A Case of Exploding Mangoes
Registered by missmarkey of Harwell, Oxfordshire United Kingdom on 6/12/2017
This book is in a Controlled Release!
3 journalers for this copy...
Hello. You have found a travelling book. Please make a journal entry here then read and release the book again where someone else will find it. Hope you enjoy the book. MissMarkey :)
Journal Entry 2 by OBCZ-TeddysDen at Café Gloria (OBCZ) in Zürich, Zürich Switzerland on Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Released 5 yrs ago (11/15/2018 UTC) at Café Gloria (OBCZ) in Zürich, Zürich Switzerland
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
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You found this book, I hope you enjoy it. Make a journal entry and let us know where you found it and how you'd liked it - and maybe what you plans are with it (anonymous is ok - or think of a cute name and sign up for free and become part of our great bookcrossing community). Bookcrossing is free and it's great fun!
Another Indian author. Let's see if he can correct the bad impression I had of late with Indian literature ...
This isa very clever satire about the Pakistani military dictator general Zia.
Of course it helps if one is familiar with the circumstances. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, president of Pakistan since he overthrew (and hanged) 1978 the elected Democrate president Bhutto in a military coup, was an overly pious ruler who's main goal was the thoroughly islamization of the nation. He replaced High Courts with the Federal Sharia Court and introduced harsh punishments for adultery (stoning to death). Thiefs were their hands amputated. Women had to cover their head in public and couldn't sign any legal papers. Thousends of rape victims were incarcerated on charge of adultery. One can say that he wasn't very popular.
Zia died in a plane crash on 17 August 1988, together with some of his highest generals and the US ambassador Arnold Lewis. It was clearly sabotage, that much the investigation found out. But who was behind it?
Was it ...
- the CIA?
- a blind woman's revenge?
- a general who wasn't happy with his career?
- the narrator Ali Shigri himself, who wanted to avenge his father's death?
- a box of exploding mangoes (with best wishes from the working union)?
The wildest speculations spread. Hanif picks up all of them and invents some new ones to construct this most absurd, crazy and highly entertaining story around the famous plane sabotage which never was solved.
However the background is rather disagreeable with all the military and misogyny, was at least for me. It is a man's, a man's, a man's world ...
Of course it helps if one is familiar with the circumstances. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, president of Pakistan since he overthrew (and hanged) 1978 the elected Democrate president Bhutto in a military coup, was an overly pious ruler who's main goal was the thoroughly islamization of the nation. He replaced High Courts with the Federal Sharia Court and introduced harsh punishments for adultery (stoning to death). Thiefs were their hands amputated. Women had to cover their head in public and couldn't sign any legal papers. Thousends of rape victims were incarcerated on charge of adultery. One can say that he wasn't very popular.
Zia died in a plane crash on 17 August 1988, together with some of his highest generals and the US ambassador Arnold Lewis. It was clearly sabotage, that much the investigation found out. But who was behind it?
Was it ...
- the CIA?
- a blind woman's revenge?
- a general who wasn't happy with his career?
- the narrator Ali Shigri himself, who wanted to avenge his father's death?
- a box of exploding mangoes (with best wishes from the working union)?
The wildest speculations spread. Hanif picks up all of them and invents some new ones to construct this most absurd, crazy and highly entertaining story around the famous plane sabotage which never was solved.
However the background is rather disagreeable with all the military and misogyny, was at least for me. It is a man's, a man's, a man's world ...
gave it to my dentist who is an avid reader. I hope I will hear again from this book (said dentist sadly declines to become a member and never writes a JE).