and memoirs too, and had not heard of this one. I did read a badly written but fascinating memoir written by one of Bin Laden's relatives some time ago. The window into another culture is fascinating.

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    1. Jackie K: The window into other lives, other cultures keeps me coming back...

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  4. I learned enough from your post to know that I don't want to read this. The frustrations would have me tossing the book so many times. Not what I enjoy, I prefer a story that has me unable to put the book down.

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    1. River: I like a book which I can't put down as well. Biographies often don't fall into that category though - I need to stop and think about what I have read, what I have learned.

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  5. I'm not found of the noisy proponents of religion either. Thanks for sharing your journey with the book :-)

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    1. Geoff: Thank you. I don't think I like fundamentalist anything.

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  6. Well done EC for ticking another one off your unread pile. About to settle in for First Tuesday Book Club on ABC1. Do you watch?

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    1. Carol in Cairns: I find temptation enough without book clubs - any of them, though I have heard positive things about the ABC's take on it.

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  7. Very interesting review, the book sounds intriguing. It's always interesting to get a deeper glimpse of other cultures. Have you read Bob Brown's Memo for a Saner World?

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    1. kim: No, I haven't. And you re-inforce my response to Carol in Cairns above - I get pointed in the direction of books I want to read here in the blogosphere...

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  8. I'm glad you went into detail with the book so I can decide if I would like to read it as well. I'm on the fence about it, but I'll look to see if it's available at my library and take it from there. I love Khaled Hossaini's books and think his A Thousand Splendid Suns took me into the world of the Taliban in a way I would never have done otherwise. I recommend it highly for a glimpse into another world.

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    1. DJan: It wasn't a book I 'enjoyed' reading, but I do enjoy being made to think. And yet more temptation laid in my path - I have looked at A Thousand Splendid Suns often but haven't yet succumbed.

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  9. It would seem that men are men no matter what the religion ... driven by sexual frustration and ego. One would hope that civilization would temper that a little, but then it is the nature of the beast. The women's role then becomes one of controlling, managing and sadly sometimes absorbing the abuse. I personally am very disappointed in mankind ... I thought we were a cut above, but now I think I perfer the company of animals to most people ... note I say most people. I don't mean to condemn all people, just the greedy, selfish ones that always seem to find a way to grab the power and make it miserable for everyone else. Sorry ... your book touched a nerve :)

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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    1. Give peace a chance, neuter everybody. Men are men, whether tom cats or human, prowling around, spray marking, fighting, facing off, and creating wars over nothing more than hormones. LOL. I am a cat fixer and cannot help but see the similarities!

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    2. Andrea: I frequently despair of rather a lot of the human race. Far too frequently. And the power mongers are top (or bottom) of that list.

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    3. Strayer: Such strong similarities - and the agression smells as bad to me regardless of the species of the perpetrator.

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  10. "I suffer from insatiable curiosity, so it is hardly surprising that biographies, autobiographies and memoirs are among my most favourite reading material." - Me too, but I', just really nosey. I've read books like this too, and I know just what you mean about being unlikely to re-visit it but glad for the perseverence because you can find out so much from them, shed a different light sometimes on matters.

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    1. All Consuming: So we share nosiness too. And the calibre of the writing is much more likely to have me walking away from a book (or tossing it) than the characters within...

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  11. Reading about someone's development and change over the years makes us more aware of our own development and change..what is possible...where we can go from here and, makes us more sensitive to the struggles of others. I'm glad you persevered as well.

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    1. Delores: How right you are. Makes us aware of the possibilities in both directions...

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  12. A wonderful book review. Not sure I want to read this book but can't help but think that the more we understand and educate ourselves about each other's religion/culture/beliefs the better off we will be. I have heard it said that we fear what we do not understand. Educating ourselves is the key.

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    1. DeniseinVA: I am a firm believer in education, and am working on my own.

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  13. I totally feel your heart about this (and agree)
    and think you processed the book so clearly, so well,
    that I feel as if I've read it. I think every religion
    has done something of "child abuse" to those forced into
    their ranks at an early age. Grateful for the choices we have....so grateful.
    -Jennifer

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    1. Jennifer Richardson: Certainly every religion I have read about abuses the very young under the pretext of 'moulding them'.
      And yes, we are so very lucky to have choices...

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  14. Dear Sue, I know so little about Islam as founded by Mohammed and then as carried down through the centuries to the peace-loving Muslims of today and the Muslim terrorists who emerge periodically to disrupt the lives of people around the globe.

    I'd like to take a couple of classes in which I'd study the history of the Middle East and the history of the Islamic spiritual tradition and the culture of Muslims throughout the world.

    I did watch the three-part PBS series on Mohammed that recently aired and I learned so much. Specifically I learned how the terrorists take out of context words and passages and injunctions from the Qur'an.

    Having said all this, I'm not sure that I'd enjoy reading the book that you have critiqued here. I'm not much for biographies and autobiographies, and despite my writing on my blog, I seldom read memoirs. I'm not sure why, except that there's only so much time for reading and a good mystery novel or thriller takes me to places I've never been and introduces me to hidden depths of character. But of course biographies would do that also. Maybe I'm just lazy. Peace.

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    1. Dee: Lazy? You? You are a stranger to the truth in that statement. Different priorities.
      Sadly I think that people of all religions twist the words of their 'good books'.
      Religion (all of them) is one of the areas where I am ignorant. And something that, little by little, I am learning about.

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    2. Mohammed was an amazing man, one of humankind's truly original thinkers. The original reason for the one man having four wives was that it was a solution to the problem of having large numbers of unsupported widows and orphans in the community, owing to constant intertribal warfare that killed off many of the men. Mohammed felt that it was better for the women and children to have a home and belong to a family, even if shared with others. A pragmatic solution to a temporary problem, but now enshrined as a man's "right". Mohammed never intended that women should be treated as chattels.

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    3. lynners: Similarly the original 'kosher' food rules were based around food safety at a time when refrigeration wasn't available. I knew the reason for the original multiple wives policy. Such a shame that it became set in concrete and its original rationale twisted.

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  15. Excellent review. The book reminded me of another non-fiction book I read a few years ago called "Reading Lolita in Tehran". The cover had a similar colour.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. A Cuban in London. More temptation put in my way. Thank you.

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  16. Hey EC! Good for you for persevering... glad you got something out of it. You don't always have to enjoy a book to benefit from a reading.

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    1. Cathy-Oliffe-Webster: Enjoying a book most certainly does help. Just the same, I read for education as well, and a book which makes me think is always a plus.

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  17. I don't like noisy proponents of anything, especially religion. I guess that's why I am Presbyterian (we jokingly call ourselves the "frozen chosen.") :)

    Love this review - that's wonderful that you picked it up after having it for a long time.

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    1. Lynn: I neither like nor trust noisy proponents of anything. I do love the term 'frozen chosen' which I hadn't heard - thank you.
      And I was always going to get to this book (and all the others on the pile), the only question was when.

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  18. I am laughing at "frozen chosen," and I applaud you for picking up a book with such a vastly different experience than your own.

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    1. Riot Kitty: Frozen chosen is a winner isn't it? I often read things from cultures/individuals/ other than mine own. My world would be way too narrow if I didn't.

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  19. Sounds the type of book MOH would read...he seldom reads non-fiction although currently is reading "Lord of the Rings" which has so many pages and he is finding it quite interesting. Not for me though.
    The book you review here (have you ever thought of taking up book reviewing?) sounds to me the story of a quite unpleasant man who was seeking the best of the world for himself and damn everyone else. Not the type of book I'd like to read last thing at night as my mind would be far too active to find sleep very quickly.
    Like you I find most things about religion odious as I am certain it is the cause of most of the evil in the world, past and present. My belief is to do unto others which I feel is the way everyone should live their lives.
    Sorry I got a bit serious here but I feel so saddened when listening to people who preach hatred.
    I too thought the term 'frozen chosen' very apt.

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    1. Mimsie: I read Lord of the Rings years ago, and liked it a lot. Some day I will reread it and see if I retain my fondness.
      I don't think book reviewing is something I could do. I am not objective (at all) about the books I read... And I read for myself.
      And yes, do unto others seems perfectly reasonable to me too.

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  20. Hello my friend, I read your reply above and mine is that I am learning every day by trying to educate myself, and visiting wonderful blogs such as yours is part of that process. I am also back to answer your question about mother elk and her young. Their predators beside man are bear and I think wolves, but I need to read up more on that too ;

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    1. DeniseinVA: The blogosphere is wonderful for the education it provides - in addition to the beauty and the humour, and a glimpse of other worlds.

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  21. I just found this article you might be interested in reading. I learned a little bit more by reading it.

    http://www.yellowstonepark.com/2011/06/yellowstone-elk-feed-the-parks-wildlife-predators/

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    1. DeniseinVA: Thank you - it was fascinating. And I love that predators have been re-introduced. They are a necessary part of the chain (even though wimpy me doesn't like to see them doing what comes naturally, and what they should be doing).

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  22. If only we could be more like Pollyanna, who went through her bible and discovered all the "happy" texts and suggested these to her pastor who was well known for scaring his congregation with his "fire and brimstone" sermons.

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    1. River: A bit more happiness mongering would suit me much better than scare-mongering.

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  23. Aloha:)

    Thanks for an honest review of a book I would also have picked up to read...

    I think I might still read it - you shared some interesting snippets - but if I find a "better" book, I might go with that one...

    PS... Touche on the comment you left over at my blog, but don't forget that yes, Superman wasn't a writer...

    ...But Clark Kent was :)~

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    1. Mark Koopmans. Superman didn't write. Clark Kent didn't save the world. They might have been the same person, but they lived very different lives. And Clark didn't win the Pulitzer either...

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  24. Interesting.

    I am not a religious person, myself, but am fascinated -- and sometimes humbled -- by those who are.

    If I come across this book, I will probably pick it up.

    Pearl

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    1. Pearl: Snap on the fascination (and humbling). And if you do find this book I would love to hear what you think of it.

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  25. I echo Merle's sentiments...I won't be reading this book.

    However, your synopsis is excellent, EC.

    I do love autobiographies, bios and memoirs; and read many.

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    1. Lee: I hope I didn't put you off - a very, very subjective synopsis...

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  26. any time someone espouses their religion is better than another does not know the true meaning of god.

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    1. Linda Starr: I am going to have to disagree with you on this one.

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  27. Interesting article, EC!!! such a wonderful review of the book.
    thanks for sharing..

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  28. This truly is a lovely review. You're so fair and patient and open minded. This isn't a book I would ever pick up, but I think if I do come across one that I'm not initially into, I'd second guess my decision based on this. You've opened my mind a bit!

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    1. Raquel Somatra: I am a very greedy reader - I am always looking to lighten my ignorance and expand my world. And am often the winner.

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  29. I would read it! I like hearing from different culture, new perspectives. This makes us RICHER, Kinder people.

    Love to you, my friend.

    PS. have you read "THREE CUPS OF TEA?" FAB. Xxxx

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    1. My Inner Chick: So much richer when we expand our horizons. And yes, I have read (and kept) Three Cups of Tea. And I loved his dedication. And practical gratitude. And perseverance...
      Hugs.

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  30. His approach to women is disturbing if expected, and qualifies my interest in the book. Yet I haven't read nearly enough autobiography or memoir of Muslim life. Very interesting, EC.

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    1. John Wiswell: I haven't come across very much autobiography or memoir of Muslim life either - which is why this was a must in that closing down sale. A must which I don't regret.

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  31. This sounds like a worthwhile book, especially for the insight it can give us about life as a Muslim. Far better to expand our understanding than our waistlines. (I had a waist once...)

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    1. Susan: It was certainly worth my while completing the book. (Though most books are.) And I here you on the subject of the vanishing waist.

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  32. I admire you for giving the book a go. Some books do that to me, and I end up giving them away. At least you tried to understand something that seems so confusing and conflicted.

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    1. Susan Kane: Which of us don't have areas in our lives which are confusing and conflicted? I am still confused about religion (not just Islam, but religion more generally) but will keep on reading in an attempt to learn more.

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  33. Nice post, great blog, following :)

    Good Luck :)

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    1. GranTurismo Driver: Welcome and thank you. What an interesting title you have...

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  34. What a good and fair review. Stopping by from A Cuban in London. Glad I did. You have a lovely, diverse blog. I'll be following you.

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    1. Myrna R.: Thank you - I will stop by and visit you later today.

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  35. Incredibly fascinating. I don't think I'm in the right mental state to read it just now, but I do wish i'd read it when I was. Much thanks for the review.

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    1. Dave King: Lovely to see you here. There is definitely a 'right' time for books. Go with whatever is right for you at the moment.

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  36. It looks like a book I'd read. I'm always aware that inside any religion - there are individuals - even if they do buy into a clan or mob mentality. Muslims are making such a roar these days in our world, on our planet, that my feeling is any enlightenment (which doesn't have to have a positive end feeling) is worthwhile. Thank you for a very well written synopsis.

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    1. Barb: It is the individuals from within any group (be it religion or political party or whatever) which give me hope. I really don't like mob thinking.

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  37. I have gotten many of the very best books I've ever read at sales of books that didn't sell well. I get drawn in by the great prices but find many of them very interesting. Maybe the only conclusion I should draw is that I will read anything if I pick it up and open it :)

    That being said, this book sounds like something I would be glad I read, too, even though I understand what you mean by not "enjoying" it. I find first-person accounts fascinating.

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    1. And I forgot to add - thank you for reviewing it for us.

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    2. jenny_o: Thank you. I am an eclectic reader and like you have picked up many of my most favourite books from sales/remainders/no-one else wants them piles. And, as I have said, biographies, memoirs and diaries suck me in every time.

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  38. I am with you on memoirs & autobiogs - infinitely interesting, is people's lives.

    This man sounds like he has been on an enormous journey. I love his broadened vision. The quote was choice, and I particularly appreciate he named it "murders", the 911 killings.

    Highly interesting post, this one! :)

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    1. wordsfallfrommyeyes: Real lives are usually much more interesting and complex than fiction. And fascinating...

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  39. Reading about people growing into themselves is always interesting, providing their writing matches the growth.

    I do so understand that some books can be infuriating, but we cannot simply put them aside. This seems to belong to that group.

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    1. Friko: There are of course books I can put aside - but this wasn't one of them.

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  40. I couldn't read it. Every time I turn on the news, it's about Islam and/or the Middle East and my own country's nutty reaction to their nuttiness. Are you guys going in with us on our upcoming war with Syria--and possibly Russia if they follow-up on their promise to protect Syria?

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    1. Snowbrush: As of yesterday our country is under 'new management' (the new Prime Minister's term). I have no idea what he will do, but last week he described the Syrian ugliness as 'baddies versus baddies'...

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  41. "I thought that the time he spent in the madrassas could only be described as child abuse"

    True, but then so was the nonsense I was told in Christian Sunday School - adults telling children to believe things they cannot possibly know to be true. Speculation about what may or may not be is fine, but religious belief is a damaging disease that spreads from mind to mind.

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    1. Andrew Maclaren-Scott: Sadly child abuse seems to be common in far too many religions. Often physical as it was in the madrassas in addition to the emotional and mental abuse. And too often sexual abuse as well. I never attended Sunday School so I will have to take your word for it - but am not arguing.

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