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Discontent and its Civilizations: Dispatches from Lahore, New York, and London by Mohsin Hamid
discocaptain's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
4.0
what a beautiful collection!! hamid talks at the beginning about the co-creation that happens when reading novels, and about the connection with . really really resonated with "international relations" and "nationalism should retire at 65", especially with my own experiences having trouble with getting visas and border control, and being filipino. reading this made me feel like being uprooted like a lily pad the way i am with my heritage and being an immigrant wasn't an experience singular to me. it meant a lot.
(tangentially; what's been bothering me about this is the way that the phrase "clear-headed" gets thrown around a lot. i think its definitely applicable to hamid and the writers that he cites, its what draws me to this essay collection- it's cool. it feels likes its excising through the thick, complicated emotions around middle eastern/south asian politics, diaspora experiences, but a part of me got righteously pissy. why aren't we allowed to be emotional and angry? why isn't that ever praised as something that stirs something in audiences? can we not speak from a place of passion that isn't carefully metered? i don't know. this isn't a knock at this book, i loved it, but it's aimed at something else. something bigger.
and yet. despite all that. my favorite line, which perfectly juxtaposes against what i just said because it's a silly thing amidst all the difficult things was "hamid to hamster" with regards to his new walking habit. it's just cute. ugh book ever!!! going to read the rest of your novels sir)
(tangentially; what's been bothering me about this is the way that the phrase "clear-headed" gets thrown around a lot. i think its definitely applicable to hamid and the writers that he cites, its what draws me to this essay collection- it's cool. it feels likes its excising through the thick, complicated emotions around middle eastern/south asian politics, diaspora experiences, but a part of me got righteously pissy. why aren't we allowed to be emotional and angry? why isn't that ever praised as something that stirs something in audiences? can we not speak from a place of passion that isn't carefully metered? i don't know. this isn't a knock at this book, i loved it, but it's aimed at something else. something bigger.
and yet. despite all that. my favorite line, which perfectly juxtaposes against what i just said because it's a silly thing amidst all the difficult things was "hamid to hamster" with regards to his new walking habit. it's just cute. ugh book ever!!! going to read the rest of your novels sir)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry, War, Colonisation, Islamophobia, and Racism
eelsmac's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
lottie1803's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, War, and Islamophobia
princesspersephone's review against another edition
4.0
Nice quick read. Felt like conversing with a friend. This book has a few sections, split between his lived experiences, art and how it has affected his life, and then the political views he expresses at the end.
“The United States needs to address this contradiction. It seeks to stand for national greatness and human equality. Yet its greatness is in part built upon the denial of the equality of others outside its borders” (141).
Learned a bit from another perspective and how small things stick with us over time.
“The United States needs to address this contradiction. It seeks to stand for national greatness and human equality. Yet its greatness is in part built upon the denial of the equality of others outside its borders” (141).
Learned a bit from another perspective and how small things stick with us over time.
saazhar's review against another edition
5.0
At some point in the early 2000s, perhaps shortly after the first reread of Moth Smoke, I realized I wanted to have several cups of coffee with Mohsin Hamid, to understand how he writes. Now I want to even more - the eloquence of his views and the subject matter would make wonderful fodder for endless conversations.
joeynedland's review against another edition
4.0
I love the way Mohsin Hamid writes. Damn. Even straightforward political writing is written artfully, and brings you lucidly into the perspective with which he views the world.
As far as a collection of short stories goes, this had a relatively clear through line (life, art, politics) wherein political writings were imbued with the voice established through memoir-ish writings. Great, short, and engaging.
As far as a collection of short stories goes, this had a relatively clear through line (life, art, politics) wherein political writings were imbued with the voice established through memoir-ish writings. Great, short, and engaging.
vishals's review against another edition
3.0
His other books are far better and I feel that unless you really have appreciated him as an author after reading some of his previous books, it doesn't really make sense to take this on.
If you've liked his work enough and want to gain an insight into how his perspective of the world was shaped then this one is for you. Based on the essays at different points in time presented in the book, you can see the author grow - the quality of his writing gets more refined.
If you've liked his work enough and want to gain an insight into how his perspective of the world was shaped then this one is for you. Based on the essays at different points in time presented in the book, you can see the author grow - the quality of his writing gets more refined.