Summary from GoodReads: "SIKANDER is the sweeping tale of the son of a Pakistani middle-class family. It s 1986. Seventeen-year-old Sikander, dreams of studying and living in America, but in a blind rage after a family quarrel, he leaves his Peshawar, Pakistan home. Encountering mujahideen warriors, he joins them in their fight against the occupying Soviets in neighboring Afghanistan.American assistance is stepped up with advanced weapons, like the Stinger missile, and the mujahideen begin prevailing against the Soviets. After just two years following Sikander s arrival, a Soviet withdrawal begins and Sikander returns as a war-wise hero, settling down to build a normal life in Pakistan.Discovering romance, Sikander, becomes a happily married successful entrepreneur in Pakistan, when he finds his life abruptly thrown into turmoil as he s caught up in aftermath of 9/11. He must draw on the lessons from his mujahideen past as he takes on a perilous journey reaching as far as America, changing his life forever.SIKANDER takes us from the pricey suburbs of Peshawar to the primitive war-torn landscape of Soviet-occupied Afghanistan, to the placid serenity of Scotland, through the camps of Guantanamo, and finally, corporate America. It is a 21 year journey through freedom and captivity, love and loss, wealth and poverty, dignity and humiliation, and transgression and redemption. A rare glimpse of a non-radical mainstream Muslim s experience of the West, SIKANDER is a journey of growth and self-discovery, and will touch the humanity of its readers.
My Review: For those of you that have followed my blog, I like to review a variety of books. I, of course, have my favorite things to read, but I feel the only true waste of any book is to not open it. So, when I agreed to review this book, I really wasn't sure how I'd feel about it. But....
Send the kids off to bed and grab a cup of tea and this book.
This book is full of great details. It's great for those who like history, especially those interested in or wanting to learn more about the Middle East. This book lets us into the world of a young Middle Eastern teenager. Through his freedom fighting and how his life and that of his families progress to him running an American corporation.
Kahn will give you a glimpse into the world around us, the effects wars and general conflicts have on us no matter how close or far we feel we are from a given situation. He will show us that those living in the Middle East are far more than just news related beings. In this novel you will get to know them. He will make you second guess judging quickly and sometimes harshly.
A must have -- You will not forget this story.
Send the kids off to bed and grab a cup of tea and this book.
This book is full of great details. It's great for those who like history, especially those interested in or wanting to learn more about the Middle East. This book lets us into the world of a young Middle Eastern teenager. Through his freedom fighting and how his life and that of his families progress to him running an American corporation.
Kahn will give you a glimpse into the world around us, the effects wars and general conflicts have on us no matter how close or far we feel we are from a given situation. He will show us that those living in the Middle East are far more than just news related beings. In this novel you will get to know them. He will make you second guess judging quickly and sometimes harshly.
A must have -- You will not forget this story.
RATING: ♥♥♥♥♥
Pages: 571
Softcover
Review copy of this book provided by the author/publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. In no way did the provision of the book affect the outcome of my review.
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I don't know that this book would be for me. But I'm glad you found it worth the read.
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