Book Review: Boy by Roald Dahl

Boy is certainly not Roald Dahl’s autobiography but definitely a reflection of his early phase of life. Roald Dahl’s father hailed from a small town near Oslo. His father had married twice and died when Dahl was young. In his childhood, Dahl was a naughty kid. In this book he narrates an anecdote from his childhood where he along with his friends placed a dead mouse into a box containing sweets. The seller of those sweets was a lady who complained...

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Book Review: Danny The Champion of the World By Roald Dahl

A small boy named Danny lives with his father. His mother had died early and he has been brought up only by his father. Danny’s father is a mechanic and also owns a filling station. One night Danny discovers the absence of his father from bed. He gets curious and worried. This worrisome situation leads Danny to hunt for his father. In this search he drives his father’s car to the woods, after narrowly escaping the police. There he learns...

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Book Review: The Village by the Sea by Anita Desai

This story of Anita Desai revolves around a family which lives on the western coast of India where industrialization is yet to set in motion. The setting is of a village named Thul and the story is entirely based on fact. In the story Hari is a young boy whose father is a drunkard and his mother is extremely ill. The family has deplorable living conditions and they do not have a proper source of income. Hari catches fish with his small net unlike...

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Book Review: Holiday in Hunza By Jewel Hatcher Henrickson

Holiday in Hunza is a travel piece by a group of Americans who live and work in Karachi. When Muhammad Jamal Khan, the last ruler of Hunza visits Karachi he meets Dr. Nelson. Dr. Nelson the medical director of Karachi hospital invites Jamal to visit his hospital. Jamal Khan gets impressed by the hospital management and invites Nelson and his staff to visit Hunza. The following year the Americans with help from Iskander Mirza’s son travel...

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Book Review: Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization By Jonathan Mark Kenoyer

Ancient Cities of the Indus Valley Civilization is a book presenting a different perspective on the earliest cities of West India and Pakistan. In the beginning chapters of the book the nature of the cities and its denizens is discussed.  The origins of urban society and the livelihood means of the population are also debated. For construction use of bricks was common. A well-built and well managed drainage system was operating during those...

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Book Review: Saladin The Life, The Legend and The Islamic Empire by John Man

This book of history by John Man is related to Saladin, who to date remains one of the key figures of the Islamic empire. Yusuf, son of Ayub, was born in Tikrit and later came to be known as Saladin. Saladin’s rise to power was influenced by various factors. Saladin’s father was a governor, his uncle Shirkuh a military commander and later Saladin also served under Nur- Al din’s command. Nur- Al Din’s death by disease made it easier for Saladin’s...

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Book Review: The Luminous Life of Dalai Lama Edited by Shyam Dua

 This illustrated biography of Dalai Lama is a small book of less than a hundred pages. Dalai Lama born in Tibet in 1935 and was enthroned at the age five. He started his education at a monastery in Tibet. In this book the list of awards and honorary degrees conferred on him has been enlisted. Dalai Lama believes that Tibet is still under the Chinese oppression. He is of the view that there is an imminent threat to Tibetan religion, culture...

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Book Review: Nisso By Pavel Luknitsky

This historic novel revolves around a girl named Nisso who lives in the mountains of Central Asia. She loses her parents at an early age. Her maternal aunt gives her to Aziz Khon in marriage. Aziz Khon pays her the price. One day Nisso decides to run away from Aziz Khon. She runs away and reaches a valley named Siatang. At Siatang she is under the protection of Sho-pir an ex-red army soldier. Mededev is a comrade and works in Siatang to improvise...

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