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philippakmoore's review against another edition
3.0
The first half of the book was a bit slow and I wasn't sure if I would stick it out, but I'm glad I did. The second half is compelling, fascinating and heartbreaking.
n_nazir's review against another edition
1.0
The problem is mainly mine. Whilst I think the Bhutto's as a family dynasty are fascinating, I do believe them, for the most part, to be repulsive and a big part of what is wrong with Pakistan and it's political arena. With that in mind, I probably should have chosen a more impartial source than one of the Bhutto's...but there you go.
I feel very sorry for Fatima Bhutto, the amount of violence and heartache she has had to deal with from such a young age is truly sad. But...she has written a book that idolises a flawed man who's primary distinction was that he was not as bad as the rest. She glosses over her grandfathers failures whilst waxing lyrical over his achievements; Benazir is (rightly) villified, but credit where credit is due - when Zia was at the height of his powers, she stayed in Pakistan - unlike both of her brothers. And although she turned out to be a corrupt, greedy and vile leader, unlike her brothers, when in opposition for the first time she did pursue a peaceful and democratic means to the opposing Zia.
And then there's Murtaza himself; friend of Colonel Gaddaffi, would be terrorist, boyfriend of a woman married to one of the Greek Junta; a man who somehow thought it best that his 3 year old daughter never see her mother...like I said, flawed.
I understand Fatima is a vocal critic of the current regime - and this does her credit as Zardari really is a stain on the Pakistani nation; but I think the book was misguided.
The problem with the Bhutto's is that Zulfikar's not quite achieved potential has bred a dynasty with a powerful hold on politics in Pakistan. The truth is, they should have quit a long time ago. Rather than further trying to raise the name, the best thing for them and for Pakistan would be if they allowed themselves to fade into history.
I feel very sorry for Fatima Bhutto, the amount of violence and heartache she has had to deal with from such a young age is truly sad. But...she has written a book that idolises a flawed man who's primary distinction was that he was not as bad as the rest. She glosses over her grandfathers failures whilst waxing lyrical over his achievements; Benazir is (rightly) villified, but credit where credit is due - when Zia was at the height of his powers, she stayed in Pakistan - unlike both of her brothers. And although she turned out to be a corrupt, greedy and vile leader, unlike her brothers, when in opposition for the first time she did pursue a peaceful and democratic means to the opposing Zia.
And then there's Murtaza himself; friend of Colonel Gaddaffi, would be terrorist, boyfriend of a woman married to one of the Greek Junta; a man who somehow thought it best that his 3 year old daughter never see her mother...like I said, flawed.
I understand Fatima is a vocal critic of the current regime - and this does her credit as Zardari really is a stain on the Pakistani nation; but I think the book was misguided.
The problem with the Bhutto's is that Zulfikar's not quite achieved potential has bred a dynasty with a powerful hold on politics in Pakistan. The truth is, they should have quit a long time ago. Rather than further trying to raise the name, the best thing for them and for Pakistan would be if they allowed themselves to fade into history.
cooeeaus's review against another edition
3.0
Fatima's personal view of her families history, through her father's death or murder. Fatima points the blame to her Aunt 'Bhutto' who was the leader of the country at the time. There are definitely innuendos of family disunity and disharmony throughout the book. Benazir Bhutto obviously is not favoured by Fatima throughout her memoir, accusation of blame, conspiracy and other political underhanded plots are all pointed to her and her party.
Fatima's obvious love and devotion for her father is heartrending and admirable, she was only a child when her father was murdered so I feel there is some excuse for her personal feelings and views on what happened, she also spoke to many of her fathers friends and compatriots in her research which made the memoir more believable as this shows that there are/were many who believe/d the same of Bhutto as her niece.
I found the going slow because the political structure of this country was unknown to me, Pakistan politics has never been of interest of studies by me in Australia. So I read slowly to take in the entire view of politics, ploys, conspiracies and fallacies of Pakistan in general. Overall I found the history really fascinating and Fatima's family so interesting.
I have given 3 stars which I do not feel says the book is not good, for I feel Fatima has written a very good novel, thoroughly fascinating to me.
I do point out that people of Pakistan may not approve of what she has written or believe same but I do feel this is a novel that deserves to be read, perhaps taken with 'a grain of salt' as my grandma would say, being as it is a 'personal memoir' and I think you have to accept that as it is.
So saying definitely readable if often a bit dry and full of facts of historical value, perhaps not for everyone.
Fatima's obvious love and devotion for her father is heartrending and admirable, she was only a child when her father was murdered so I feel there is some excuse for her personal feelings and views on what happened, she also spoke to many of her fathers friends and compatriots in her research which made the memoir more believable as this shows that there are/were many who believe/d the same of Bhutto as her niece.
I found the going slow because the political structure of this country was unknown to me, Pakistan politics has never been of interest of studies by me in Australia. So I read slowly to take in the entire view of politics, ploys, conspiracies and fallacies of Pakistan in general. Overall I found the history really fascinating and Fatima's family so interesting.
I have given 3 stars which I do not feel says the book is not good, for I feel Fatima has written a very good novel, thoroughly fascinating to me.
I do point out that people of Pakistan may not approve of what she has written or believe same but I do feel this is a novel that deserves to be read, perhaps taken with 'a grain of salt' as my grandma would say, being as it is a 'personal memoir' and I think you have to accept that as it is.
So saying definitely readable if often a bit dry and full of facts of historical value, perhaps not for everyone.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘We are a nuclear-armed state that cannot run refrigerators.’
In 1996, when Fatima Bhutto was 14 years old, her father Mir Murtaza Bhutto was shot dead by police outside his Karachi home. In this book, Ms Bhutto gives her account of his life as well as providing a view of the brutal and corrupt world of Pakistani politics. This is a world in which four members of the Bhutto clan have met violent deaths in just over 32 years.
‘Milan Kundera once said that the struggle of people against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting; this is my journey of remembering.’
According to Ms Bhutto, her father’s adult life was given to two causes. The first was to avenge the death of his father, former president Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979, ousted by General Zia-ul-Haq. When General Zia-ul-Haq died in 1988, Mir Murtaza Bhutto focussed on protecting his father’s political legacy from his sister Benazir Bhutto. The rivalry between Murtaza and Benazir is central to this book, and while Ms Bhutto’s account of her father is affectionate and not deeply critical; the same cannot be said of her account of her aunt, Benazir Bhutto.
Mir Murtaza Bhutto left Pakistan in 1977 after the Zia regime took power, and he did not return until 1993. During his absence Benazir Bhutto became a political force within Pakistan, including a period as prime minister between December 1988 and August 1990. According to Ms Bhutto, Mir Murtaza Bhutto’s return represented a threat: ‘it seemed as if Murtaza was the only politician speaking against the status quo, instead of lining up to join it.’
Benazir Bhutto was prime minister when Mir Murtaza Bhutto was shot in 1996, and the policemen accused of killing him were acquitted in 2009, when Asif Ali Zardari (Benazir Bhutto’s husband) was president. It was these acquittals that prompted Ms Bhutto to publish this book.
I found Ms Bhutto’s account fascinating. While it is a deeply personal perspective of Pakistani and Bhutto history and politics, much of the detail of the political events described relies on the accounts of Mir Murtaza’s friends and colleagues. Ms Bhutto’s perspective may not allow for an entirely accurate interpretation of events, but it certainly raises a number of issues in relation to both Mir Murtaza Bhutto’s death and the nature of politics in Pakistan.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
In 1996, when Fatima Bhutto was 14 years old, her father Mir Murtaza Bhutto was shot dead by police outside his Karachi home. In this book, Ms Bhutto gives her account of his life as well as providing a view of the brutal and corrupt world of Pakistani politics. This is a world in which four members of the Bhutto clan have met violent deaths in just over 32 years.
‘Milan Kundera once said that the struggle of people against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting; this is my journey of remembering.’
According to Ms Bhutto, her father’s adult life was given to two causes. The first was to avenge the death of his father, former president Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979, ousted by General Zia-ul-Haq. When General Zia-ul-Haq died in 1988, Mir Murtaza Bhutto focussed on protecting his father’s political legacy from his sister Benazir Bhutto. The rivalry between Murtaza and Benazir is central to this book, and while Ms Bhutto’s account of her father is affectionate and not deeply critical; the same cannot be said of her account of her aunt, Benazir Bhutto.
Mir Murtaza Bhutto left Pakistan in 1977 after the Zia regime took power, and he did not return until 1993. During his absence Benazir Bhutto became a political force within Pakistan, including a period as prime minister between December 1988 and August 1990. According to Ms Bhutto, Mir Murtaza Bhutto’s return represented a threat: ‘it seemed as if Murtaza was the only politician speaking against the status quo, instead of lining up to join it.’
Benazir Bhutto was prime minister when Mir Murtaza Bhutto was shot in 1996, and the policemen accused of killing him were acquitted in 2009, when Asif Ali Zardari (Benazir Bhutto’s husband) was president. It was these acquittals that prompted Ms Bhutto to publish this book.
I found Ms Bhutto’s account fascinating. While it is a deeply personal perspective of Pakistani and Bhutto history and politics, much of the detail of the political events described relies on the accounts of Mir Murtaza’s friends and colleagues. Ms Bhutto’s perspective may not allow for an entirely accurate interpretation of events, but it certainly raises a number of issues in relation to both Mir Murtaza Bhutto’s death and the nature of politics in Pakistan.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
aliza_shahzad's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first non-fiction book I've read this year and I'm pretty sure one of the only one's I've ever read that I can say I liked. I've always had an infatuation with the Bhutto family and this is a perfect dive into their family feuds, drama, etc. It is worth noting though, that the author is part of the family which is a pro and a con at the same time. The pro being that we got a real and raw look into the family and the con being that everything was in the author's eyes. As she writes, it's almost as if her father could do no wrong and it seemed sugar-coated at times. Other than that it was a gripping recount of this deep, influential, political family.
aminhas's review
2.0
No one can deny that Fatima Bhutto is a good writer. The book is enjoyable to read, but provides an incredibly one-sided approach to Pakistani politics. If she focused more on the 'memoir' part rather than politics I probably would have given this a higher rating. The entire time I read the book I felt she was trying to convert me to her beliefs on Pakistani politics with very biased information. She doesn't approach the history/politics of Pakistan in an objective manner due to the fact that she is unable to let go of her family name when discussing the topic. She quickly dismisses the negatives of the family members she loves, and tries to convince us that those who disagree with those family members are evil/corrupt/etc. I think I can understand that she would hero-worship her father and grandfather, especially since they both did not die from natural deaths, but a consequence of that is she has an inability to approach these figures in a critical manner. In the beginning of the book she mentions that her thesis adviser warns her that a dissertation she was writing on her grandfather was too hagiographic, and I do not think that adviser would even consider this book as a work of scholarship. As such, when I read this I had to constantly remind myself that the subtitle is "A Daughter's Memoir."
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