The Reluctant Fundamentalist

A book by Mohsin Hamid.

I loved his style and the message he brought across. It's somewhat of a mystery. The ending left me a bit unsteady. Perhaps that is exactly what he wanted to do. Leave you searching for more without the answers. Keep the reader thinking.

It's about a Pakistani in NY post 9/11 and his personal strife coming to terms with who or what he is. I think there is a fundamentalist inside all of us. It's just a matter of striking the chord that makes one take a stand. Too much goes on in day to day life that we let fly by. Mere occurences. We are too busy to take on the battles. There is always something more worthwhile of our attention. Something more important. Something else that needs to get done. And expending energy is a matter of great discretion.

Then there are those who pick up a sword and those who pick up a pen. Warriors who choose their distinct paths to fight the fights they think are worth the trouble.

The process through which we pick our battles, how we know something is actually worth it is a bit unclear to me.

Anyhow -- my rating ****. Def worth the short read. For desi pride and for those unfamiliar with the culture and turmoils.