Category: India/Pakistan/Afghanistan

April 15, 2026

A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif *** (of 4)

Ali Shingri is serving in Pakistan’s army just before the unexplained plane crash of Dictator Zia Al-Huq in 1988. Shingri’s father committed forced suicide at the hands of Al-Huq’s goons and Shingri is intent on murdering the dictator as revenge, only he has to wait on line behind other would-be assassins in a farce of magnificent proportions and exceptional skill.

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October 1, 2024

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese **** (of 4)

In the fictional riverside town of Parambil, in Kerala, India, 12-year-old Big Ammachi is taken from her home at the beginning of the 20th century...

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June 10, 2024

Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March *** (of 4)

It is 1892. India is a British colony and Indians, at least upper class Indians, aspire to move up the British hierarchy. Two young women...

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January 26, 2024

A Disappearance in Fiji *** (of 4)

Sargent Akal Singh has been banished to desk duty in Fiji. The year is 1915 and Britain rules its colonies with guile, brutality, and economic...

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October 24, 2022

Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar **** (of 4)

The title says the book is a novel, but the voice is the author’s and the story is about his life. News events, timelines, and...

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July 27, 2022

To a Mountain in Tibet by Colin Thubron *** (of 4)

Mount Kailash in Tibet is a mountain revered and sanctified by Hindus and Muslims. Walking around its base cleanses the soul and brings respect and...

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March 9, 2014

In an Antique Land by Amitav Ghosh *** (of 4)

Ghosh recounts the life of a Medieval Jewish trader, Ben Yiyu, who transported goods by ship from India to Egypt. Evidence of his trader emerge...

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February 26, 2013

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo **** (of 4)

Annawadi, one of a million Indian slums, lies behind Mumbai’s glittering new international airport. Statistically speaking we all know slums suck, but before this book...

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January 20, 2012

Ghost Wars by Steve Coll **** (of 4)

This book changed the way I viewed the CIA. I used to believe they were ideologically driven bumblers, but after observing the careful exhibition of...

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November 22, 2011

The Big Necessity by Rose George **** (of 4)

Summary: Everybody poops. Nobody talks about it. It’s a big problem everywhere. In the First World disposing of sewage consumes too much water and generates...

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