Tuesday, October 28, 2014

The Bargain From the Bazaar: A Family's Day of Reckoning in Lahore

The Bargain From the Bazaar: A Family's Day of Reckoning in Lahore
By Haroon K. Ullah
Public Affairs. 2014. 240 pgs. Nonfiction

Narrating the lives of the Reza family, author Haroon gives the reader a ring side seat to the chaotic conditions in Lahore, Pakistan.  Struggling to make a  living as a shopkeeper in the Anarkali Bazaar, Bangladesh war veteran Awais fathers three sons, works to provide for them and point them to worthwhile careers in such an unstable society, as mother Shez creates a loving home and works as a nurse. The three sons take different paths, but the one who follows his heart into radical Islam pulls the whole family into a tragedy that could destroy all of them.

This very readable book acquaints the reader with the historical background of the nation of Pakistan and current conditions there.  If many Pakistanis share the idealism that motivates the members of this family, we might dare dream of someday seeing a better and more stable Pakistan. SH



 


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