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nickoftheparty's review
4.0
While I probably would've gotten even more out of it had I read Arundhati Roy's other works, this book of essays taught me a lot about the insanely complex system of class, caste, religion, and more in India, leading to the rise of fascism there, too. So much beauty, pain, and, if you squint, a little bit of hope.
steverrread's review against another edition
4.0
A good read. Fiction about fascists, freedom and politics on the subcontinent. An insight on the issues in Assam and Kashmir.
annetjeberg's review
4.0
Very relevant and timely collection of essays on current day India. Especially now during the Covid-19 crisis going on there, so very very interesting. I learned a lot. I have to say, not everything I really got, but it was well-written and engaging and that makes up for all of that!
somecatcherintherye's review
5.0
I am in awe of Arundhati Roy's writing. Yes, you can read news articles which by the way are also given as notes in the last section, but she demands urgent action from her readers with a lyricism so fierce and burning that you just keep wanting to be slapped left and right with her writing, to be shook until you are wide awake and ready to burn yourself to feed the fire and keep it alive.
singh_reads_kanwar2's review
3.0
This book is collection of essay how state against a community acts. From Atal bihari vajpayee regime and modi came to power in 2002 in Gujarat . She wrote about atrocities of people who been through enough. Rural people of Assam and NRC, govt. Against Muslim, agenda of RSS against Muslim, capitalist vs democracy, socialist communist versus democracy. She target elite who dominate the down trodden and subaltern in the line and hierarchy of the country. People who are mistreated. Her books title, how her stories came to light. She talk about delhi riots 2020, godra riots, Ram janam bhoomi, babri masjid demolition, Shaheen bagh, NRC and CAA and people against the law. Rural Assam and people who are without proper papers of property pr when they came to India or where they were born. How govt. Deal with corona crisis and what worst happened during that time . How justice loya went missing and what happened to gauri lankesh and removal of 370 and disturbance in Kashmir
liap's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, especially the reflections on the political purpose of literature. I learnt a lot about Kashmir, fascism and Indian politics, although there was some repetition across the essays. It’s interesting reading a book from 2020, at the start of the pandemic with hope that things will change because two years on it’s easy to feel like things are the same