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peskimo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
ssreadsintranslation's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Death, Forced institutionalization, and Police brutality
Moderate: Child death, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Suicide
engoldment's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Islamophobia and Religious bigotry
Minor: Rape
hekate24's review
5.0
I've had this on my to-do list ever since seeing the fantastic Hindi film Haider (an adaptation of [b:Hamlet|1420|Hamlet|William Shakespeare|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351051208s/1420.jpg|1885548] that is set in mid-nineties Kashmir.) Basharat Peer wrote the script and the movie made me want to learn even more about the time period explored in it.
This book fulfills a category in the Read Harder Challenge. Actually I could slot it into several categories, but ultimately I'm going to put it into "a book by a person whose gender is different from your own." This is a deliberate decision on my part. This memoir really drives home how life in Kashmir is an incredibly gendered experience. As one reads, one gets the sense of an entire generation of men who have had battle and war imposed on them, whether they wanted to become "militarized" or not. At one point, Peer goes through a bunch of his friends and acquaintances, talking about how they chose to respond. Some left, some joined militant groups and died, some joined these groups and then reintegrated back into Kashmiri towns and villages after years of danger and trauma. Being male in Kashmir seems to mean being viewed as an enemy of the state as soon as you're able to walk.
There are also tons of men who have been flat out "disappeared" by the state. These portions of the book haunted me the most because of my own personal interest in missing persons cases (I am working on a criminology degree because these cases effect me so deeply.) Having a missing loved one sounds like the worst kind of personal hell to me. You can't grieve, you can't give up hope, you feel stupid for having hope. Law enforcement can often be apathetic during these cases, but in Kashmir the government is often complicit in these losses. It's really hard to imagine the psychological toll this must take, but this book gets me a bit closer to imagining it.
Which isn't to say women didn't suffer in Kashmir, because they absolutely did (and still do.) In Kashmir, there's that age old tactic of rape as a weapon of war, and support from the community can be very hit or miss after. Although, on a happier note, I was fascinated by the passages on Islam in Kashmir, and how it generally supports women.
I think the biggest strength of this book (other than its gorgeous writing) is its ability to make me understand. I see this book get criticized for having no "arc" per se, but I'm not sure if Peer is even trying to tell something definitive here. What this book does do remarkably well is to put you in the shoes of everyone he interviews. He makes you feel their fear, and he makes you feel why some people retreat deep inside their personal lives, while others want to lash out. I come from a town that a highly publicized and infamous school shooting a few years back. Even today, you still see how it impacts people's psyches. That was one incident, in one day. As I read I tried to apply that kind of uncertainty and fear in an entire state, for well over a decade. Unexpected violence changes you, and its even worse when it's built into the system, when there's no real recourse. We have problems with that here in America, too. You only have to turn on the news to see it. The circumstances might be the same, but a lot of surface level, primal fears and hopes do not change. This is the kind of book that leaves me feeling like I'll forever see the world different after having read this.
This book fulfills a category in the Read Harder Challenge. Actually I could slot it into several categories, but ultimately I'm going to put it into "a book by a person whose gender is different from your own." This is a deliberate decision on my part. This memoir really drives home how life in Kashmir is an incredibly gendered experience. As one reads, one gets the sense of an entire generation of men who have had battle and war imposed on them, whether they wanted to become "militarized" or not. At one point, Peer goes through a bunch of his friends and acquaintances, talking about how they chose to respond. Some left, some joined militant groups and died, some joined these groups and then reintegrated back into Kashmiri towns and villages after years of danger and trauma. Being male in Kashmir seems to mean being viewed as an enemy of the state as soon as you're able to walk.
There are also tons of men who have been flat out "disappeared" by the state. These portions of the book haunted me the most because of my own personal interest in missing persons cases (I am working on a criminology degree because these cases effect me so deeply.) Having a missing loved one sounds like the worst kind of personal hell to me. You can't grieve, you can't give up hope, you feel stupid for having hope. Law enforcement can often be apathetic during these cases, but in Kashmir the government is often complicit in these losses. It's really hard to imagine the psychological toll this must take, but this book gets me a bit closer to imagining it.
Which isn't to say women didn't suffer in Kashmir, because they absolutely did (and still do.) In Kashmir, there's that age old tactic of rape as a weapon of war, and support from the community can be very hit or miss after. Although, on a happier note, I was fascinated by the passages on Islam in Kashmir, and how it generally supports women.
I think the biggest strength of this book (other than its gorgeous writing) is its ability to make me understand. I see this book get criticized for having no "arc" per se, but I'm not sure if Peer is even trying to tell something definitive here. What this book does do remarkably well is to put you in the shoes of everyone he interviews. He makes you feel their fear, and he makes you feel why some people retreat deep inside their personal lives, while others want to lash out. I come from a town that a highly publicized and infamous school shooting a few years back. Even today, you still see how it impacts people's psyches. That was one incident, in one day. As I read I tried to apply that kind of uncertainty and fear in an entire state, for well over a decade. Unexpected violence changes you, and its even worse when it's built into the system, when there's no real recourse. We have problems with that here in America, too. You only have to turn on the news to see it. The circumstances might be the same, but a lot of surface level, primal fears and hopes do not change. This is the kind of book that leaves me feeling like I'll forever see the world different after having read this.
shaileebasu's review
4.0
No review would do justice to this remarkably heart wrenching piece of writing. It's beautifully written, bound to shatter your soul and shatter your presumptions about Kashmir.
This book resonates with the current ethos in the state. I would recommend everyone to read it.
This book resonates with the current ethos in the state. I would recommend everyone to read it.
maheswaranm's review
3.0
Was a good read about things happening in Kashmir from a Kashmiri's point of view.
Started off quite slow for me. Then gathered speed and was quite interesting for some time. Then was a bit dragging towards the end.
An easy read. Even though I took a lot of time to read it.
A favourite for my father and brother but I give it 3 as it didn't keep me interested enough.
Started off quite slow for me. Then gathered speed and was quite interesting for some time. Then was a bit dragging towards the end.
An easy read. Even though I took a lot of time to read it.
A favourite for my father and brother but I give it 3 as it didn't keep me interested enough.
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