FINAL!

Overall I thought The Reluctant Fundamentalist was a pretty good book! I found the writing to be very unique and very interesting. At first it was hard for me to understand why the author had chosen to use such simple language, but as I got further into the plot I began to agree with the author's decision. I thought the diction fit the story and its information. What I really enjoyed about this book was how the author was able to incorperate so much important concepts and believes into one man's story. Sometimes a book revolves so much around one character's problems that it gets boring and uneventful. But the author was successfully able to balance Changez's problems with problems occuring in the world (like the 9/11 attacks). I really admired the authors ability to do this! What I didn't like about the book was how Changez was the only one describing the story. It occasionally bored me. But what I did like about Changez's dominance over the story was that I could really understand HIS point of view. I read the book because I wanted to learn about Changez, a Pakistani man trying to fulfill his goals in American post 9/11. I didn't pick the book so that I could learn about an American view point! Overall I found this book to very unique and actually really good! At first I wasn't sure I would enjoy the book, but by the end I felt like I really understood Changez and his experience in America.

The End

Overall, I thought that this book was unbelievably unique and is a very important piece for any American to read. Through seeing Changez's feelings, my eyes were opened to the Pakistani view on 911. Yes, I did have some prior understanding, but to see an example of a specific life that was affected, really put the situation in a clear light. Also, I couldn't stop admiring the wonderful and unique writing. The role of the American in the story was very affective as a "non-important" point of view. Also, the story line was very interesting and individual. The role of Erica in the story lead for a different relief from the prejudice. As well as a relief, it gave us a good look at Changez as a character. Hamid did a very good job of showing his audience the important points he was trying to bring forth. This was a quick read, however, I feel as if it wasn't lacking in content. There were hardly any slow moments, in fact it was a constant flow that grabbed you. This book is definately one of my favorite books as of lately and I've recommended it to multiple people lately, and I've only gotten positive feedback (however, I hardly doubt the people I recommended it to would ever tell me if they didn't appreciate it). I think that this piece would be a wonderful summer reading book simply because it raises awareness of the other cultures with relevance to ours. Seeing as this whole year is "devoted" to foreign literature, this seems to me to be a good story. Also, it is a good and quick read that is quite addicting. I really enjoyed this story!

The End

Overall, I sort of like this book. When I first started it, I hated the way it was written. It took me a few chapters before I started to really like how the book was written. I got absorbed in the story and couldn't put down the book. I was very intrigued by Changez's character and wanted to know what he would do with his life. At first I really liked his character and how he responded to certain everyday situations. Near the end of the book I just saw Changez as an arrogant character that gets upset at the things that go wrong, but never does anything to try and change them. His relationship with Erica was so boring because Changez never initaited anything to happen, but obviously wanted something to happen. I also thought that more emphaisis should be put on the point that the American is going to kill Changez before it actually happens.  On the cover, there is a quote about how "thrilling" this book is, but I never really felt thrilled while reading it. 

All In All

I really enjoyed this book. I thought I caused a lot of discussion among issues that are currently in the U.S. even though 9/11 is passed. His writing style almost reminded me of McCarthy because it lacked quotations between people and made the reader really engage in what was going on in the story. Changez was also a very intelligent introverted character. I felt as though some of the book was predictable, like Erica and Changez not ending up together and him going back to Lahore, but I felt all that led up to it was still quite intriguing. Also, I loved his integration of both cultures. I know it has been brought up in other blog posts, but I found it astonishing his ability to bring two places into one. The book was filled with forbidden love, foreign engagements, and astounding self-identity. Changez not once lost sight of the man he is and realized all in all, New York was not the place for him. Lahore is and always was his home.

Final Thoughts

Looking back on the book, I definitely have a lot of mixed feelings. To start with the positives, I really like the general plot, with the two parallel stories being told simultaneously. It was really interesting to get the perspective of a Pakistani-American, and his views on 9/11, as well as the conflict between India and Pakistan. I really liked the insight that Changez provided, and how much I was able to learn about what it was like to be the victim of racial profiling following the 9/11 attacks, and the identity struggle faced by Pakistani-American immigrants. However, I really didn't like Changez's narrative itself, or Changez's character in general. He was really cocky and selfish, but tried to be modest about it in a weird way. It seemed to me like he was trying way to hard to blend in, and never really could be himself. He really pissed me off with the whole Erica thing, and how he was willing to pretend he was Chris just so he could be with her; to me, that seemed way too desperate. Overall though, I did like the book as a whole, and I really liked the mysterious end. I love when books end open for imagination (which is why I hate the epilogue of the 7th Harry Potter) and the way Hamid leaves the situation between Changez and the American so up in the air made the book all the more interesting. It left it open for the reader to analyze the story so far, and assume whatever they like of the American, and whether or not he was going to kill Changez, and whether or not Changez was really a terrorist, allied with the waiter and the other mysterious men. Looking back on The Reluctant Fundementalist, as much as I disliked Changez as a character, I really did enjoy the book.

Overall

In summation, I really didn't like this book. To start off, there are a lot of good positive things. The way the characters are presented is one-sided, but also pretty clever. It's hard to tell a story from only dialogue, especially only one person's dialogue, but he does it sucessfully and we are still able to learn more about the other characters. Hamid also does a wonderful job of presenting a different point of view, but not making it feel so completely foreign. We are able to relate to Changez's Americanization, because let's face it, we have all become commercial and disrespectful. Which is what Changez was on his way to becoming! But despite all of these wonderful assets, I still get the feeling that if I ever met Changez I would want to punch him in the face. It has nothing to do with his reaction to 9/11. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I emphathize with him, but it's understandable. Sometimes countries need to be brought down as much as people do, but in no way am I condoning terrorist action. I do agree that the US should focus on fixing itself before fixing other countries. Now people can had hypocrite to the other list of names they label America with. But back to the book. The reason I dislike Changez is snobiness. He's not even someone who admits to his rude behavior, its like this backdoor way of thinking where he never says or does anything that could outright offend you. It's all undercover. For me that just ends the book. If I can't like the main character, what's the point in reading it? 

Week Five

Welcome to Week Five, and our last week week of blogging. This week's post should be on your overall thoughts about the book. It must be a ten sentence summary. You do not need to comment on anyone else's blog, but your post should be up here by Sunday, March 29 You should have made up any missing work by then as well.